College of Science & Engineering

School/College	Engineering/Infrastructure and Environment
Email	Ciara.keating@glasgow.ac.uk
Twitter	@methanoCiKi

Research vision

It is my vision that through the use of biological waste treatment methods we can solve sanitation issues globally and build a more sustainable society for the benefit of the environment and public health. In biological waste treatment we harness the power of tiny microscopic microorganisms for the treatment of polluting wastes. One such biological waste treatment method is anaerobic digestion. In the process of anaerobic digestion microorganisms consume waste and transform it into biogas (methane and carbon dioxide), which in turn we can use as a renewable energy source. I believe that anaerobic digestion biotechnologies are key to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, generating renewable energy and recycling key nutrients. To help facilitate wider adoption of these technologies we need to solve some challenges within the operation of these systems. For example, complex and variable waste streams are not well suited to anaerobic digestion. Additionally, in full-scale applications we still have no means to predict or control the microbiology responsible for treatment to influence the efficiency of treatment, increase energy production or prevent reactor failure.

In my research I have broadly looked to understand better the microbiology of anaerobic digestor systems. I have worked on characterising the microorganism present in low temperature systems for efficient ambient temperature operation (PhD: NUI Galway) and solar septic tank systems (collaboration between the Asian Institute of Technology and the University of Glasgow). My recent research focus has been on how we may better understand the activity, stress response and interactions of the microorganisms responsible for degradation in anaerobic digestion. My vision is to use sophisticated lab-experimentation for this task. This is difficult as oxygen is toxic to these microorganisms. At the University of Glasgow I have developed in collaboration with biomedical collaborators, a novel experimental platform combined with microfluidic devices to study anaerobic microorganisms in real-time under the microscope. I aim to use this platform to understand the complex cell-cell interactions of key species in the anaerobic digestion process.

More information on my research at the University of Glasgow can be found here https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/engineering/staff/ciarakeating/#/

Expectations from collaboration

As I have set-up a novel platform that allows the exploration and visualisation in real-time of growth of anaerobic microorganisms, I am happy to collaborate with any academics wishing to work with me to use this platform or want to learn more about this methodology. Additionally, I have a diverse research background having worked on pathogenic microbiology, low temperature anaerobic digestion, fish microbiome research and my current research activities at the University of Glasgow. I am keen to share my expertise with any interested collaborators.

The areas below are some examples.

• Industrial partners
• Social scientists on global challenges issues of sustainability and improved sanitation.
• Engineers working on sensors, 3-D printing, biomedical engineers.
• Synthetic biologists.
• Stake-holders and Policy-makers.

Key Skills

• anaerobic microbiology,
• molecular biology methods (DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, Molecular fingerprinting, Fluorescent in situ hybridisation),
• anaerobic digestion.

 

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First published: 7 May 2019