Physical-chemical hydrodynamic modelling of N2O emission in urban water resource systems

The main aim of this project focuses on developing next-generation numerical tools that can be employed to infer effective design, operation and control strategies for CC adaptation and mitigation in UWT.
The objectives of this PhD project comprise (1) assessing the dynamics of maximum treatment capacity under wet/storm-flow conditions limited by solid-liquid separation capacity - the hydraulic process bottleneck - using biomolecular observations and mathematical simulation models characterising biosolid particle structure and settleability, respectively, to reduce the discharge of untreated water by-passing water treatment systems by means of more effective process operation and control design solutions; (2) experimental assessment and numerical modelling of gas mass transfer with biosolid particles interacting with oxygen and nitrous-oxide bubbles systems; and (3) assessing the mass transfer of oxygen and the greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, in surface-aerated oxidation ditch bioreactors using experimental observations and three-dimensional single- and multiphase computational simulation modelling.