Dr. Angus Chu

Optimization of wastewater treatment technologies

Optimization study of full scale fermenters located at the Bonnybrook biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater treatment facility operated by the city of Calgary. This plant has full scale fermenters to produce the necessary carbon substrates to achieve reliable BNR through their process. The research objective is to optimize the production of these carbon substrates from their fermenter process.

Development of a molecular assay for the detection and enumeration of disease causing organisms in drinking water

This research program is a result of collaborative efforts from both the Departments of Microbiology and Civil Engineering (Engineering for the Environment). Traditional techniques for detecting disease in water are to enumerate indicator organisms. These techniques are growth associated and equipment intensive. The departments of Microbiology and Civil Engineering are currently developing a molecular assay for the identification and enumeration of disease causing organisms in environmental samples.

Toxicity of contaminated flare pit soils 

The existence of flare pits in Alberta is of the undesirable byproducts of oil and gas production. In Alberta's oil patch, flare pits have been used to store and/or burn produced fluids at older oil and gas well sites. Since produced fluids may contain liquid hydrocarbons, process chemicals, crude bitumen or salt water, they invariably contain contaminated sludge and soils. Most of these pits are unlined excavations and can pose a significant risk to the environment and subsequently human health. As of December 31, 1996 produced fluids are not allowed to be discharged to earthen pits in Alberta. Remediation and decommissioning of thousands of flare pits in Alberta pose a serious challenge for the oil and gas industry. There is an estimated 10,000 such flare pit sites in Alberta alone.

Characterization of cold climate petroleum degrading microorganisms

The use of microorganisms in the cleanup of contaminated sites displays significant promise for application due to its versatility and cost effectiveness. Bioventing is a specific bioremediation technique that involves the delivery of gaseous or liquid oxygen to the soil subsurface via injection wells to stimulate biodegradation. It is the purpose of this study to characterize and identify the microbial populations occurring in situ bioventing applications.