Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan
Honorary Professor

Zhiguo Yuan

Email: 

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)

161 - 180 of 805 works

2021

Journal Article

Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals promote the transmission of multidrug resistance plasmids through intra- and intergenera conjugation

Wang, Yue, Lu, Ji, Zhang, Shuai, Li, Jie, Mao, Likai, Yuan, Zhiguo, Bond, Philip L. and Guo, Jianhua (2021). Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals promote the transmission of multidrug resistance plasmids through intra- and intergenera conjugation. The ISME Journal, 15 (9), 2493-2508. doi: 10.1038/s41396-021-00945-7

Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals promote the transmission of multidrug resistance plasmids through intra- and intergenera conjugation

2021

Journal Article

Stoichiometric and kinetic characterization of an acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizer ‘Candidatus Nitrosoglobus’

Wang, Zhiyao, Ni, Gaofeng, Maulani, Nova, Xia, Jun, De Clippeleir, Haydée, Hu, Shihu, Yuan, Zhiguo and Zheng, Min (2021). Stoichiometric and kinetic characterization of an acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizer ‘Candidatus Nitrosoglobus’. Water Research, 196 117026, 117026. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117026

Stoichiometric and kinetic characterization of an acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizer ‘Candidatus Nitrosoglobus’

2021

Journal Article

Study of free nitrous acid (FNA)-based elimination of sulfamethoxazole: Kinetics, transformation pathways, and toxicity assessment

Cheng, Zhao, Zuo, Zhiqiang, Yang, Shaolin, Yuan, Zhiguo, Huang, Xia and Liu, Yanchen (2021). Study of free nitrous acid (FNA)-based elimination of sulfamethoxazole: Kinetics, transformation pathways, and toxicity assessment. Water Research, 189 116629, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116629

Study of free nitrous acid (FNA)-based elimination of sulfamethoxazole: Kinetics, transformation pathways, and toxicity assessment

2021

Journal Article

Formation and partitioning behaviour of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in waste activated sludge during anaerobic digestion

Li, Yijing, Bräunig, Jennifer, Angelica, Guerrero C., Thai, Phong K., Mueller, Jochen F. and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). Formation and partitioning behaviour of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in waste activated sludge during anaerobic digestion. Water Research, 189 116583, 116583. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116583

Formation and partitioning behaviour of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in waste activated sludge during anaerobic digestion

2021

Journal Article

Transformation of phthalates and their metabolites in wastewater under different sewer conditions

He, Chang, Li, Jiaying, Jiang, Guangming, Chen, Shuo, Niel, Cherry, Yuan, Zhiguo, Mueller, Jochen F. and Thai, Phong (2021). Transformation of phthalates and their metabolites in wastewater under different sewer conditions. Water Research, 190 116754, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116754

Transformation of phthalates and their metabolites in wastewater under different sewer conditions

2021

Journal Article

An investigation into the impacts of water demand management and decentralized water recycling on excess sewer sediment deposition

Murali, Madhu K., Hipsey, Matthew R., Ghadouani, Anas and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). An investigation into the impacts of water demand management and decentralized water recycling on excess sewer sediment deposition. Journal of Environmental Management, 279 111788, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111788

An investigation into the impacts of water demand management and decentralized water recycling on excess sewer sediment deposition

2021

Journal Article

Inactivation kinetics of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria by free nitrous acid

Zheng, Min, Wang, Zhiyao, Meng, Jia, Hu, Zhetai, Liu, Yanchen, Yuan, Zhiguo and Hu, Shihu (2021). Inactivation kinetics of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria by free nitrous acid. Science of the Total Environment, 752 141876, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141876

Inactivation kinetics of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria by free nitrous acid

2021

Journal Article

The impact of primary sedimentation on the use of iron-rich drinking water sludge on the urban wastewater system

Rebosura, Mario, Salehin, Sirajus, Pikaar, Ilje, Keller, Jürg, Sharma, Keshab and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). The impact of primary sedimentation on the use of iron-rich drinking water sludge on the urban wastewater system. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 402 124051, 124051. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124051

The impact of primary sedimentation on the use of iron-rich drinking water sludge on the urban wastewater system

2021

Journal Article

Robust nitritation sustained by acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

Wang, Zhiyao, Zheng, Min, Meng, Jia, Hu, Zhetai, Ni, Gaofeng, Guerrero Calderon, Angelica, Li, Huijuan, De Clippeleir, Haydee, Al-Omari, Ahmed, Hu, Shihu and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). Robust nitritation sustained by acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Environmental Science and Technology, 55 (3) acs.est.0c05181, 2048-2056. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05181

Robust nitritation sustained by acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

2021

Journal Article

Microbial perchlorate reduction driven by ethane and propane

Lai, Chun-Yu, Wu, Mengxiong, Lu, Xuanyu, Wang, Yulu, Yuan, Zhiguo and Guo, Jianhua (2021). Microbial perchlorate reduction driven by ethane and propane. Environmental Science and Technology, 55 (3) acs.est.0c04103, 2006-2015. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04103

