Staff Profile

Short bio

Dr Petropoulos is an expert in the field of wastewater treatment and environmental bio-engineering and biotechnology. He has a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Newcastle University and extensive industrial and academic experience, gained from working in China, Greece, Spain and the UK.

He has conducted significant research and development work into both aerobic and anaerobic wastewater treatment for sufficient removal of organic pollutants and nutrients from municipal and industrial wastewater streams. Key aspects in that, the bioconversion of pollutants to useful resources, in the form of energy or other valuable intermediates. His research work focuses both on the bio-chemical processes as well as the bio-molecular, ecological characteristics that take place in engineered treatment systems. Lately he got involved in projects related to waste management soil science and crop fertilization strategies.

Dr Petropoulos has been part of the Senior Management of Premier Tech Water and Environment for 5 years where he focused on delivering solutions and business strategies  related to on- and off-mains wastewater treatment and management (from 2 to 20.000 PE) using innovative approaches. During this period he had also actively participated at the global R&D structure (global role) for the development and launch of new treatment-related products. 

Currently, he is working for Stantec, UK as a Technical Specialist where he focuses on applying engineering tools for the optimization of the Utility Companies' asset investment management.

He also provides with independent consulting services in Greece, Iraq, China and the UK in topics related to water and wastewater treatment solutions, products and policies.

Esteem indicators

• Convener of the British Water - Wastewater Treatment Plants Group Forum (May 2022 - Present)

• Vice Convener of the British Water - Wastewater Treatment Plants Group Forum (May 2020 - May 2022)

• Close collaboration with:

1. College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China
2. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China
3. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China

Awards

• Chinese Academy of Sciences 'President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI)' Scholar at Xiamen IUE University, 2017

• Awardee of 'Optimizations in AD' - Early Career Researcher (ECR) conference, Warwick, UK 2015, best platform presentation award (Warwick, UK)

• PhD studentship, 2010-2013 - EPSRC

Invited speaker at:

• Scientific Committee, AD17; World Congress of Anaerobic Digestion (Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 2022) 

• Invited lecturer, Kathmandu University; Global Sanitation Graduate School (Kathmandu, Nepal, 2020)

• Invited lecturer, University of Port Harcourt, Institute of Petroleum studies (Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 2020)

• Farm Business Innovation Exhibition (Birmingham, UK, Nov. '19); Topic: Septic tanks after the 2020 binding rules, the future of the off-drains wastewater treatment

 • Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) National Conference (London, UK, Dec. '18); Topic: Biotechnology as a tool for sustainable (waste)water to energy

 • Farm Business Innovation Exhibition (Birmingham, UK, Nov. '18); Topic: Sustainable waste water conversion to energy using specialised inocula

 • Xiamen IUE-Chinese Academy of Sciences (Xiamen, China, Aug. '16); Topic: Anaerobic wastewater treatment at low temperature using Arctic and Alpine sediments as seeds.

 • Newcastle University (Newcastle, UK, May, '16); Topic: Anaerobic wastewater treatment at low temperature using Arctic and Alpine sediments as seeds.

 • Jiangnan University (Wuxi, China, Dec. '15); Topic: Anaerobic wastewater treatment at low temperature using Arctic and Alpine sediments as seeds.

 • 14th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion (AD14) workshop (Santiago, Chile, Nov ´15); Topic: Microbial Ecology of Anaerobic Digestion: application to the topic of low-temperature AD.

Platform presentations in numerous other Internatinal and National conferences, meetings, seminars (from 2012 up to now)

Scientific journal reviewer for:

• Biofuel Research

• Water Research

• Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology

• Chemical Papers

• Chemosphere

• Biofuel Research

• PSEP (Process Safety and Environmental Protection)

• STOTEN (Science of the Total Environment)

Memberships:

• British Water

• IWA

• IWWG

• CIWEM

• BBSRC Anaerobic Digestion Network

 ...you can also contact me through: vagpetrop@gmail.com

or find more about myself and my work at:

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evangelos_Petropoulos

and

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evangelos-petropoulos-water/

My research work focuses on anaerobic biological waste and wastewater treatment systems operating at challenging conditions (low temperature, presence of inhibitors, etc.). This includes not only the study of the process behaviour of these systems but also the characteristics of the microbial communities that are developed in them at such conditions.

