Water news

U of T Engineering researchers are leading the way in addressing the global water crisis. Our faculty members have deep expertise in established and emerging areas of water research to create robust and resilient solutions.

A new study from U of T Engineering Professor David Meyer (CivMin, ISTEP) shows that between the cities of Delhi and Bengaluru, customers are supplied water on 3,278 different schedules, ranging from nearly continuous to only about 30 minutes per week. (Photo: wirestock, via Envato Elements)

Why do Delhi and Bengaluru supply water according to 3,278 different schedules?

New research from Professor David Meyer (CivMin, ISTEP) and his team highlights how water supply scheduling leads to inequity between rich neighbourhoods and poorer ones

A researcher wearing personal protective equipment in a laboratory holds a membrane.

This sustainable solution for removing phosphate and ammonium from wastewater promotes a circular economy

Sara Abu-Obaid (ChemE PhD candidate) is leveraging inorganic particles to design advanced membranes that can recover these valuable nutrients

Rainwater harvesting system

How solar-powered technology could enhance rainwater harvesting in Mexico

Ultraviolet light from LED systems could be used to inactivate pathogens in rainwater harvested in rural or peri-urban areas

View from inside a washing machine filled with colourful laundry

This new fabric coating could drastically reduce microplastic pollution from washing clothes

Professor Kevin Golovin (MIE) and his team of researchers are working on a fabric finish to prevent microplastic fibres from shedding during laundry cycles

Oseremen Ebewele

This grad student is developing solar-powered bioreactors to clean water and produce sustainable products

Oseremen Ebewele is one of two recipients of this year’s IBET Momentum Fellowships

MIE PhD candidate Nitish Sarker works in the lab of Professor Amy Bilton (MIE) designing low-cost, solar-powered water treatment systems for remote, rural or off-grid communities. (Photo: Nitish Sarker)

Safe water, low cost: Meet award-winning global engineering leader Nitish Sarker

Sarker (MIE PhD candidate) earned the Global Engineering Outstanding Student Award from the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder

Members of U of T’s SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance team stand together on the rooftop of the Wallberg Building. (Photo: Daria Perevezentsev)

Tracking community transmission: Researchers advance COVID-19 variant detection in GTA wastewater

A collaboration between ChemE and U of T’s Department of Chemistry is strengthening viral signals and the early detection of variants of concern in wastewater

Kharumwa Health Centre in northern Tanzania uses a rainwater harvesting facility: the tank can be seen behind the main building while the solar panel used to power the UV treatment unit is on the roof. (Photo: Karlye Wong)

Solar-powered UV water treatment could improve health outcomes in rural Tanzania

PhD candidate Karlye Wong (CivMin) is assessing and optimizing off-grid systems for disinfecting drinking water before use

University of Toronto researchers Tara Colenbrander Nelson and Dr. Kelly Whaley Martin collecting water samples at Hudbay’s 777 mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba for use in their innovative “reactive sulfur” monitoring technique. (Photo: Lesley Warren)

Academic-industry partnership leads to improved methods for managing sulfur compounds in mining sites

Hudbay receives regulatory approval for new monitoring technique co-developed with University of Toronto Engineering Professor Lesley Warren (CivMin)