Microbial perchlorate reduction driven by ethane and propane

2021

Journal Article

Structural changes in model compounds of sludge extracellular polymeric substances caused by exposure to free nitrous acid

Chislett, Mariella, Guo, Jianhua, Bond, Philip L. and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). Structural changes in model compounds of sludge extracellular polymeric substances caused by exposure to free nitrous acid. Water Research, 188 116553, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116553

Structural changes in model compounds of sludge extracellular polymeric substances caused by exposure to free nitrous acid

2021

Journal Article

Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and dinitrogen to value-added products: a review

Rabiee, Hesamoddin, Ge, Lei, Zhang, Xueqin, Hu, Shihu, Li, Mengran and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and dinitrogen to value-added products: a review. Energy and Environmental Science, 14 (4), 1959-2008. doi: 10.1039/d0ee03756g

Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and dinitrogen to value-added products: a review

2021

Journal Article

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled with dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium fuels anaerobic ammonium oxidation

Nie, Wen-Bo, Ding, Jie, Xie, Guo-Jun, Yang, Lu, Peng, Lai, Tan, Xin, Liu, Bing-Feng, Xing, De-Feng, Yuan, Zhiguo and Ren, Nan-Qi (2021). Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled with dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium fuels anaerobic ammonium oxidation. Environmental Science and Technology, 55 (2), 1197-1208. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02664

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled with dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium fuels anaerobic ammonium oxidation

2021

Journal Article

Recovery of nitrous oxide from wastewater treatment: current status and perspectives

Duan, Haoran, Zhao, Yingfen, Koch, Konrad, Wells, George F., Weißbach, Max, Yuan, Zhiguo and Ye, Liu (2021). Recovery of nitrous oxide from wastewater treatment: current status and perspectives. ACS ES&T Water, 1 (2), 240-250. doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.0c00140

Recovery of nitrous oxide from wastewater treatment: current status and perspectives

2021

Conference Publication

Zero- energy sewage treatment: carbon efficient sewage treatment and enhanced biogas recovery

Duan, Haoran, Watt, Shane, Meng, Jia, Liu, Peng, Dwyer, Jason, McPhee, Paul, Rattier, Maxime, Zheng, Min, Hu, Shihu and Yuan, Zhiguo (2021). Zero- energy sewage treatment: carbon efficient sewage treatment and enhanced biogas recovery. Reimagining our Water Future: Ozwater 2021, Adelaide, SA Australia, 4-6 May 2021.

Zero- energy sewage treatment: carbon efficient sewage treatment and enhanced biogas recovery

2020

Journal Article

Critical factors facilitating Candidatus nitrotoga to be prevalent nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge

Zheng, Min, Li, Siqi, Ni, Gaofeng, Xia, Jun, Hu, Shihu, Yuan, Zhiguo, Liu, Yanchen and Huang, Xia (2020). Critical factors facilitating Candidatus nitrotoga to be prevalent nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge. Environmental Science and Technology, 54 (23), 15414-15423. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04192

Critical factors facilitating Candidatus nitrotoga to be prevalent nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge

2020

Journal Article

Biogas-driven complete nitrogen removal from wastewater generated in side-stream partial nitritation

Liu, Tao, Lim, Zhuan Khai, Chen, Hui, Wang, Zhiyao, Hu, Shihu, Yuan, Zhiguo and Guo, Jianhua (2020). Biogas-driven complete nitrogen removal from wastewater generated in side-stream partial nitritation. Science of the Total Environment, 745 141153, 141153. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141153

Biogas-driven complete nitrogen removal from wastewater generated in side-stream partial nitritation

2020

Journal Article

Transformation of illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals in sewer sediments

Li, Jiaying, Gao, Jianfa, Thai, Phong K., Mueller, Jochen F., Yuan, Zhiguo and Jiang, Guangming (2020). Transformation of illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals in sewer sediments. Environmental Science and Technology, 54 (20) acs.est.0c04266, 13056-13065. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04266

Transformation of illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals in sewer sediments

2020

Journal Article

Enhancing methane oxidation in a bioelectrochemical membrane reactor using a soluble electron mediator

Zhang, Xueqin, Rabiee, Hesamoddin, Frank, Joshua, Cai, Chen, Stark, Terra, Virdis, Bernardino, Yuan, Zhiguo and Hu, Shihu (2020). Enhancing methane oxidation in a bioelectrochemical membrane reactor using a soluble electron mediator. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 13 (1) 173, 173. doi: 10.1186/s13068-020-01808-7

Enhancing methane oxidation in a bioelectrochemical membrane reactor using a soluble electron mediator

2020

Journal Article

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant

Duan, Haoran, Akker, Ben van den, Thwaites, Benjamin J., Peng, Lai, Herman, Caroline, Pan, Yuting, Ni, Bing-Jie, Watt, Shane, Yuan, Zhiguo and Ye, Liu (2020). Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Water Research, 185 116196, 116196. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116196

Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant

Availability

Honorary Professor Zhiguo Yuan is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • 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

    Data quality assurance in digitalisation of urban water management

    Principal Advisor

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

  • 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

Need help?

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communications@uq.edu.au