John L. Zhou

• BEng MSc PhD
• Professor at University of Technology Sydney

There is a wide spectrum of biological wastes, from which H2 production can generate clean energy while minimizing environmental degradation. This study aims to conduct techno-economic and environmental impact assessment of major hydrogen production processes such as dark, photo and solid-state fermentation, microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), gasif...

Vehicle emissions are the most important source of air pollution in the urban environment worldwide, and their detection and control are critical for protecting public health. Here, we report the use of on-road remote sensing (RS) technology for fast, accurate, and cost-effective identification of high-emitting vehicles as an enforcement program fo...

Widespread contamination by heavy metals (HMs) and dyes poses a major health risk to people and ecosystems requiring effective treatment. In this work, rice husk (RH) and shrimp shells were extracted to obtain amorphous silica and chitosan, respectively, which were utilized to produce nano-chitosan-coated silica (NCCS). To ensure the stability of t...

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a highly persistent organic pollutant of global concern. A novel nanocomposite composed of ZnO nanoparticles and citric acid-modified g-C3N4 was synthesized by ball milling process. The synthesized nanocomposite was more efficient than pure ball-milled ZnO nanoparticles for PFOA elimination under visible light irrad...

Porous liquids (PLs) are newly developed porous materials that combine unique fluidity with permanent porosity, which exhibit promising functionalities. They have shown ability to efficiently absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Experimental measurement is one approach to determining the solubility of various greenhouse gases in PL...

kC membranes were prepared with 0.5-2 %wt/v nZVI and crosslinked with PEI for leachate treatment. • nZVI-kC membranes achieved 98 % and 90 % rejection of Mg 2+ and Na + ions. • The membranes maintained 98 % rejection of heavy metals from leachate in multiple cycles. • The nZVi-kC recovered 68 % and 66 % of lead and lithium from leachate at the end...

Citation: Alsaka, L.; Alsaka, L.; Altaee, A.; Zaidi, S.J.; Zhou, J.; Kazwini, T. A Review of Hydrogel Application in Wastewater Purification. Separations 2025, 12, 51. Abstract: Hydrogels have garnered considerable interest in water purification owing to their distinctive physicochemical characteristics, including high porosity, modifiable surface...

Topic: State of the Art Work on "Environmental Applications of Mxene" Abstract: The 2D-MXene frameworks (2D-MXene) comprising transition metal carbide, nitride, is regarded next generation advanced material, that have procured significant courtesy owing to their incredible characteristic of highly ordered framework, controllable structure, large s...

Urban heat island (UHI) and urban pollution island (UPI) effects are two major challenges that affect the liveability and sustainability of cities under the circumstance of climate change. However, existing studies mostly addressed them separately. Urban green infrastructure offers nature-based solutions to alleviate urban heat, enhance air quality...

Recent years have seen a rise in the use of carbon fiber (CF) and its composite applications in several high-tech industries, such as the design of biomedical sensor components, 3D virtual process networks in automotive and aerospace parts, and artificial materials or electrodes for energy storage batteries. Since pristine CF have limited propertie...

The huge demands for better energy efficiency and cleaner air from the public have driven governments to implement increasingly stricter emission standards. However, their implementation was not conducted uniformly among transport sectors. While road vehicles are now tested both in laboratory and real-world, rail vehicles are still only required to...

Perfluorooctanoic acid is an emerging pollutant with exceptional resistance to degradation and detrimental environmental and health impacts. Conventional physical and chemical processes for Perfluorooctanoic acid are either expensive or inefficient. This study developed an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective gravity-driven kappa-carragee...

This study applied electrokinetic (EK) in situ soil remediation for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) removal from kaolinite soil. The kaolinite soil was spiked with 10 mg/kg PFOA for the EK treatment using Sodium Cholate bio-surfactant coupled with Activated Carbon (AC) or iron-coated Activated Carbon (FeAC) permeable reactive barrier (PRB). The study...

In this study, treated wastewater and Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) brine were integrated into the Forward Osmosis (FO) system using pressure stimuli-responsive Nanofiltration (PSRNF) membranes to dilute magnesium, calcium, and sulfate MSF plant brine reject. The deposition of magnesium sulfate and calcium sulfate in the heat ex-changer is one of the mai...

