Academics > Undergraduate Degree Programs > College of Engineering > COE Department > Civil Engineering > Centers > Research Projects
Research Projects

  • Scope of Project Topics

    • Energy Extraction and resource recovery from water and wastewater resources
    • Recycling and reuse of saline water
    • Emerging Contaminants in water and wastewater
    • Green technology
    • Water Services Regulations and Resource Management
    • Water security

  • List of Projects

    • Removal mechanisms  of micro-plastics in drinking water 
    • Recycling smelter slags for water and wastewater treatment
    • Environmental Risk Modelling of a Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant
    • Solar nano-photocatalysis treatment of pollutants from saline water: Experimental studies, Modelling and optimization
    • Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) desalination using pressure modulation: Experimental studies, Modelling and optimization 
    • Recycling and Reuse of Saline water in Alkhobar, Eastern Province -  A case study

  • Current Projects

    • Critical Factors Affecting Conventional Wastewater Treatment (2021 to date):
      The project’s collaboration with Built Environment, and Asset and Maintenance Management, Central Queensland University, Melbourne, Australia.

      Summary:
      In order for the field experts to prioritize addressing the essential elements in Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant (CWTP) design, construction, and operation, this study attempts to evaluate them using expert judgment-based data. Considering multiple project phases (i.e., design and building of the CWTP of varying types, sizes, capacities, and contracts), a fuzzy group decision-making technique (FGDMA) is utilized to evaluate and prioritize crucial issues. Environmental laws and regulations, institutional structure and staffing levels, local community, design/operation code, site accessibility, ignorance of environmental and local standards, and non-compliance with standard operating procedure are the most crucial elements to be taken into account when designing and building the CWTP. The analysis also offers some recommendations for creating sustainable CWTPs that maximize energy extraction, circularity, and resource recovery approaches.
    • Biomass Utilization in Supercapacitors for Circular Economy (2021- to date)
      The project’s collaboration with Applied Research Center for Environment & Marine Studies (KFUPM) and King Faisal Universit

      Summary:
      The take-make-discard cycle is used in the linear economy, which also generates waste materials. By reusing, recycling, and recovering resources, a circular economy strengthens the overall system. In order to solve resource scarcity, cyclic material flow is necessary, particularly for industrial materials like supercapacitors (SCs). This market is expanding. Thus, renewable energy sources like biomass are essential. In contrast, burning conventional openly releases pollutants and landfilling releases greenhouse gases. Activated carbon, which is used in SCs, can be produced by the recycling of biowaste. An economical and environmentally favorable product is biomass activated carbon. One of the best strategies to lower greenhouse gas emissions is through carbon sequestration. Biomass thermochemical conversion results in the production of a carbon dioxide absorber and a SC electrode.
    • Cellular glass aggregates: A sustainable and renewable material for civil engineering uses
      This research is done in collaboration with Ecole Des Ponts ParisTech, France.

      Summary:
      The reuse of wastes plays an important role in the ecological term. In this context, the cellular glass aggregates made from recycled glass are increasingly being used in civil engineering and infrastructure applications. Cellular glass has many interests, in particular, its lightweight (ten times lighter than the gravel), its self-stability and drainage. Therefore, it’s considered as an innovative solution for various applications such as lightweight fill and insulation under foundation. However, as this material is relatively new and innovative, it’s necessary to obtain a complete mechanical characterization under both monotonic and cyclic loads for the usage in civil engineering field. This research investigates the mechanical characterization of cellular glass aggregate with the aid of a large-scale tri-axial apparatus. It includes several phases: the study of the behavior of monotonic shear stress until failure, study of cyclic behavior at small strains and the behavior of the material under large number of cycles (in the road load failure).

  • Accomplished Projects

    • Constructed Wetland Research (2019-2020)

      The project completed with Taibah University, KFUPM and other stake holder.

      Summary:

      This study covered a critically review as well as different key aspects of CW, such as various types of CW, the contaminants and their removal mechanisms study, degradation pathways, challenges and opportunities, materials, applications and theory with a focus on recent advances in last three decades. In addition, an attempt has taken to project future advances in the field of CW and facilitate these advances by framing key unsolved problems in CW. Guidelines are prepared for the fast-growing CW field through the standardization of key design aspects. This study has also covered the evaluation of the current state-of-the-art of CW technology and provides definitions and performance metric nomenclature in an effort to unify the fast-growing CW community. The investigation also contains an outlook on the emerging trends in CW and proposes future research and development directions. Moreover, the challenges facing constructed wetland include methane production. Methane is considered as one of the important contributors (greenhouse gases) to the ozone destruction. There are specific types of plants that when used in constructed wetland they produce high CH4. Potential for development and challenges in biogas (e.g. CH4) as an energy resource is one of the alternative options to reduce greenhouse gas emission from the constructed wetland. Wetland biomass as a cooking fuel can offset some of the demand for unsustainable and unhealthy solid fuels (such as charcoals). The potential to employ proven small-scale biogas technologies in CW can be utilized as an energy source in the community. Moreover, bioenergy production from CW can reduce reliance on fossil fuels and has the potential to offset energy and irrigation needs in different regions. From the current state, it is obvious that the technology has the potential to provide a sustainable wastewater management as well as bioenergy source without creating any burden on water resources.