Job description

Topic: Nature-inspired approaches for wastewater treatment and reuse

Supervisor – Ganna Fedorova, Ph.D.

Contact: gfedorova@frov.jcu.cz, +420 775 360 674

Annotation

Every day we are using water and releasing many chemicals to wastewater. With the growing global concern over water scarcity and pollution, there is a critical need for innovative approaches to wastewater treatment that not only effectively remove contaminants but also recover valuable resources from wastewater streams.

Conventional wastewater treatment is not effective enough to remove pollutants from the wastewater, thus wastewater effluents are recognized as the main source of   micropollutants in the aquatic environment. Presence of a wide range of emerging contaminants (such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, perfluorinated compounds) in wastewater treatment plants effluents was reported.

Intensive research is going on to improve elimination of micropollutants from wastewater. So called green approaches, which promote sustainable and environmentally friendly methods for treating wastewater while also reducing the environmental impact of traditional wastewater treatment processes are gaining a lot of attention nowadays. Natural treatment methods include, for example, the use of stabilization ponds for wastewater treatment. This is a cheap and relatively effective way to reduce the content of nutrients and micropollutants in wastewater. Constructed wetlands are also used for wastewater treatment and have the potential to remove a wide range of micropollutants.

Treated wastewater represents a  sustainable water source that could be used for fish farming. However, the  reuse of treated wastewater poses certain safety risks. Until now, attention has been paid to the risk of microbial contamination or the accumulation of toxic metals in fish produced this way. However, less information is available on the possible contamination of fish with micropollutants.

The main hypothesis

• Additional wastewater treatment steps can improve quality of wastewater effluents
• Water plants can contribute to the elimination of micropollutants from wastewater
• Wastewater reuse for the fish production can be beneficial using the proper practice of fish handling

Aim(s) of the Ph.D.   thesis

• To assess the effectiveness of stabilisation pond and constructed wetlands for the elimination of micropollutants from wastewater.
• To evaluate the bioaccumulation of micropollutants in water plants.
• To analyze the content of micropollutants in fish produced in the pond fed with treated wastewater. In case these substances will be detected, to monitor the duration of their purification after transferring the fish into clean water.

Possible approaches to   reach the aims / to verify the hypotheses

• Collection of water, plant and fish samples; development and validation of extraction procedures.
• LC/MS analysis of micropollutants in collected samples.
• Data analysis, risk assessment.

References

· Fedorova, G., R. Grabic, K. Grabicova, J. Turek, T.  Van Nguyen, T. Randak, B. W. Brooks and V. Zlabek (2022). “Water reuse for aquaculture: Comparative removal efficacy and aquatic hazard reduction of  pharmaceuticals by a pond treatment system during a one year study.” Journal of Hazardous Materials 421.

· Mackuľak, T., M. Mosný, J. Škubák, R. Grabic and L. Birošová (2015). “Fate of psychoactive compounds in wastewater treatment plant and the possibility of their degradation using aquatic plants.” Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 39(2): 969-973.

· Zaibel, I., D. Zilberg, L. Groisman and S. Arnon (2016). “Impact of treated wastewater reuse and floods on water quality and fish health within a water reservoir in an arid climate.” Science of the Total Environment 559: 268-281.

CENAKVA Research program

RP2 “New” pollutants in the environment and their effect on freshwater ecosystems

Activities

· Daily Ph.D. study in the discipline of Protection of Aquatic Ecosystems

· Working on student’s own Ph.D. thesis topic

· Publishing manuscripts in Q1-Q3 journals

· Presenting results at international conferences and faculty seminars, completing research internships abroad

· Teaching or assisting with courses, consulting or supervising bachelor’s or master’s students

· Supervising summer school projects

· Other activities within the given research unit

Requirements on applicants:

· Successfully completed master’s degree study in environmental chemistry, toxicology, ecology, biology, protection of environment, fishery, biology, agriculture, veterinary medicine or related fields

· Admission into the Protection of  Aquatic Ecosystems Ph.D. study program at USB FFPW, full-time form of study

· General knowledge of biology, aquatic ecology and chemistry

· English language knowledge at the B1 level or higher

· User-level computer skills, particularly the MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

· Communicativeness, responsibility, conscientiousness, organizational ability, willingness to learn new things, stress resistance

We offer:

· Nice working environment in new faculty facilities

· Study and work in an international team

· Opportunities for personal and professional development

· Other benefits (5 weeks of paid leave, 4 days of sick leave, MS Office for private use)

Starting date: September 2026

Working hours: equivalent to a full-time workload (40 hours per week)

Duration of the position: 4 years (standard duration of the Ph.D. study program)

Net monthly income: from CZK 25,000 (depending on the study results)

Place of work: depending on  the supervisor’s location (Vodňany)

Get in contact with the supervisor listed under the selected topic. If you reach a mutual  agreement, complete the e-application to study. Applicants should submit e-application to the Ph.D. study program by May  5, 2026.

More information at:
https://www.frov.jcu.cz/en/admissions/admission-procedures

Areas of Research

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Science & Engineering
• Water Treatment and Purification