Overview
Background
My research focuses on environmental biotechnology for removing and transforming persistent pollutants in water and wastewater.I specialise in microbial and hybrid biological–chemical processes that transform hard-to-degrade organic contaminants and nutrient pollutants, including PFAS and nitrogen compounds, into less harmful or resource-recoverable products through sustainable, low-carbon pathways.
I am particularly interested in how microorganisms interact with engineered systems to drive pollutant transformation. My work combines reactor engineering, microbiology, materials-assisted treatment, and multi-omics analysis to understand both treatment performance and the underlying biological mechanisms.
Key areas of my research include:
- PFAS biotransformation and defluorination
- Membrane biofilm reactors
- Microbial ecology in engineered systems
- Biological nitrogen removal
- Bio-Fenton and reactive oxygen species-based treatment
- Metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and bioinformatics
At UQ, my work aims to develop sustainable technologies for treating emerging contaminants and recovering valuable resources from waste streams. This includes identifying microorganisms and enzymes involved in PFAS transformation, designing hybrid treatment systems, and linking microbial function to practical environmental engineering applications.
My research sits at the interface of environmental microbiology, water engineering, contaminant chemistry, and systems biology.
Availability
- Dr Wei Li is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Zhejiang University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Zhejiang University (National Che Kiang University) (浙江大学)
Research interests
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PFAS biotransformation, defluorination and resource recovery
I investigate microbial and hybrid biological–chemical processes for transforming high-priority PFAS and other persistent fluorinated contaminants. My work aims to identify PFAS-transforming microorganisms, enzymes and reaction pathways, while developing low-carbon remediation strategies that support contaminant removal, defluorination and fluoride-based resource recovery.
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Environmental biotechnology for low-carbon pollution control
I develop microbial and engineered biofilm technologies for treating recalcitrant organic compounds, nutrient pollutants and contaminated waste streams. My research combines reactor engineering, microbial ecology, multi-omics and materials-assisted processes to improve pollutant transformation, nitrogen removal, greenhouse gas mitigation and treatment system resilience.
Research impacts
My research develops low-carbon biotechnologies for transforming persistent pollutants and recovering useful resources from contaminated environments and waste streams.By combining microorganisms, engineered biofilms, and hybrid biological–chemical processes, my work addresses contaminants that are difficult to treat using conventional methods, including PFAS, recalcitrant organic compounds, and nitrogen pollutants.
The impact of my research includes:
- Reducing environmental pollution by transforming persistent contaminants into less harmful forms.
- Supporting resource recovery by exploring pathways to convert waste and pollutants into reusable products.
- Lowering treatment carbon footprints through microbial and energy-efficient processes.
- Improving system resilience under chemical, salinity, and operational stresses.
- Informing practical remediation strategies through mechanistic understanding of microbial and chemical transformations.
At UQ, my research aims to support sustainable remediation technologies for priority contaminants, with benefits for environmental protection, circular resource use, and low-carbon treatment.
Works
Search Professor Wei Li’s works on UQ eSpace
2015
Journal Article
Investigation on the performance of raceway ponds with internal structures by the means of CFD simulations and experiments
Huang, Jianke, Qu, Xiaoxing, Wan, Minxi, Ying, Jiangguo, Li, Yuanguang, Zhu, Faochao, Wang, Jun, Shen, Guomin, Chen, Jianpei and Li, Wei (2015). Investigation on the performance of raceway ponds with internal structures by the means of CFD simulations and experiments. Algal Research, 10, 64-71. doi: 10.1016/j.algal.2015.04.012
2015
Journal Article
Numerical and experimental study on the performance of flat-plate photobioreactors with different inner structures for microalgae cultivation
Huang, Jianke, Kang, Shaofeng, Wan, Minxi, Li, Yuanguang, Qu, Xiaoxing, Feng, Fei, Wang, Jun, Wang, Weiliang, Shen, Guomin and Li, Wei (2015). Numerical and experimental study on the performance of flat-plate photobioreactors with different inner structures for microalgae cultivation. Journal of Applied Phycology, 27 (1), 49-58. doi: 10.1007/s10811-014-0281-y
2014
Journal Article
Novel flat-plate photobioreactors for microalgae cultivation with special mixers to promote mixing along the light gradient
Huang, Jianke, Li, Yuanguang, Wan, Minxi, Yan, Yi, Feng, Fei, Qu, Xiaoxing, Wang, Jun, Shen, Guomin, Li, Wei, Fan, Jianhua and Wang, Weiliang (2014). Novel flat-plate photobioreactors for microalgae cultivation with special mixers to promote mixing along the light gradient. Bioresource Technology, 159, 8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.01.134
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Wei Li is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
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Microbial defluorination of high-priority PFAS for sustainable remediation
Develop microbial and hybrid biotechnologies to defluorinate high-priority PFAS, identify responsible microorganisms and genes, and translate mechanisms into sustainable remediation systems.
Media
Enquiries
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