Dario Rangel Shaw receives the 

2020 ISMET Discovery Award

Dario Rangel Shaw, a Ph.D. student in Prof. Pascal Saikaly's research group, received the prestigious Discovery Award for best scientific paper from the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET). ISMET acknowledged Dario's work on extracellular electron transfer-dependent anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Electro-Anammox) as the best scientific publication and significant breakthrough innovation of 2020. 

In the study, Dario and collaborators offered a new perspective on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) bacteria, a key player in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. It also has a significant role in sustainable wastewater treatment. The researchers reported a novel process in which anammox bacteria can oxidize ammonium coupled with extracellular electron transfer-based respiration. With this process, more energy-efficient wastewater treatment may be possible by harnessing anammox bacteria's surprising ability to "breathe" solid-state matter.

"With this novel process, the ammonium present in the wastewater can be removed directly in one step together with the recovery of energy in the form of electrical current or energy-rich hydrogen gas. These findings have a significant implication in the context of energy-efficient treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewater.", Dario said.

         Prof. Pascal Saikaly, Principal Investigator