I also focus on the bio-conversion of waste streams to valuable by-products (i.e. biogas and fermentation intermediates), by trying to optimize the bioconversion processes using low-cost additives.

I am very keen on membrane operation with focus in quorum sensing/quenching molecules and bacterial behaviours to understand and improve wastewater treatment using such filtration systems.

I am also interested in studying of soil amendments for bio-conditioning and for improved cultivation strategies (mainly focused on rice grain) and nutrient utilization; key drive is the maximization of the yield, the minimization of nutrient pollution and of the agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently I do not provide with teaching services

• Articles

  • Ding C, Zhu Q, Yang B, Petropoulos E, Xue L, Feng Y, He S, Yang L. Efficient photocatalysis of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) from pharmaceutical wastewater using AgCl/ZnO/g-C3N4 composite under visible light: Process and mechanisms. Journal of Environmental Sciences 2023, 126, 249-262.
  • Li G, Li P, Wu M, Liu K, Petropoulos E, Liu J, Liu M, Li Z. Variation in rhizosphere microbial communities and its association with the nodulation ability of peanut. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science 2023, 69(5), 759-770.
  • Huang Z, Cui C, Cao Y, Dai J, Cheng X, Hua S, Wang W, Duan Y, Petropoulos E, Wang H, Zhou L, Fang W, Zhong Z. Tea plant-legume intercropping simultaneously improves soil fertility and tea quality by changing Bacillus species composition. Horticulture Research 2022, 9, uhac046.
  • Wang X, Chen R, Petropoulos E, Yu B, Lin X, Feng Y. Root-derived C distribution drives N transport and transformation after ¹³C and ¹⁵ N labelling on paddy and upland soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils 2023, 59, 513–525.
  • Yin X, Li X, Petropoulos E, Feng Y, Yang B, Xue L, Yang L, He S. Phosphate removal from actual wastewater via La(OH)₃-C3N₄ adsorption: Performance, mechanisms and applicability. Science of the Total Environment 2022, 814, 152791.
  • Dong Y, Chen RR, Petropoulos E, Yao TY, Yu BQ, Lin XG, Feng YZ. Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency in Coastal Soils Along a Salinity Gradient Revealed by Ecoenzymatic Stoichiometry. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 2022, 127(8), e2022JG006800.
  • Dong Y, Chen R, Petropoulos E, Yu B, Zhang J, Lin X, Gao M, Feng Y. Interactive effects of salinity and SOM on the ecoenzymatic activities across coastal soils subjected to a saline gradient. Geoderma 2022, 406, 115519.
  • Jiang N, Wu M, Li G, Petropoulos E, Sun F, Wang X, Liu J, Liu M, Li Z. Humic substances suppress Fusarium oxysporum by regulating soil microbial community in the rhizosphere of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Applied Soil Ecology 2022, 174, 104389.
  • Hou P, Xue L, Wang J, Petropoulos E, Xue L, Yang L. Green Manure Amendment in Paddies Improves Soil Carbon Sequestration but Cannot Substitute the Critical Role of N Fertilizer in Rice Production. Agronomy 2022, 12(7), 1548.
  • Hou P, Xue L, Wang J, Petropoulos E, Deng X, Qiao J, Xue L, Yang L. Continuous milk vetch amendment in rice-fallow rotation improves soil fertility and maintains rice yield without increasing CH4 emissions: Evidence from a long-term experiment. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 2022, 325, 107774.
  • Wu M, Li P, Li G, Petropoulos E, Feng Y, Li Z. The chemodiversity of paddy soil dissolved organic matter is shaped and homogenized by bacterial communities that are orchestrated by geographic distance and fertilizations. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 2021, 161, 108374.
  • Tabraiz S, Petropoulos E, Shamurad B, Quintela-Baluja M, Mohapatra S, Acharya K, Charlton A, Davenport RJ, Dolfing J, Sallis PJ. Temperature and immigration effects on quorum sensing in the biofilms of anaerobic membrane bioreactors. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 293, 112947.