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is highly investigated in the literature as one of the blue energy techniques. The PRO membrane plays a key role in harvesting the osmotic energy from a salinity gradient resource and process optimization. Therefore, a well-selected membrane will improve the power density generated in the PRO process to meet a design...

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent compound, raising considerable global apprehension due to its resistance to breakdown and detrimental impacts on human health and aquatic environments. Pressure-driven membrane technologies treating PFAS-contaminated water are expensive and prone to fouling. This study presented a parametric investigati...

With an increasing focus on green technologies, this research aimed to synthesize copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) using leaf extracts from Allahabad Safeda and Hisar Safeda for environmental and health protection. A range of concentrations of leaf extracts were employed in the synthesis of nanoparticles, utilizing 1–9% extract from Allahabad S...

The significance of water resources cannot be overstated, as they are vital for human survival and the economic and social development of societies [...]

Pharmaceuticals are widely used and often discharged without metabolism into the aquatic systems. The photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical compounds propranolol, mebeverine, and carbamazepine was studied using different titanium dioxide nanostructures suspended in water under UV and UV-visible irradiation. Among three different photocatalys...

The swift growth of cities worldwide poses significant challenges in ensuring a sufficient water, energy, and food supply. The Nexus has innovated valuable systems to address these challenges. However, a crucial issue is the potential for pollution resulting from these systems, which directly and indirectly impacts public health and the overall qua...

One of the key concerns in the 21st century, alongside the growing population, is the increase in energy consumption and the resulting global warming. The impact of CO2, a prominent greenhouse gas, has garnered significant attention in the realm of CO2 capture and gas purification. CO2 absorption can be enhanced by introducing some additives into t...

As pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is getting more attention for sustainable energy generation, further investigation to enhance its efficiency is required. Applying a multiple-stage PRO scenario is one suggestion to boost the generated energy in the PRO process. This research evaluates the benefit of multiple stages of pressure retarded osmosis on...

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are extensively distributed, highly persistent, and hazardous compounds in water resources threating human health and ecosystems, therefore requiring effective controlling and management systems. Machine learning (ML)-based procedures are novel approaches through which the PFAS-controlling system...

The Ardabil Plain is pivotal in the national agricultural sector and ranks among the leading agricultural and horticultural production provinces. The primary objective of this study is to enhance environmental sustainability in this critical and vulnerable region, particularly in the face of imminent droughts and climate change. The study examines...

Ardabil Plain, which holds significant political and economic importance in agricultural production in Iran, has faced various challenges including climate change, economic sanctions, and limited access to global trade. Ensuring food security has become a key priority for the region. The main objective of this research is to identify a suitable cro...

Fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) occur in various active forms, each of which exhibits the biological activity of the respective vitamin and performs the same metabolic functions within the body. The accurate determination of these compounds in food, biological, and pharmaceutical samples is significant for food labeling, treatment/diagnosis of hypo/hyp...

The efficacy of the Standalone Electrokinetic (EK) process in soil PFAS removal is negligible, primarily due to the intersecting mechanisms of electromigration and electroosmosis transportation. Consequently, the redistribution of PFAS across the soil matrix occurs, hampering effective remediation efforts. Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) has been...

The adsorption process of inorganic arsenic (As) plays an important role in its mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity in the river environment. In this work, the adsorption of dissolved arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) by microplastics (MPs) pellets (polystyrene (PS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE)), river sediment, and their mixture w...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) was utilized to treat the ever-growing amount of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) generated due to population growth and the expansion of the global economy. The widespread application of AD has led to a continuous increase in residual solid digestate that necessarily requires further disposal. Improving AD...

As the global population reaches eight billion, large quantities of wastewater (domestic, industrial, livestock) need to be treated in an efficient, green, and environmentally friendly manner. Wastewater hydroponics technology (HP) can efficiently remove various pollutants (conventional and emerging pollutants, heavy metals, and microorganisms) and...

Removing heavy metals from landfill leachate wastewater treatment is an environmental challenge because of its complicated characteristics and composition. Although several chemical and physical processes were developed for landfill wastewater treatment, membrane technologies are still common. Nevertheless, membrane fouling, energy requirements and...

