Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan
Honorary Professor

Zhiguo Yuan

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Background

Prof Yuan received his PhD degree in aeronautical engineering in 1992 from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. He changed research direction to wastewater management in 1994, when he took up a postdoctoral research fellow position at Ghent University, Belgium. He joined the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), renamed as the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology in July 2021, at The University of Queensland in 1998. He served as the AWMC Deputy Director 2001-2014, and then the AWMC/ACWEB Director in 2015 to July 2022. His research focuses on development of innovative solutions for urban water management and environmental biotechnology through effective integration of fundamental science and applied engineering. He won over $50M in government, industry and university research funding including many ARC Discovery, Linkage and Fellowship grants, mostly as the lead Chief Investigator. Prof Yuan was one of the founding members of the $117m Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities. He has published intensively both in specialised journals such as Water Research and Environmental Science and Technology, and multidisciplinary journals including Nature and Science. He is the founder of three biotechnology businesses namely SeweX, Cloevis and Lodomat, and his research has delivered documented savings of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Australian water industry. His research achievements and leadership have been recognized through major national and international awards including the 2015 ATSE Clunies Ross Award and the International Water Association (IWA) 2014 Global Project Innovation Award (Applied Research Category). Prof Yuan was named as one of Engineers Australia’s Top 100 Most Influential Engineers for 2015. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), an IWA Distinguished Fellow, and was awarded the highly prestigious ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2017. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in January 2019.

Availability

Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Environmental biotechnology Environmental engineering

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Engineering, Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics

Research interests

  • Integrated Urban Water Management

    A whole-of-system approach to managing multiple water resources in an urban water cycle and multiple elements in an urban water system.

  • Digital water

    Descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive data analytics for proactive urban water management

  • Sustainable carbon bioeconomy

    Gas fermentation to convert organic wastes to carbon commodities

  • Corrosion and odour management in sewers systems

    Effective control of H2S production in sewer systems and minimise its effect on sewer corrosion and odour generation

  • Sludge management in wastewater treatment systems

    Innovative technologies for enhancing bioenergy recovery from wastewater and reducing sludge production

  • Greenhouse gas emissions from water and wastewater systems

    Fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater systems including CH4 emission in sewers, N2O emission from wastewater treatment processes and CH4 and N2O emissions from estuaries, dams and bays

  • Biological nutrient removal and recovery

    Innovative technologies and fundamental science for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater

Research impacts

  • His research in sewer management has fundamentally changed practice of many Australian water utilities in corrosion and odour management in sewers. The documented savings to date for the water industry amounts to approximately $400 million, based on the testimonial letters provided by industry partners.
  • He has collaborated with almost all major water utilities in Australia through many ARC Industry Linkage projects as well as a large number of collaborative research projects.
  • He was a founding and Executive Committee member of the $117 million Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cites, with over 80 industry partners, and led the Future Technologies Program Leader.
  • Established SeweX, a consulting company under UniQuest Pty Ltd, in 2008. SeweX has undertaken over $3 million consulting work since 2009. Clients included both Australian water utilities and companies from overseas. SeweX has been recently licensed to Envirosuite, an ASX listed technology company.
  • Established Cloevis Pty Ltd, a spin-off company from my sewer research. The company has licenced its patented technology on biofilm removal from sewer pipes to USP Technologies (US).
  • His research on sludge treatment using free nitrous acid has led to the development of the patented Lodomat technology that substantially increases biogas production from wastewater sludge. The technology has recently attracted >$5M (+ >$4M in-kind) industry and government funding for pilot plant demonstrations.
  • His research has frequently attracted media attention, with many articles published in newspapers such as The Australian and The Courier Mail, the News Agency Websites (e.g. ABC, Xinhua Agency), and industry magazines, newsletters and websites. Five of his papers have Altmetric Attention Scores that are in the top 5% of the 6.4 million research outputs tracked.
  • He is an Editor of Water Research, a top journal in water science and technology.
  • He published over 500 papers in internationally leading journals (the full list and citation record: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1IPdGqkAAAAJ&hl=en)

Search Professor Zhiguo Yuan’s works on UQ eSpace

805 works between 1992 and 2025
All (805) Journal Article (623) Book Chapter (9) Conference Publication (169) Book (1) Other Outputs (3)

441 - 460 of 805 works

2014

Journal Article

Modeling the pH effect on sulfidogenesis inanaerobic sewer biofilm

Sharma, Keshab, Derlon, Nicolas, Hu, Shihu and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). Modeling the pH effect on sulfidogenesis inanaerobic sewer biofilm. Water Research, 49, 175-185. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.11.019

Modeling the pH effect on sulfidogenesis inanaerobic sewer biofilm

2014

Journal Article

Effects of sewer conditions on the degradation of selected illicit drug residues in wastewater

Thai, Phong K., Jiang, Guangming, Gernjak, Wolfgang, Yuan, Zhiguo, Lai, Foon Yin and Mueller, Jochen F. (2014). Effects of sewer conditions on the degradation of selected illicit drug residues in wastewater. Water Research, 48 (1), 538-547. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.10.019