  • Petropoulos E, Shamurad B, Tabraiz S, Yu Y, Davenport R, Curtis TP, Dolfing J. Sewage treatment at 4 °C in anaerobic upflow reactors with and without a membrane – performance, function and microbial diversity. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 2021, 7(1), 156-171.
  • Mu B, Ying X, Petropoulos E, He S. Preparation of AgCl/ZnO nano-composite for effective antimicrobial protection of stone-made building elements. Materials Letters 2021, 285, 129143.
  • Yan L, Xue L, Petropoulos E, Qian C, Hou P, Xu D, Yang L. Nutrient loss by runoff from rice-wheat rotation during the wheat season is dictated by rainfall duration. Environmental Pollution 2021, 285, 117382.
  • Tabraiz S, Shamurad B, Petropoulos E, Quintela-Baluja M, Charlton A, Dolfing J, Sallis PJ. Mitigation of membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactor treating sewage by novel quorum quenching strain of Acinetobacter originating from a full-scale membrane bioreactor. Bioresource Technology 2021, 334, 125242.
  • Hou P, Jiang Y, Yan L, Petropoulos E, Wang J, Xue L, Yang L, Chen D. Effect of fertilization on nitrogen losses through surface runoffs in Chinese farmlands: A meta-analysis. Science of the Total Environment 2021, 793, 148554.
  • Hou P, Yuan W, Li G, Petropoulos E, Xue L, Feng Y, Xue L, Yang L, Ding Y. Deep fertilization with controlled-release fertilizer for higher cereal yield and N utilization in paddies: The optimal fertilization depth. Agronomy Journal 2021, 113(6), 5027-5039.
  • Wu M, Li G, Li P, Jiang N, Wei S, Petropoulos E, Li Z. Assessing the ecological risk of pesticides should not ignore the impact of their transformation byproducts – The case of chlorantraniliprole. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2021, 418, 126270.
  • Hou P, Feng Y, Wang N, Petropoulos E, Li D, Yu S, Xue L, Yang L. Win-win: Application of sawdust-derived hydrochar in low fertility soil improves rice yield and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural ecosystems. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 748, 142457.
  • Shamurad B, Sallis P, Petropoulos E, Tabraiz S, Ospina C, Leary P, Dolfing J, Gray N. Stable biogas production from single-stage anaerobic digestion of food waste. Applied Energy 2020, 263, 114609.
  • Li Y, Xia C, Wu R, Ma Y, Mu B, Wang T, Petropoulos E, Hokoi S. Role of the urban plant environment in the sustainable protection of an ancient city wall. Building and Environment 2020, 187, 107405.
  • Shamurad B, Gray N, Petropoulos E, Tabraiz S, Membere E, Sallis P. Predicting the effects of integrating mineral wastes in anaerobic digestion of OFMSW using first-order and Gompertz models from biomethane potential assays. Renewable Energy 2020, 152, 308-319.
  • Shamurad B, Gray N, Petropoulos E, Dolfing J, Quintela-Baluja M, Bashiri R, Tabraiz S, Sallis P. Low Temperature Pre-treatment of Organic Feedstocks with Selected Mineral Wastes Sustains Anaerobic Digestion Stability through Trace Metal Release. Environmental Science and Technology 2020, 54(14), 9095-9105.
  • Shamurad B, Gray N, Petropoulos E, Tabraiz S, Sallis P. Improving the methane productivity of anaerobic digestion using aqueous extracts from municipal solid waste incinerator ash. Journal of Environmental Management 2020, 260, 110160.
  • Li Y, Huang Z, Petropoulos E, Ma Y, Shen Y. Humidity governs the wall-inhabiting fungal community composition in a 1600-year tomb of Emperor Yang. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 8421.
  • Yin A, Duan J, Xue L, Feng Y, Petropoulos E, Yang L. High yield and mitigation of N-loss from paddy fields obtained by irrigation using optimized application of sewage tail water. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 2020, 304, 107137.
  • Hou P, Yu Y, Xue L, Petropoulos E, Hea S, Zhang Y, Pandey A, Xue L, Yang L, Chen D. Effect of long term fertilization management strategies on methane emissions and rice yield. Science of the Total Environment 2020, 749, 141364.
  • Petropoulos E, Shamurad B, Acharya K, Tabraiz S. Domestic wastewater hydrolysis and lipolysis during start-up in anaerobic digesters and microbial fuel cells at moderate temperatures. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2020, 17, 27-38.
