Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering

1. Introduction to current status and recent developments in aerobic membrane bioreactors
2. Conventional process design, operation and microbiology of aerobic membrane bioreactors
3. Current challenges in aerobic membrane bioreactors
4. Role of soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances in membrane fouling
5. Techniques for understand membrane fouling mechanisms
6. Advanced membrane materials and designs
7. Advanced MBR and hybrid MBR reactor configurations
8. Hybrid membrane separation processes for drinking water treatment
9. Aerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment
10. Aerobic membrane bioreactors for industrial wastewater treatment
11. Osmotic membrane technologies
12. Advanced fouling control strategies
13. Quorum sensing and quorum quenching in membrane bioreactors

Prof. How Yong Ng is a Provost Chair’s Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He also currently serves as the Director of the NUS Environmental Research Institute and the Director of the Sembcorp-NUS Corporate Laboratory. His research focuses on biological treatment processes including modelling, membrane bioreactor and microbial fuel cell for water reuse and energy recovery. He had contributed to more than 350 publications in referred international journals and conference papers. Dr. Ng is an Associate Editor of Water Research and an Editor of the Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination. He is a Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA) and is currently the Vice-Chair of the IWA Membrane Technology Specialist Group (MTSG) and the President of the Environmental Engineering Society of Singapore (EESS). Dr. Tze Chiang Albert Ng is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His research focuses on biological treatment processes including membrane bioreactors, anaerobic processes, and energy and resource recovery. He has contributed to publications related to membrane development, membrane fouling, microbial fuel cells and biotechnology in international peer-reviewed journals. He developed a comprehensive research and development program to generate students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and has been a judge for various STEM related science fairs in Singapore. Prof. Ngo is currently a Professor of Environmental Engineering and serving as Deputy Director of Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, Co-Director of Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney. He has been duly elected as Fellow of International Water Association (FIWA) and Fellow and Lead Researcher of the International Bioprocessing Association (FIBA and LRIBA) while serving as IBA Council Member. Prof. Ngo is internationally well-known for his activities in the areas of advanced biological waste treatment technologies (e.g. membrane bioreactor, specific attached and/or suspended growth bioreactors, anaerobic digesters, wetland and bio-sorption) and membrane technologies. His expertise and practical experience also covers the areas of alternative resources, management and impacts assessment, and solid waste management. Currently, he is very active to work on the development of specific green bioprocessing technologies: resource recovery, water-waste- bioenergy nexus and greenhouse gas emission control. Prof. Ngo has been listed as Highly Cited Researcher 2019 in Cross Field Category, Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science; Elsevier - World Top 3 ranking researcher 2019 in Environmental Engineering; Lead Researcher in the field of Biotechnology in Australia. He ranks #2 in the world for number of scholarly outputs in the SciVal topic ‘membrane fouling; bioreactors; membrane bioreactors (SciVal, Feb 2020). He ranks #1 in Australia for number of scholarly outputs in the SciVal topic ‘biosorption; aqueous solution; bisorption capacity; ‘antibiotics; oxytetracycline; veterinary antibiotics’, (SciVal, Feb 2020). Prof. Ngo has published more than 500 SCI/ISI journal papers (citations >20,000), 7 books and 35 book chapters, a number of patents while receiving several highly recognized honours/awards. He has been invited to give numerous plenary/keynotes and invited talks, seminars and lecturers in the international conferences as well as the universities/research institutions. Prof. Ngo has appointed as Editor of Bioresource Technology, Elsevier, Associate Editor of Science of the Total Environment, Elsevier, Associate Editor of Water Process Engineering and Associate Editor of Heliyon Journal, Elsevier. He is also an editorial board member/guest editor of numerous international journals such as Bioresource Technology Reports, Elsevier; Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management, Elsevier; Journal of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, IJSEES, Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, EHIT, Journal of Bioengineered, Taylor & Francis. Dr Giorgio Mannina is Professor of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the Engineering Department of Palermo University – Italy. His research interest and focus is on: resource recovery from wastewater, advanced wastewater treatments (MBR, MBBR, hybrid processes, IFAS, Granular systems etc..), BNR processes, mathematical