The Research Group of Environmental Ecology and Sustainable Development was established in 2009. The group has 5 members of staff, including 1 professor, 2 associate professors, and 2 assistant research fellows. Currently, there are 1 doctoral student and 12 master students in our group. Until now, more than 50 students from our group have obtained their degrees.

The research interests of our group include (1) water pollution control, (2) environmental and ecological effects of contaminants, (3) ecological remediation, and (4) comprehensive utilization of solid waste. To date, our group has hosted or participated in more than 30 research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation, the National Key Research and Development Program of China, and the National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project, etc. In recent years, more than 100 research papers have been published in the journals on environmental science and technology, such as “Environmental Science & Technology” and “Water Research”, etc. Moreover, our group has applied for more than 30 National Patents of Invention. In 2015, Professor Hua Zou, the group leader, obtained the Science and Technology Award of Chinese Business Association.

Current Staff

Head of research group: Hua Zou, Professor

Staff: Yun Zhang, Associate Professor

     Yi-fei Li, Associate Professor

     Jian-nan Ding, Assistant Research Fellow

     Shan-fei Fu, Assistant Research Fellow

Main Research Area

1. Safety assessment, risk early warning systems, and remediation technology of aquatic environment pollution

2. Environmental behavior and ecological effects of emerging contaminants in aquatic environments

3. Removal technology of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and emerging organic pollutants by ecological wetlands and soil restoration

4. Anaerobic fermentation technology and comprehensive utilization of solid waste resources

Main Research Projects

1.      Risk sources identification and early warning technology of water quality safety for lake watershed (National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project, 2012-2017)

2.      Monitoring and risk assessment of toxic pollutants in Taihu Lake (National Key Research and Development Program of China, 2017-2018)

3.      Interactive effects and mechanisms of typical microplastics and pharmaceutically active compounds on freshwater organisms in water environment (National Natural Science Foundation, 2019-)

4.      Micro interface processes of organic matter and steroid hormones in sediments and their influence on bioavailability (National Natural Science Foundation, 2019-)

5.      Study on anaerobic digestion process and mechanism of micro aerobic fiber waste (National Natural Science Foundation, 2019-)

Main Papers

1.         Zhang, Y., Snow, D. D., & Bartelt-Hunt, S. L. (2016). Stereoselective degradation of estradiol and trenbolone isomers in alluvial sediment. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(24), 13256-13264.

2.         Zhang, Y., Krysl R. G., Ali J. M., Snow D. D., Bartelt-Hunt S. L., & Kolok A. S. (2015). Impact of Sediment on Agrichemical Fate and Bioavailability to Adult Female Fathead Minnows: A Field Study. Environmental Science & Technology, 49, 9037-9047.

3.         Li, Y., Zhang, J., Zhu, G., Liu, Y., Wu, B., Ng, W. J., et al. (2016). Phytoextraction, phytotransformation and rhizodegradation of ibuprofen associated with Typha angustifolia in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland. Water Research, 102, 294-304.

4.         Li, Y., Zhu, G., Ng, W. J., & Tan, S. K. (2014). A review on removing pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater by constructed wetlands: design, performance and mechanism. Science of the Total Environment, 468, 908-932.

5.         Ding, J., Zhang, S., Razanajatovo, R. M., Zou, H., & Zhu, W. (2018). Accumulation, tissue distribution, and biochemical effects of polystyrene microplastics in the freshwater fish red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Environmental Pollution, 238, 1-9.

6.         Ding, J., Lu, G., & Li, Y. (2016). Interactive effects of selected pharmaceutical mixtures on bioaccumulation and biochemical status in crucian carp (Carassius auratus). Chemosphere, 148, 21-31.

7.         Ding, J., Zou, H., Liu, Q., Zhang, S., & Razanajatovo, R. M. (2017). Bioconcentration of the antidepressant fluoxetine and its effects on the physiological and biochemical status in Daphnia magna. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 142, 102-109.

8.         Fu, S. F., Chen, K. Q., Sun, W. X., Zhu, R., Zheng, Y., & Zou, H. (2018). Improved methane production of corn straw by the stimulation of calcium peroxide. Energy Conversion and Management, 164, 36-41.

9.         Fu, S. F., Chen, K. Q., Zhu, R., Sun, W. X., Zou, H., & Guo, R. B. (2018). Improved anaerobic digestion performance of Miscanthus floridulus by different pretreatment methods and preliminary economic analysis. Energy Conversion and Management, 159, 121-128.

10.     Fu, S. F., Ding, J. N., Zhang, Y., Li, Y. F., Zhu, R., Yuan, X. Z., & Zou, H. (2018). Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastic leads to inhibition of anaerobic digestion system. Science of The Total Environment, 625, 64-70.