  • Tabraiz S, Shamurad B, Petropoulos E, Charlton A, Mohiudin O, Khan MD, Ekwenna E, Sallis P. Diversity of Acyl Homoserine Lactone Molecules in Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors Treating Sewage at Psychrophilic Temperatures. Membranes 2020, 10(11), 320.
  • Zhang J, Huang M, Petropoulos E, Song L, He SY. Animal manure functions as soil amendment for urban green space in the Loess Plateau. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 2020, 18(3), 3861-3872.
  • Acharya K, Werner D, Dolfing J, Meynet P, Tabraiz S, Baluja M, Petropoulos E, Mrozik W, Davenport R. The experimental determination of reliable biodegradation rates for mono-aromatics towards evaluating QSBR models. Water Research 2019, 160, 278-287.
  • Yu Y, Wu M, Petropoulos E, Zhang J, Nie J, Liao Y, Li Z, Lin X, Feng Y. Responses of paddy soil bacterial community assembly to different long-term fertilizations in southeast China. Science of the Total Environment 2019, 656, 625-633.
  • Petropoulos E, Yu Y, Tabraiz S, Yakubu A, Curtis TP, Dolfing J. High rate domestic wastewater treatment at 15 °C using anaerobic reactors inoculated with cold-adapted sediments/soils-shaping robust methanogenic communities. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology 2019, 5(1), 70-82.
  • Shamurad B, Gray N, Petropoulos E, Tabraiz S, Acharya K, Quintela-Baluja M, Sallis P. Data of metal and microbial analyses from anaerobic co-digestion of organic and mineral wastes. Data in Brief 2019, 24, 103934.
  • Shamurad B, Gray N, Petropoulos E, Tabraiz S, Acharya K, Quintela-Baluja M, Sallis P. Co-digestion of organic and mineral wastes for enhanced biogas production: Reactor performance and evolution of microbial community and function. Waste Management 2019, 87, 313-325.
  • Petropoulos E, Dolfing J, Yu Y, Wade MJ, Bowen EJ, Davenport RJ, Curtis TP. Lipolysis of domestic wastewater in anaerobic reactors operating at low temperatures. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 2018, 4(7), 1002-1013.
  • He S, Hou P, Petropoulos E, Feng Y, Yu Y, Xue L, Yang L. High efficient visible-light photocatalytic performance of Cu/ZnO/rGO nanocomposite for decomposing of aqueous ammonia and treatment of domestic wastewater. Frontiers in Chemistry 2018, 6, 219.
  • Zhan Y, Liu W, Bao Y, Zhang J, Petropoulos E, Li Z, Lin X, Feng Y. Fertilization shapes a well-organized community of bacterial decomposers for accelerated paddy straw degradation. Scientific Reports 2018, 8(1), 7981.
  • Tabraiz S, Hassan S, Abbas A, Nasreen S, Zeeshan M, Fida S, Shamurad BA, Acharya K, Petropoulos E. Effect of effluent and sludge recirculation ratios on integrated fixed films A2O system nutrients removal efficiency treating sewage. Desalination and Water Treatment 2018, 114, 120-127.
  • Yu Y, Zhang J, Petropoulos E, Baluja MQ, Zhu C, Zhu J, Lin X, Feng Y. Divergent Responses of the Diazotrophic Microbiome to Elevated CO₂ in Two Rice Cultivars. Frontiers in Microbiology 2018, 9, 1139.
  • Petropoulos E, Dolfing J, Davenport RJ, Bowen EJ, Curtis TP. Developing cold-adapted biomass for the anaerobic treatment of domestic wastewater at low temperatures (4, 8 and 15 °C) with inocula from cold environments. Water Research 2017, 112, 100-109.
  • Petropoulos E, Cuff G, Huete E, Garcia G, Wade MJ, Spera D, Aloisio L, Rochard J, Torres A, Weichgrebe D. Investigating the feasibility and the limits of high rate anaerobic winery wastewater treatment using a hybrid-EGSB bio-reactor. Process Safety and Environmental Protection 2016, 102, 107-118.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • Petropoulos E, Dolfing J, Curtis TP. Methanogenic activity and growth at low temperature anaerobic wastewater treatment (4, 15 °C) using cold adapted inocula. In: FICWTM 2017: Frontiers in Wastewater Treatment and Modelling. 2017, Palermo, Italy: Springer.

• Patent

  • Torres A, Weichgrebe D, Martínez LC, Huete E, Spera D, Teixeira F, Rodríguez A, Hinken L, Garbayo A, García G, Bergasa H, Petropoulos E, Aloisio L, Demichelis I, Cuff G. Reactor para el tratamiento de aguas residuales. Spain, ES 2 541 078 B1, 26/04/2016.