Research Interests:

• Wastewater treatment and process engineering;

• Biodegradation and aerobic granular sludge process;

• Resource reclamation and management;

• Renewable energy and alternative fuels

Biography:

Dr. Zhang obtained her Bachelor degree in the Department of Environment Science and Engineering, Fudan University, in 2002, before pursuing her graduate study with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. In School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, she focused her research on the treatment of toxic industrial wastewaters via novel biological processes, i.e. aerobic granular sludge systems. She started working as a project officer in 2006, in the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, where she expanded her expertise into areas such as ballast water treatment, bunker fuel and clean energy. After being awarded her Doctoral degree, she joined her alma mater as a lecturer, and later became Associate Professor. Her research interests, though centering on, are not limited to environmental engineering and wastewater treatment. Dr. Zhang believes the solution to mankind’s environmental problems requires interdisciplinary collaboration and holistic mindset. Therefore, her present research involves the interconnection of resource reclamation from waste streams, new materials and renewable energy, as well as social aspects and human values.

Prizes and Awards

• China Scholarship Council award “International Clean Energy Talents (iCET2018)” training program, 2018~2022.

Key Publications

• Qiuyue Tao, Heyun Huang, Mingfeng Yang, Yuqi Zou, Marie Harder, Qun Yan, Bo Liang, Ioanna Ntaikou, Georgia Antonopoulou, Gerasimos Lyberatos, Yi Zhang*. 2024 Comparison of batch, fed-batch and continuous operation modes for scalable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production and carbon sequestration from phenol. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 60: 105147. DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105147.

• Li Wang, Xiang Liu, Zhenwen Li, Chunli Wan*, Yi Zhang*. 2023 Filamentous Aerobic Granular Sludge: A Critical Review on Its Cause, Impact, Control and Reuse. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 11：110039. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2023.110039.

• Mingfeng Yang, Yuqi Zou, Xiao Wang, Xiang Liu, Chunli Wan, Marie Harder, Qun Yan, Jiangkun Nan, Ioanna Ntaikou, Georgia Antonopoulou, Gerasimos Lyberatos, Yi Zhang*. 2022 Synthesis of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from mixed phenolic substrates in an acclimated consortium and the mechanisms of toxicity. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 10: 107944. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2022.107944.

• Tingting Liu, Qian Zhang, Xiaowen Kang, Jiaqi Hou, Tao Luo and Yi Zhang*. 2022 Household food waste to biogas in Västerås, Sweden: A comprehensive case study of waste valorization. Sustainability, 14: 11925. DOI: 10.3390/su141911925.

• Yi Zhang*, Apiredan Wusiman, Xiang Liu, Chunli Wan, Duu-Jong Lee, JooHwa Tay. 2018 Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) accumulation from phenol by acclimated consortium: Impacts of operational conditions. Journal of Biotechnology, 267: 36-44, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2018.01.001.

• Apiredan Wusiman, Yuhao Lu, Supu Sun, Xiang Liu, Chunli Wan*, Yi Zhang*, Duu-Jong Lee, JooHwa Tay. 2016 Effect of operational strategies on activated sludge’s acclimation to phenol, subsequent aerobic granulation, and accumulation of polyhydoxyalkanoates. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 317: 211-218, DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.05.074.