modelling, water quality issues related to integrated urban drainage systems. He is authors of more than 350 papers of which >100 on ISI Journals. He has been invited to give several plenary/keynotes and invited talks, seminars and lecturers in the international conferences as well as the universities/research institutions. He is Editor of several books edited by Elsevier, IWA, Springer on advanced wastewater treatment, Membrane bioreactors- MBRs, mathematical modelling and frontiers in urban drainage. He is Editor/Associate Editors/Host Editors of multiple ISI Journals: Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Environmental Management, Water Science and Technology, Water Supply, Environmental Engineering etc. He is Chair of the International Water Association (IWA) Task Group on Membrane Bioreactor modelling and control and Member of the International Water Association (IWA) Specialist Group "Membrane Technology". Prof. Mannina is Fulbright research Fellow at Columbia University. He is/has been Chair of International Conferences, International seminars and Advanced course supported by IWA Professor Ashok Pandey is currently Distinguished Scientist at the Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India and Executive Director (Honorary) at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability – India. Formerly, he was Eminent Scientist at the Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, Mohali and Chief Scientist & Head of Biotechnology Division and Centre for Biofuels at CSIR’s National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum. His major research and technological development interests are industrial & environmental biotechnology and energy biosciences, focusing on biomass to biofuels & chemicals, waste to wealth & energy, industrial enzymes, etc. Professor Pandey is Adjunct/Visiting Professor/Scientist in universities in France, Brazil, Canada, China, Korea, South Africa, and Switzerland and also in several universities several in India. He has ~1425 publications/communications, which include 16 patents, 90 books, >700 papers and book chapters, etc with h index of 105 and ~48,800 citations (Goggle scholar). He has transferred several technologies to industries and has done industrial consultancy for about a dozen projects for Indian/international industries. Professor Pandey is the recipient of many national and international awards and honours, which include Highest Cited Researcher (Top 1% in the world), Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science (2020, 2019 & 2018); Top scientist in Biotechnology (#1 in India and #8 in the world), Stanford University world ranking (2020); Fellow, World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies(2020); Fellow, Indian Chemical Society (2020); Distinguished Scientist, VDGOOD Professional Association, India (2020); Distinguished Professor of Eminence with global impact in the area of Biotechnology, Precious Cornerstone University, Nigeria (2020); IconSWM Life-time Achievement Award 2019, International Society for Solid Waste Management, KIIT, Bhubaneshwar, India (2019); Yonsei Outstanding Scholar, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea (2019); Life-Time Achievement Award from the Biotech Research Society, India (2018); Life-Time Achievement Award from Venus International Research Awards (2018), Most Outstanding Researcher Award from Career360 (2018), Life-Time Achievement Award from the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2017); Fellow, Royal Society of Biology, UK (2016); Felow, International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2016); Academician of European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Austria (2015); Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India (2012); Fellow, Association of Microbiologists of India (2008); Honorary Doctorate degree from Univesite Blaise Pascal, France (2007); Fellow, International Organization of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (2007); Thomson Scientific India Citation Laureate Award, USA (2006); Fellow, the Biotech Research Society, India (2005); UNESCO Professor (2000); Raman Research Fellowship Award, CSIR (1995); GBF, Germany and CNRS, France Fellowships (1992) and Young Scientist Award (1989), etc. Professor Pandey is Founder President of the Biotech Research Society, India (www.brsi.in); Founder & International Coordinator of International Forum on Industrial Bioprocesses, France (www.ifibiop.org), Chairman of the International Society for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (www.isees.in), Editor-in-chief of Bioresource Technology (http://ees.elsevier.com/bite/), Honorary Executive Advisor of Journal of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (www.jees.in), Journal of Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing (https://www.springer.com/journal/43393), Journal of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (http://neerijese.org/editorial-board/), Subject Editor, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, India (https://www.springer.com/life+sciences/journal/40011) and Associate Editor, Biologia – Section Cellular and Molecular Biology (https://www.springer.com/journal/11756/editors) and editorial board member of several international and Indian journals.