Prof. dr. ir. Bart De Gusseme appointed as CMET-ZAP

We have the pleasure of introducing a “new” staff member in our group. From Oct 1^st, Prof. dr. ir. Bart De Gusseme is appointed part-time CMET-ZAP (10% docent). Bart has obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Biological Sciences from Ghent University in 2011, for his work at CMET on the removal of organic micropollutants from wastewater and disinfection of biologically contaminated drinking water. Nowadays, he combines both topics in his current research on “Industrial microbial technology for drinking water and (waste)water reuse”.

Since 2015, Bart was appointed guest professor in our group and teaches the courses ‘Microbial Ecology and Environmental Sanitation’ and ‘Microbial Reuse Technology’, and gives guest lectures on drinking water production and water reuse. Bart participates in the Resource Recovery Technology platform R²T  and the CAPTURE, pipeline Water. Bart has a large affinity with the process water industry and drinking water utilities. After an internship at the Centro Technológico del Agua in Spain (Agbar Group, Suez Environnement), he joined the Belgian public water utility FARYS as project manager. He combines his academic work with the full-time position in FARYS, where he is responsible for the membrane filtration sites for process water production, the design and operation of drinking water facilities, and the R&D department.

With this background, Bart and his team perform applied research for the water industry using flow cytometric monitoring to safeguard the bacterial water quality of drinking water distributions sytems, water production sites and industrial cooling water networks (in collaboration with Prof. Boon). He is involved in the development of several water reuse schemes, including decentralized treatment with a combination of source separation, nutrient recovery and water reuse (in collaboration with Prof. Rabaey). He participates in the IMPROVED project, in which our team performs applied research at pilot-scale for process water production (in collaboration with Prof. Verliefde and Dr. Marjolein Vanoppen). In addition, he makes the full-scale membrane filtration plants available for the research of our students, e.g. for pilot testing and modelling with the historical data sets of the plants (in collaboration with Prof. Nopens). Bart has a passion for cycling and takes his first steps in the triathlon world. You can always invite him to taste a good IPA or Trappist beer, or to wonder when the Gallagher brothers will reunite in one of the charming restaurants in Ghent or the Flemish Ardennes.

More information: the profile page of Bart.

Picture: Biological WWTP for hospital wastewater (> 500 IE), designed and built by Bart and his team in Bierbeek, Belgium.