Of current interest is visible-light activated g-C3N4, owing to its unique physicochemical properties for the photocatalytic H2 production and pollutant remediation. In this research, the synthetic procedures, physicochemical properties, and major approaches to overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of g-C3N4 are reviewed. Of different synthesis procedur...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), one of the main categories of emerging contaminants, are a family of fluorinated organic compounds of anthropogenic origin. PFAS can endanger the environment and human health because of their wide application in industries, long-term persistence, unique properties, and bioaccumulation potential. This stud...

This work presents an innovative approach to developing a low-carbon and hazard-free cementitious material (EGC) by activating ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) with electrolytic manganese residue (EMR), which has an excellent heavy metal solidified capacity. Herein, the multi-step leaching was creatively conducted to investigate the soli...

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are known as the most widely used plasticizer as well as one of the ubiquitously distributed emerging pollutants. Biodegradation and bioremediation via application of PAEs-degrading microbes is promising. In this study, a novel marine microbe, Gordonia hongkongensis RL-LY01, was isolated from mangrove sediment showing hi...

Huge amounts of manganese-rich solid residues are yearly produced worldwide by industrial electrolysis, calling for advanced methods of recycling in the context of the circular economy. Here, we review manganese recycling with focus on ore reserves, electrolytic production, residue stockpiling and environmental impact, reducing the amount of residu...

In this work, the electrolytic manganese residues (EMR) were used as sulfate activators for fly ash and granulated blast-furnace slag to fabricate highly reactive supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The findings promote the implementation of a win-win strategy for carbon reduction and waste resource utilisation. The effects of EMR dosing o...

Carbon has an extraordinary ability to bind with itself and other elements, resulting in unique structures for a wide range of applications. Recently, intensive research has been focused on the properties of carbon-based materials (CBMs) and on increasing their performance by doping them with metals and non-metallic elements. While materials with e...

The presence of dyes in aquatic environments can have harmful effects on aquatic life, including inhibiting photosynthesis, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels, and altering the behavior and reproductive patterns of aquatic organisms. In the initial phase of this review study, our aim was to examine the categories and properties of dyes as well as t...

Mycolicibacterium phocaicum RL-HY01, a marine bacterial strain with the capability to degrade phthalic acid esters (PAEs), was isolated from Zhanjiang Bay, China. Here, the complete genome sequence of strain RL-HY01 was presented. The genome of strain RL-HY01 contains one circular chromosome of 6,064,759 bp with a G + C content of 66.93 mol%. The g...

E-mail address: wengui.li@uts.edu.au (W. Li). To mitigate the shortage of freshwater resources in the island and coastal regions, using seawater (SW) for concrete mix can provide significant economic and environmental benefits. To achieve a safe and reliable application, in-depth investigations are needed on hydration of Portland cement in SW. The...

Water pollution is considered a serious threat to human life. An advanced oxidation process in the presence of semiconductor photocatalysts is a popular method for the effective decomposition of organic pollutants from wastewater. TiO2 nanoparticles are widely used as photocatalysts due to their low cost, chemical stability, environmental compatibi...

In this research, the electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) based belite-ye'elimite-ferrite (E-BYF) clinker composed of 51.6 % belite, 25.6 % iron phase, 15.8 % ye'elimite and 6.5 % over-burned anhydrite phase was manufactured successfully at 1200 °C _ 30 min by utilizing EMR (45.5 %) and additional CaO and Al2O3. The existence of iron-rich and heav...

This research represented the first study of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) decomposition using immobilized ZnO nanoparticles by electrophoretic deposition in photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis. Overall, considering process performance, application under visible light...

The potential of microalgal photobioreactors in removing total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), caffeine (CAF), and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) from synthetic wastewater was studied. Chlorella vulgaris achieved maximum removal of 62.2% TAN, 52.8% COD, 62.7% CAF, and 51.8% DEET. By mixing C. vulgaris with activated sludge, th...

Aerobic composting is widely used worldwide as a natural process for handling human waste. Such waste often contains pharmaceutical residues from human consumption, yet their impact on composting has not been studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the antihistamine cimetidine (10 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg) on the aerobic composting o...

