Publications

Journal articles

2025

Zheng, M., Lloyd, J., Wardrop, P., Duan, H., Liu, T., Ye, L., Ni, B.J. (2025). Path to zero emission of nitrous oxide in sewage treatment: is nitrification controllable or avoidable? Current Opinion in Biotechnology 91, 103230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103230

Ometto, A.R., Koskue, V., Cerdán, J.M.A., de Melo Duarte Borges, T., Roiko, A., Iftekhar, S., Cordell, D., Roods, J., Shon, H.K., Freguia, S., Oliveira, M.G., de Vasconcelos Gomes, L.A., Evans, S., Beal, C. (2025). Pathways to circular nutrient ecosystems: Strategic roadmaps addressing sustainability drivers and barriers in Australia. Sustainable Production and Consumption 56, pp. 593-617. DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.04.017

Merenda, A., Shafaghat, A. H., Sohn, W., Seccombe, D., Phuntsho, S., Shon, H. K. (2025). Valorisation of liquid anaerobic digestate into liquid fertilisers via membrane bioreactors: a proof-of-concept study. Water Research 285: 124026. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.124026

Soo, A., Gao, L., Shon, H. K. (2025). Roadmap for Australian Wastewater Nutrient Recovery–Towards a Sustainable Circular Economy. Desalination and Water Treatment 323: 101273. DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2025.101273

Wang, F., Yang, Y., Gao, J., Li, X., Lu, Z., Fan, X., Cao, S., Liu, Y., Tijing, L.D., Shon, H.K., Ren, J. (2025). Ultra-rapid start-up biological nitrification for nutrient recovery from source-separated urine. Water Research 287: 124343. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.124343

Li, K., Duan, H., Wang, S., Wu, Z., Wardrop, P., Lloyd, J., Christy, N., De Jong, P.,Ye, L. (2025). Balancing energy recovery and direct greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment. Water Research X 28: 100328. DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100350

Wang, S., Li, K., Ahmmed, M.S., Duan, H., Ye, L. (2025). A systematic decision-making framework for selecting nitrous oxide quantification methods in water utilities. Water Research X 28:100350. DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100350

Yu, H., Reynolds, J., Koskue, V., Marchuk, S., Antille, D., McCabe, B., Beal, C., Freguia, S., Yadav, N., Powell, J. (2025). Recovering nutrients from urine - a golden opportunity for sustainable fertiliser production. Plants, People, Planet (accepted, in print).

Marchuk S., Antille, D.L., Hammond D, Croker, B., McCabe, B.K. (2025). Heavy metal dynamics and evaluation of phosphorus fertiliser value for biosolids derived biochar. Conference: Australian Water Association's National Biosolids Conference 2025,17-18 March 2025, Hobart, Australia

2024

Sohn, W., El Saliby, I., Merenda, A., Phuntsho, S., Freguia, S., Guan, J., Gao, L., Lee, S., & Shon, H. K. (2024). Anthroponics: Application and effects on growth of parsley, rhipsalis, coriander, and basil fed with urine fertiliser. Desalination and Water Treatment, 320, 100682.

J. Jiang, W. Sohn, A. Almuntashiri, S. Phuntsho, Q. Wang, S. Freguia, I. El-Saliby, H.K. Shon. (2024). Feasibility study of powdered activated carbon membrane bioreactor (PAC-MBR) for source-separated urine treatment: A comparison with MBR, Desalination, 580 117544.

U. Badeti, J. Jiang, S. Kumarasingham, A. Almuntashiri, N.K. Pathak, A. Chanan, S. Freguia, W.L. Ang, N. Ghaffour, H.K. Shon, S. Phuntsho. (2024). Source separation of urine and treatment: Impact on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and decentralised wastewater treatment process, Desalination, 583 117633.

