UF Chemical Engineering > People > Faculty > Spyros Svoronos   
Spyros Svoronos
Ph.D., 1981, University of Minnesota (1982)
Professor
Ph : 352-392-9101
svoronos@ufl.edu
219 Chemical Engineering Building
 
Areas
Biological Wastewater Treatment
Particle Separations
Process Control
 
Biological Wastewater Treatment
As high quality water supplies worldwide have become increasingly scarce, the reuse of treated wastewater is assuming a more significant role in satisfying water demands, especially for nonpotable uses. Nitrogen concentrations in the treated wastewater are an important water quality indicator since various nitrogen forms can cause toxicity as well as contribute to eutrophication of receiving waters. Biological treatment systems are the most important means of removing nitrogen from wastewater. Very often, these systems utilize a single population of bacteria that are alternately exposed to aerobic conditions conducive to nitrification and anoxic conditions that allow denitrification. To maximize the rate of nitrogen removal, it is important that the bacteria adapt quickly to these changing conditions.

We have demonstrated that bacteria changing from dissolved oxygen to nitrate as electron acceptors will experience a significant diauxic lag (period of no bacterial growth and nitrogen removal), sometimes lasting several hours. Obviously, significant lags can adversely affect the rate and, therefore, the economics of biological nitrogen removing processes. The goal of our research is to better understand the phenomenon of diauxic growth on oxygen and nitrate as alternate electron acceptors.
 
Particle Separations
We are developing novel centrifugal classifiers for separating fine particles. The research involves modeling using CFD software and experimental testing of the classifier designs.
 
Process Control
Current research is focusing on modeling, optimizing and developing process control algorithms for wastewater treatment plants.
 
Recent Publications
1. Jantama, K., Zhang, X., Moore, J.C., Shanmugam, K.T., Svoronos, S.A. and Ingram, L.O., “Eliminating Side Products and Increasing Succinate Yields in Engineered Strains of Escherichia coli C,” Biotech. Bioeng., in press (2008).
2. Lee, D.-U., Woo, S.-H., Svoronos, S.A. and Koopman, B., “Determination of Diauxic Lag in Continuous Culture,” Biotech. Bioeng., in press (2008).
3. Lee, D.-U., Woo, S.-H., Svoronos, S.A., Park, S.-J. and Koopman, B., “Apparatus and Method for Achieving Reproducible Measurements of Diauxic Lag Length and Anoxic Net Maximum Specific Growth Rate,” Environmental Technology, 29 (2008) 731.
4. Hamilton, R., Braun, B., Koopman, B. And Svoronos, S.A., “Estimation of Nitrate Reductase Enzyme Parameters in Activated Sludge Using an Extended Kalman Filter Algorithm,” Water Research, 42 (2008) 1889.
5. Jantama, K., Haupt, M.J., Svoronos, S.A., Zhang, X., Moore, J.C., Shanmugam, K.T. and Ingram, L.O., “Combining Metabolic Engineering and Metabolic Evolution to Develop Nonrecombinant Strains of E. coli C that Produce Succinate and Malate,” Biotech. Bioeng., 99 (2008) 1140.