Energy- and resource-efficient treatment of nitrogenous pollution through engineered green infrastructure microbiomes
Research-driven approach to sustainable stormwater management by engineering the microbiome of green infrastructure systems to treat nitrogenous pollution and reduce nitrous oxide emissions, validated through field data from New York City systems and a lab-scale bioswale model.
Overview
This research program advances sustainable stormwater management by engineering the microbiome of green infrastructure (GI) systems to actively treat nitrogenous pollution. Rather than viewing green infrastructure as a passive tool for wet-weather flow management, the work positions engineered microbiomes as a functional treatment layer capable of transforming aqueous nitrogenous contaminants and reducing nitrous oxide emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas, from GI systems. The approach offers an energy- and resource-efficient complement or alternative to conventional wastewater treatment, with direct relevance to urban water utilities, municipalities, and sustainability-focused organizations.
Technical specifications
- Microbiome characterization of operational green infrastructure systems in New York City, integrating chemical measurements with genomic and gene-expression level molecular data
- Nitrogenous transformation analysis correlating chemical and molecular evidence to map how nitrogen compounds are processed within GI systems
- Nitrous oxide flux assessment to quantify greenhouse gas dynamics linked to microbial activity in GI environments
- Lab-scale bioswale model already constructed and configurable to test alternate operational strategies
- Field data archive gathered from multiple GI sites around New York City to support data mining and hypothesis generation
- Proposed validation pipeline combining retrospective mining of existing chemical and microbiome datasets with prospective testing of promising strategies in the lab-scale bioswale
Technology readiness level
The research is at an early-to-mid stage of development. Chemical and molecular evidence for extensive nitrogenous transformations has already been correlated across multiple field sites, and a configurable lab-scale bioswale model has been built. The next phase focuses on mining existing datasets to identify promising microbial engineering strategies, followed by experimental testing in the lab-scale system. Commercial deployment would require further scale-up and field validation beyond the current lab and New York City field settings.
About Columbia University
Columbia University is a comprehensive private research university in New York City, combining an Ivy League academic profile with globally engaged scholarship and professional education. Its integration with a major hospital system through Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian enables clinical collaboration, access to diverse patient populations, and regulated studies at scale. State-of-the-art laboratories and shared core facilities across the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses support co-located industry projects, while proximity to New York’s finance, media, and healthcare ecosystems streamlines talent pipelines and pilot deployments. Industry engages via sponsored research, affiliate programs, executive education, and convenings that connect faculty expertise with corporate R&D priorities. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NIH, NSF, DOE, and DoD, alongside New York State and philanthropic sources. Columbia Technology Ventures provides IP management, licensing, startup support, and translational funding mechanisms that lower barriers to commercialization.
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