Effects of sewer conditions on the degradation of selected illicit drug residues in wastewater

2014

Journal Article

A novel methodology to quantify nitrous oxide emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment systems with surface aerators

Ye, Liu, Ni, Bing-Jie, Law, Yingyu, Byers, Craig and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). A novel methodology to quantify nitrous oxide emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment systems with surface aerators. Water Research, 48 (1), 257-268. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.09.037

A novel methodology to quantify nitrous oxide emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment systems with surface aerators

2014

Conference Publication

Understanding corrosion of concrete sewer using advanced mineral analysis

Jiang, Guangming, Wightman, Elaine, Donose, Bogdan C., Yuan, Zhiguo, Bond, Philip L. and Keller, Jurg (2014). Understanding corrosion of concrete sewer using advanced mineral analysis. Ozwater'14, Brisbane, Australia, 29 April - 1 May 2014.

Understanding corrosion of concrete sewer using advanced mineral analysis

2014

Book Chapter

Automation and control

Olsson, Gustaf, Yuan, Zhiguo and Kim, Changwon (2014). Automation and control. Activated sludge - 100 Years and counting. (pp. 245-269) edited by David Jenkins and Jiri Wanner. London, United Kingdom: IWA Publishing.

Automation and control

2014

Journal Article

Removal of SO2 from flue gas by sodium phosphate buffer solution in a rotating packed bed

Yuan, Zhiguo, Song, Wei, Peng, Bo, Kang, Xiaofeng and Liu, Youzhi (2014). Removal of SO2 from flue gas by sodium phosphate buffer solution in a rotating packed bed. Energy Education Science and Technology Part A: Energy Science and Research, 32 (2), 1397-1406.

Removal of SO2 from flue gas by sodium phosphate buffer solution in a rotating packed bed

2014

Journal Article

A review on sludge conditioning by sludge pre-treatment with a focus on advanced oxidation

Zhou, Xu, Jiang, Guangming, Wang, Qilin and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). A review on sludge conditioning by sludge pre-treatment with a focus on advanced oxidation. RSC Advances, 4 (92), 50644-50652. doi: 10.1039/c4ra07235a

A review on sludge conditioning by sludge pre-treatment with a focus on advanced oxidation

2014

Journal Article

The role of iron in sulfide induced corrosion of sewer concrete

Jiang, Guangming, Wightman, Elaine, Donose, Bogdan C., Yuan, Zhiguo, Bond, Philip L. and Keller, Jurg (2014). The role of iron in sulfide induced corrosion of sewer concrete. Water Research, 49, 166-174. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.11.007

The role of iron in sulfide induced corrosion of sewer concrete

2014

Conference Publication

Finding the optimal aeration profiles and do profiles in a plug-flow biological wastewater treatment reactor with a theoretical approach

Liu, Xiaoxin, Jing, Yuanwei, Olsson, Gustaf and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). Finding the optimal aeration profiles and do profiles in a plug-flow biological wastewater treatment reactor with a theoretical approach. 19th IFAC World Congress on International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, 24-29 August 2014. International Federation of Automatic Control. doi: 10.3182/20140824-6-za-1003.00732

Finding the optimal aeration profiles and do profiles in a plug-flow biological wastewater treatment reactor with a theoretical approach

2014

Journal Article

Instrumentation, control and automation in wastewater - From London 1973 to Narbonne 2013

Olsson, G., Carlsson, B., Comas, J., Copp, J., Gernaey, K. V., Ingildsen, P., Jeppsson, U., Kim, C., Rieger, L., Rodriguez-Roda, I., Steyer, J.-P., Takacs, I., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Vargas, A., Yuan, Z. and Amand, L. (2014). Instrumentation, control and automation in wastewater - From London 1973 to Narbonne 2013. Water Science and Technology, 69 (7), 1373-1385. doi: 10.2166/wst.2014.057

Instrumentation, control and automation in wastewater - From London 1973 to Narbonne 2013

2014

Conference Publication

Biofouling control of reverse osmosis membranes using free nitrous acid

Filloux, Emmanuelle, Wang, Jingshi, Pidou, Marc, Gernjak, Wolfgang and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). Biofouling control of reverse osmosis membranes using free nitrous acid. 4th IWA Regional Conference on Membrane Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 3-6 December, 2014.

Biofouling control of reverse osmosis membranes using free nitrous acid

2014

Journal Article

Assessment of pH shock as a method for controlling sulfide and methane formation in pressure main sewer systems

Gutierrez, Oriol, Sudarjanto, Gatut, Ren, Guo, Ganigue, Ramon, Jiang, Guangming and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). Assessment of pH shock as a method for controlling sulfide and methane formation in pressure main sewer systems. Water Research, 48 (1), 569-578. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.10.021

Assessment of pH shock as a method for controlling sulfide and methane formation in pressure main sewer systems

2014

Conference Publication

Tidal influence on subtropical estuarine methane emissions

Sturm, Katrin, Grinham, Alistair, Werner, Ursula and Yuan, Zhiguo (2014). Tidal influence on subtropical estuarine methane emissions. EGU2014: 11th European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2014, Vienna, Austria, 27 April-2 May, 2014. Goettingen, Germany: Copernicus.

