Environmental Engineering
We develop technologies and systems that protect water, air and soil, recover value from waste, and reduce pollution. Combining environmental biotechnology, process engineering and whole-systems analysis, we turn scientific insight into practical solutions for a circular, resilient future.
Our research expertise
- Environmental biotechnology
Our researchers engineer a range of microbes, including mixed consortia, for applications in bioremediation and resource recovery. We study how organisms interact, adapt and even form biofilms, then use these insights to improve biodegradation in industry effluents and link to biomanufacturing. Advanced omics, molecular microbiology and high-throughput screening reveal how these systems work and how they can be controlled.
Research centres and institutes
Sheffield's cross-faculty research centres harness the University's wealth of interdisciplinary expertise and research excellence to solve the world's most pressing challenges. Our researchers are aligned with the following:
Sheffield Water Centre Interdisciplinary research spanning water quality, infrastructure, wastewater, flooding and catchment management.
Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures Connecting academic, business, policy and voluntary-sector expertise to address systemic sustainability challenges
Institute for Sustainable Food Bringing together interdisciplinary expertise across food, agriculture and the environment, including circular nutrient and biomass systems.
Key partnerships
Our researchers work with industry, public bodies and national innovation networks to test solutions under real conditions and move environmental technologies from the laboratory towards implementation.
Work with Viridor, Freeland Horticulture, Sony has enabled industrial leachates and effluents to be tested as feedstocks for microbial treatment and resource recovery. Collaboration with Unilever supports translation of recovered biopolymers into commercially relevant biodegradable packaging.
Impact
Our researchers are making life-changing discoveries, developing new innovations and technologies and solving the world’s complex challenges. Working collaboratively with partners locally and globally, we are working at the frontiers of knowledge on research with real impact.
| Treating landfill leachate while recovering valuable resourcesMicrobial consortia cultivated in pilot-scale photobioreactors remove pollutants from challenging leachates while generating biomass that can be used for fuels, materials and metal recovery. |
Turning toxic liquids into sustainable materialsDomestic and industrial activities produce millions of tonnes of waste, and even buried waste leaks pollutants that carry environmental risks. But by combining microorganisms with different capabilities, Sheffield researchers are turning harmful liquid into useful resources. | 
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