M. Askari, S. Rajabzadeh, L. Tijing, H.K. Shon. (2024). Advances in capacitive deionization (CDI) systems for nutrient recovery from wastewater: Paving the path towards a circular economy, Desalination, 583 117695.

K. Im, M. Park, M.M. Kabir, W. Sohn, Y. Choo, H.K. Shon, S.Y. Nam. (2024). Human urine electrolysis for simultaneous green hydrogen and liquid fertilizer production for a circular economy: A proof of concept. Desalination 570, 117059. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2023.117059

W. Sohn, J. Jiang, Z. Su, M. Zheng, Q. Wang, S. Phuntsho, H.K. Shon. (2024). Microbial community analysis of membrane bioreactor incorporated with biofilm carriers and activated carbon for nitrification of urine. Bioresource Technology, 130462. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130462

G.T. Nguyen, M.S. Iftekhar, S. Ratnasiri, A. Roiko, C.D. Beal. (2024). Supply, demand and the economic effectiveness of urine-diverting technologies and products: A systematic literature review. Water Research, 121478. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121478

C.X. Chen, V. Koskue, H. Duan, L. Gao, H.K. Shon, G.J.O. Martin, G.Q. Chen, S. Freguia. (2024). Impact of nutrient deficiency onbiological sewage treatment – Perspectives towards urine source segregation. Science of the Total Environment 946, 174174. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174174

C.X. Chen, V. Koskue, G.J.O. Martin, G.Q. Chen, S. Freguia. (2024). Biofouling control in reverse osmosis membranes by concentrated free ammonia in hydrolysed urine. Desalination, 117556. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2024.117556

Koskue, V., & Freguia, S. (2024). Optimised start-up strategy for bioelectrochemical systems operating on hydrolysed human urine. Bioelectrochemistry, 158, 108706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2024.108706

Soo, A., & Shon, H. K. (2024). A nutrient circular economy framework for wastewater treatment plants. Desalination, 592, 118090. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2024.118090

Soo, A., Kim, J., & Shon, H. K. (2024). Technologies for the wastewater circular economy–a review. Desalin. Water Treat., 317, 100205. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100205

Shafaghat, A.H., Merenda, A., Seccombe, D., Phuntsho, S., Shon, H.K. (2024). From waste to high-value fertilisers: Harvesting nutrients from liquid anaerobic digestate for a circular economy. Desalination 596, 118266. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2024.118266

Tan, W., Yu, H., Xiao, H., Wang, T., Hossain, M.D., Wu, Y., Yadav, N. (2024). Radiocarbon evidence of organic carbon turnover response to grassland grazing: A soil aggregate fraction perspective. Sustainable Horizons 12, 100115. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.horiz.2024.1001155

Duan, H., Watt, S., Erler, D., Li, H., Wang, Z., Zheng, M., Hu, S., Ye, L., Yuan, Z. (2024). Coarse bubble mixing in anoxic zone greatly stimulates nitrous oxide emissions from biological nitrogen removal process. Water Research X 25, 100263. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wroa.2024.1002636

2023

Sohn, W., Jiang, J., Phuntsho, S., Choden, Y., Tran, V. H., & Shon, H. K. (2023). Nutrients in a circular economy: Role of urine separation and treatment. Desalination, 116663. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116663

Sohn, W., Jiang, J., Phuntsho, S., Shon, H.K. (2023). Membrane bioreactor incorporated with biofilm carriers and activated carbon for enhanced biological nitrification of urine. Desalination, 117061. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.117061

Jiang, J., Dorji, P., Badeti, U., Sohn, W., Freguia, S., Phuntsho, S., El Saliby, I., Shon, H.K. (2023). Potential nutrient recovery from source-separated urine through hybrid membrane bioreactor and membrane capacitive deionisation. Desalination, 566, 116924. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116924

Liu, H., Wang, C., Sohn, W., Wang, Q., Shon, H.K., Sun, P. (2023). Source-separated urine treatment based on forward osmosis technology: Performance, applications and future prospects. Desalination, 565, 116872. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116872