Developing an eco-friendly UHPC with Belite cement (BC) is a great challenge because the mechanical strength of concrete with BC develops much more slowly than Ordinary Portland cement (alite-rich cement, OPC). However, BC has a lower CO2 footprint than OPC due to a lower calcined temperature and less limestone demand, making it green cement. Besid...

Rice is the staple food in many countries including Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, >80% of the total irrigated area is planted with rice, which generates a huge amount of rice husk (RH) as a solid waste which requires proper management. This study, therefore, aimed to extract amorphous silica from openly burned rice husk ash (RHA) using a simple method...

Carbon has an extraordinary ability to bind with itself and other elements, resulting in unique structures for a wide range of applications. Recently, intensive research has been focused on the properties of carbon‐based materials (CBMs) and on increasing their performance by doping them with metals and non‐metallic elements. While materials with e...

In the current study, an integrated physiochemical method was utilized to remove tonalide (TND) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) (as emerging contaminants, ECs), and nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) (as heavy metals), from synthetic wastewater. In the first step of the study, pH, current (mA/cm2), and voltage (V) were set to 7.0, 30, and 9, respectively; then...

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent, nonbiodegradable environmental pollutant progressively becoming more problematic. Due to its ubiquitous use, PFOA is one of the PFAS chemicals frequently detected in the environment. This study assessed electrokinetic (EK) technology as an in-situ remediation procedure to remove PFOA from kaolinite as...

Two-pass reverse osmosis desalination is a common process to treat high-salinity feed solution and provides a low-salinity permeate solution. This study investigated the significance of the energy generated by the dual-stage pressure retarded osmosis (DSPRO) from the reverse osmosis (RO) brine stream. The main components of the DSPRO-RO hybrid syst...

The adsorption of inorganic arsenic (As) plays an important role in the mobility and transport of As in the river environment. In this work, the adsorption and desorption of arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] on river sediment were conducted under different pH, initial As concentrations, river water and sediment composition to assess As adsorp...

High-mileage vehicles such as taxis make disproportionately large contributions to urban air pollution due to their accelerated engine deterioration rates and high operation intensities despite their small proportions of the total fleet. Controlling emissions from these high-mileage fleets is thus important for improving urban air quality. This stu...

Membrane cleaning is critical for economic and scientific reasons in wastewater treatment systems. Sodium docusate is a laxative agent and removes cerumen (ear wax). Docusate penetrates the hard ear wax, making it softer and easier to remove. The same concept could be applied to soften and remove fouling layers on the membrane surface. Once softene...

The direct stockpiling of electrolytic manganese residues (EMR) poses a major environmental issue, and more eco-friendly disposal is urgently needed. The combination of cement solidified waste (CSW) and direct electric curing (DEC) provides a potential solution for hazard-free value-added utilization of EMR. The effects of DEC voltages and EMR dosa...

Soil salinization has been recognized as one of the main factors causing the decrease of cultivated land area and global plant productivity. Application of salt tolerant plants and improvement of plant salt tolerance are recognized as the major routes for saline soil restoration and utilization. Sea rice 86 (SR86) is known as a rice cultivar capabl...

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is used in a variety of industries and is highly persistent in the environment, with potential human health risks. Photocatalysis has been extensively used for the decomposition of various organic pollutants, yet its simulation and modeling are challenging. This research aimed to establish different machine learning (M...

A circular nonuniform electric field strategy coupled with gel electrophoresis was proposed to control the precise separation and efficient concentration of nano- and microparticles. The circular nonuniform electric field has the feature of exponential increase in the electric field intensity along the radius, working with three functional zones of...

In this study, the top layer of commercial UA-60 loose nanofiltration (NF) membranes is coated with cross-linked kappa-carrageenan (κ-CGN) and graphene oxide (GO) solution. Various GO concentrations are investigated to improve salt rejection and antifouling properties. The surface functional groups, surface morphology, elemental analysis, hydrophil...

The effects of granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and nano-silica (NS) on the chloride-binding capacity of cement paste after 6-month exposure to seawater chloride-rich solutions were investigated in this paper. The pH, chloride-binding ratio (CBR), leaching behavior, and phase transformation were investigated by various experimental and analysi...