Tidal influence on subtropical estuarine methane emissions

2013

Journal Article

Methane and nitrous oxide sources and emissions in a subtropical freshwater reservoir, south east Queensland, Australia

Sturm, K., Yuan, Z., Gibbes, B. and Grinham, A. (2013). Methane and nitrous oxide sources and emissions in a subtropical freshwater reservoir, south east Queensland, Australia. Biogeosciences Discussions, 10 (12), 19485-19508. doi: 10.5194/bgd-10-19485-2013

Methane and nitrous oxide sources and emissions in a subtropical freshwater reservoir, south east Queensland, Australia

2013

Journal Article

Removal of low concentration sulfur dioxide from gas by aqueous of sodium phosphate in high gravity

Yuan, Zhiguo, Liu, Youzhi, Kang, Xiaofeng, Song, Wei and Peng, Bo (2013). Removal of low concentration sulfur dioxide from gas by aqueous of sodium phosphate in high gravity. Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering, 7 (11), 4475-4480.

Removal of low concentration sulfur dioxide from gas by aqueous of sodium phosphate in high gravity

2013

Journal Article

Model-based evaluation of the role of Anammox on nitric oxide and nitrous oxide productions in membrane aerated biofilm reactor

Ni, Bing-Jie, Smets, Barth F., Yuan, Zhiguo and Pellicer-Nacher, Carles (2013). Model-based evaluation of the role of Anammox on nitric oxide and nitrous oxide productions in membrane aerated biofilm reactor. Journal of Membrane Science, 446, 332-340. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.06.047

Model-based evaluation of the role of Anammox on nitric oxide and nitrous oxide productions in membrane aerated biofilm reactor

2013

Journal Article

PH dynamics in sewers and its modeling

Sharma, Keshab, Ganigue, Ramon and Yuan, Zhiguo (2013). PH dynamics in sewers and its modeling. Water Research, 47 (16), 6086-6096. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.07.027

PH dynamics in sewers and its modeling

2013

Journal Article

Free nitrous acid (FNA)-based pretreatment enhances methane production from waste activated sludge

Wang, Qilin, Ye, Liu, Jiang, Guangming, Jensen, Paul D., Batstone, Damien J. and Yuan, Zhiguo (2013). Free nitrous acid (FNA)-based pretreatment enhances methane production from waste activated sludge. Environmental Science and Technology, 47 (20), 11897-11904. doi: 10.1021/es402933b

Free nitrous acid (FNA)-based pretreatment enhances methane production from waste activated sludge

2013

Journal Article

Modeling electron competition among nitrogen oxides reduction and N 2O accumulation in denitrification

Pan, Yuting, Ni, Bing-Jie and Yuan, Zhiguo (2013). Modeling electron competition among nitrogen oxides reduction and N 2O accumulation in denitrification. Environmental Science and Technology, 47 (19), 11083-11091. doi: 10.1021/es402348n

Modeling electron competition among nitrogen oxides reduction and N 2O accumulation in denitrification

2013

Journal Article

High-content, well-dispersed gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles encapsulated in macroporous silica with superior arsenic removal performance

Yang, Jie, Zhang, Hongwei, Yu, Meihua, Emmanuelawati, Irene, Zou, Jin, Yuan, Zhiguo and Yu, Chengzhong (2013). High-content, well-dispersed gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles encapsulated in macroporous silica with superior arsenic removal performance. Advanced Functional Materials, Early View (10), 1-10. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201302561

High-content, well-dispersed gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles encapsulated in macroporous silica with superior arsenic removal performance

Availability

Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Data quality assurance in digitalisation of urban water management

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Helen Huang, Dr Jiuling Li, Dr Ruihong Qiu

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Airflow and temperature modelling for sewers

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jiuling Li

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding of Ventilation-Based Drying for Sewer Corrosion Control

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jiuling Li, Dr Zhetai Hu

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Understanding of Condensation-induced Concrete Corrsoion in the Sewer Crown Region

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Damien Batstone, Dr Jiuling Li

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Integrated use of magnesium and iron chemicals in urban wastewater systems

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Zhetai Hu

  • Doctor Philosophy

    In-depth understanding of bioprocess and microbial community in a novel methane-based membrane biofilm reactor

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Jianhua Guo

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Extracellular Electron Transfer-Facilitated Microbial Conversion of Methanol by Eubacterium limosum

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Xueqin Zhang, Dr Bernardino Virdis

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan directly for media enquiries about:

  • Corrosion - sewers
  • Odour - sewers
  • Sewers
  • Wastewater management
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Water treatment

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