Soo, A., Wang, L., Wang, C., & Shon, H. K. (2023). Machine learning for nutrient recovery in the smart city circular economy – A review. Process Saf. Environ. Prot., 173, 529-557. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2023.02.065

2022

Badeti, U., Jiang, J., Almuntashiri, A., Pathak, N., Dorji, U., Volpin, F., . . . Phuntsho, S. (2022). Impact of source-separation of urine on treatment capacity, process design, and capital expenditure of a decentralised wastewater treatment plant. Chemosphere, 300, 134489. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134489

Almuntashiri, A., Hosseinzadeh, A., Badeti, U., Shon, H., Freguia, S., Dorji, U., & Phuntsho, S. (2022). Removal of pharmaceutical compounds from synthetic hydrolysed urine using granular activated carbon: Column study and predictive modelling. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 45, 102480. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.102480

2021

Ren, J., Hao, D., Jiang, J., Phuntsho, S., Freguia, S., Ni, B.-J., . . . Shon, H. K. (2021). Fertiliser recovery from source-separated urine via membrane bioreactor and heat localized solar evaporation. Water research, 207, 117810. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117810

Almuntashiri, A., Hosseinzadeh, A., Volpin, F., Ali, S. M., Dorji, U., Shon, H., & Phuntsho, S. (2021). Removal of pharmaceuticals from nitrified urine. Chemosphere, 280, 130870. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130870

Jiang, J., Phuntsho, S., Pathak, N., Wang, Q., Cho, J., & Shon, H. K. (2021). Critical flux on a submerged membrane bioreactor for nitrification of source separated urine. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 153, 518-526. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2021.07.039

Freguia, S., Sharma, K., Benichou, O., Mulliss, M., & Shon, H. K. (2021). Sustainable engineering of sewers and sewage treatment plants for scenarios with urine diversion. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 415, 125609. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125609

2020

Volpin, F., Badeti, U., Wang, C., Jiang, J., Vogel, J., Freguia, S., . . . Shon, H. K. (2020). Urine Treatment on the International Space Station: Current Practice and Novel Approaches. Membranes, 10(11). doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110327

Volpin, F., Jiang, J., El Saliby, I., Preire, M., Lim, S., Hasan Johir, M. A., . . . Shon, H. K. (2020). Sanitation and dewatering of human urine via membrane bioreactor and membrane distillation and its reuse for fertigation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 270, 122390. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122390

Volpin, F., Woo, Y. C., Kim, H., Freguia, S., Jeong, N., Choi, J.-S., . . . Shon, H. K. (2020). Energy recovery through reverse electrodialysis: Harnessing the salinity gradient from the flushing of human urine. Water research, 186, 116320. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116320

2019

Volpin, F., Chekli, L., Phuntsho, S., Ghaffour, N., Vrouwenvelder, J. S., & Shon, H. K. (2019). Optimisation of a forward osmosis and membrane distillation hybrid system for the treatment of source-separated urine. Separation and Purification Technology, 212, 368-375. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2018.11.003

Volpin, F., Heo, H., Hasan Johir, M. A., Cho, J., Phuntsho, S., & Shon, H. K. (2019). Techno-economic feasibility of recovering phosphorus, nitrogen and water from dilute human urine via forward osmosis. Water research, 150, 47-55. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.11.056

Volpin, F., Yu, H., Cho, J., Lee, C., Phuntsho, S., Ghaffour, N., . . . Shon, H. K. (2019). Human urine as a forward osmosis draw solution for the application of microalgae dewatering. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 378, 120724. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.06.001

Freguia, S., Logrieco, M. E., Monetti, J., Ledezma, P., Virdis, B., & Tsujimura, S. (2019). Self-Powered Bioelectrochemical Nutrient Recovery for Fertilizer Generation from Human Urine. Sustainability, 11(19). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195490