BN/CC isosterism has been widely investigated as a strategy to expand carbon-based compounds. The introduction of BN units in organic molecules always results in novel properties. In this work, we reported the first synthesis and characterization of 1,6;2,3-bis-BN cyclohexane, an isostere of cyclohexane with two adjacent BN pairs. Its ring flipping...

Electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from the discarded electronic products. The generation of e-waste has increased significantly in the recent decades. Globally, the increased rate of e-waste generation is almost 2 metric tonnes (Mt) per year. It is estimated that about 74 Mt of e-waste will be produced in 2030. Therefore, e-waste can be a sig...

Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are widely adopted in diesel vehicles to meet the increasingly stringent emission regulations, which require continuous passive regenerations or/and periodic active regenerations to burn off the accumulated particulate matter (PM). In spite of many laboratory studies using DPF benches and engine/chassis dynamometers...

This paper reviewed the mechanisms of biochar in relieving ammonia inhibition. Biochar affects nitrogen-rich waste's anaerobic digestion (AD) performance through four ways: promotion of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) and microbial growth, adsorption, pH buffering, and provision of nutrients. Biochar enhances the DIET pathway by acting...

Sewage sludge ash has potential to be used as supplementary cementitious material in the production of building materials. The chemical effect of sewage sludge ash on early-age hydration of cement was investigated in this study. Two types of sludge ash calcined at 600 °C (S600) and 800 °C (S800) were blended with cement for analysis of hydration he...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are hazardous chemicals that have been widely used in different industries and released into the environment through contaminated effluents. Nanofiltration (NF) is a promising process for removing PFAS from the effluents. This study aimed to model and analyze the performance of the NF membrane process in p...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent in the environment and have been detected in a variety of plants such as vegetables, cereals, and fruits. Increased evidences show that plants are at a risk of being adversely affected by PFASs. This review concludes that PFASs are predominantly taken up by roots from sources in the soil an...

The consumption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has been widely increasing, yet up to 90–95% of PPCPs consumed by human are excreted unmetabolized. Moreover, the most of PPCPs cannot be fully removed by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which release PPCPs to natural water bodies, affecting aquatic ecosystems and potentiall...

The application of aluminum-based flocculant in wastewater treatment results in a large amount of aluminum-rich sewage sludge. This work investigated the influence of calcination process on physicochemical characteristics and pozzolanic activity of aluminum (Al)-rich sludge ash and studied the effect of sludge ash on cement hydration. The results s...

Ranitidine is widely concerned due to it is mainly related to the transformation into highly toxic carcinogenic products and non-readily biodegradable characteristics in aquatic environment. In this study, biodegradation of ranitidine during rural human feces (HF) aerobic composting was investigated. Results show that both levels of ranitidine are...

Degradation in grade of manganese ore aggravates the complexity of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR). Calcination is one of the most practical pretreatment methods to improve EMR activity and dispose the hazardous elements. In this paper, the evolution of mineral phase, pozzolanic activity, pore structure and harmful components induced by calcin...

Supplementary cementitious materials have significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the production of construction materials. This work investigated the synergistic effect of partially replacing cement by sewage sludge ash and limestone for sustainable cementitious material production. The hydration phases and pore structure chara...

Water treatment sludge was successfully thermally converted to obtain biochar as a stable material with resource potential. This research explored the application of sludge biochar as a supplementary cementitious material. The cement paste samples incorporating different amounts of sludge biochar were prepared, hardened, and analyzed for performanc...

Internal concentration polarization (ICP) is currently a major bottleneck in the forward osmosis process. Proper modelling of the internal concentration polarization is therefore vital for improving the process performance and efficiency. This study assessed the feasibility of several machine learning methods for internal concentration polarization...

Due to their wide distribution and availability, plant leaves can be considered interesting candidates as biomonitoring substrates for the evaluation of atmospheric pollution. In addition, some species can also retain historical information, for example, related to environmental pollution, due to their leaf class age. In this study, the content of...

The presence of pesticides in aquatic environments has threatened marine food resources, aquaculture, fisheries and human health; therefore, two most used insecticides were removed during this study. Two photobioreactors, including biochar and Chlorella vulgaris/activated sludge (reactor 1), and Chlorella vulgaris/activated sludge (reactor 2) were...