Dr Ben Van den Akker

Enterprise Fellow in Environmental Chemistry UniSA STEM

Mawson Lakes Campus (F2-32)

email Ben.VanDenAkker@unisa.edu.au

Research Degree Supervisor

About me

Since 2008 Dr Ben van den Akker has pursued a hybrid research career within both academia and industry. He joined UniSA in 2023 as an Enterprise Fellow within STEM. His research seeks to improve the technical, economic and environmental performance of wastewater treatment plants and water reclamation schemes. Ben's research also focuses on health aspects of water quality, which includes the use of microbial risk assessment principles in the regulation and management of urban water systems. Ben has also gained significant practical experience in the implementation of research outcomes which has enhanced the sustainability of wastewater treatment plants, improved the public health safety of water... Read more

UniSA STEM

Harnessing connections across science, technology, engineering and mathematics, UniSA STEM creates innovative solutions and groundbreaking developments across teaching, learning and research.

Tweets by @UniversitySA

About me

In the media

Date	Title
22/07/2022	Different farmers have different needs: customising reclaimed water for agricultural use, https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/different-farmers-have-different-needs-customising-reclaimed-water-for-agricultural-use
26/08/2019	Local water utility research changes UN climate guidelines, https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/technology/research/local-water-utility-research-changes-un-climate-guidelines
13/05/2019	SA Water demonstrates 30% greenhouse gas reduction in WWTPs, https://utilitymagazine.com.au/sa-water-demonstrates-30-greenhouse-gas-reduction-in-wwtps/

Research

Research focus

Microbiology
Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Biological Sciences
Chemical Sciences
Civil Engineering

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Chapters

Year	Output
2019	Trinh, T, Branch, A, van den Akker, B, Le Clech, P, Drewes, JE & Khan, SJ 2019, 'Impacts of hazardous events on performance of membrane bioreactors', in Faisal I Hai, Kazuo Yamamoto & Chung Hak Lee (eds), Membrane Biological Reactors: Theory, Modeling, Design, Management and Applications to Wastewater Reuse, 2nd, IWA Publishing, UK, ch. 7, pp. 207-226.
2014	Witherspoon, JR, Short, MD, Simmonds, K, Van Den Akker, B, Madon, E & Stuetz, RM 2014, 'Air emissions', in D Jenkins & J Wanner (eds), Activated sludge - 100 years and counting, IWA Publishing, UK, ch. 9, pp. 155-169.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2023	Zheng, M, Li, H, Duan, H, Liu, T, Wang, Z, Zhao, J, Hu, Z, Watts, S, Meng, J, Liu, P, Rattier, M, Larsen, E, Guo, J, Dwyer, J, Akker, BVD, Lloyd, J, Hu, S & Yuan, Z 2023, 'One-year stable pilot-scale operation demonstrates high flexibility of mainstream anammox application', vol. 19, article no. 100166, pp. 1-8. Open access 22
2022	Krohn, C, Khudur, L, Dias, DA, van den Akker, B, Rees, CA, Crosbie, ND, Surapaneni, A, O'Carroll, DM, Stuetz, RM, Batstone, DJ & Ball, AS 2022, 'The role of microbial ecology in improving the performance of anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge', Frontiers in Microbiology, vol.. 13, article no. 1079136, pp. 1-23. Open access 4 1
2022	Li, K, Duan, H, Liu, L, Qiu, R, Van den Akker, B, Ni, BJ, Chen, T, Yin, H, Yuan, Z & Ye, L 2022, 'An integrated first principal and deep learning approach for modeling nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater treatment plants', Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 2816 - 2826. 16 5 6
2022	Short, M, van den Akker, B, Monis, P & Donner, E 2022, 'Managing emerging pathogen risks in recycled water', Microbiology Australia, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 177-182. Open access 1
2021	Thwaites, BJ, Stuetz, R, Short, M, Reeve, P, Alvarez-Gaitan, J-P, Dinesh, N, Philips, R & Van den Akker, B 2021, 'Analysis of nitrous oxide emissions from aerobic granular sludge treating high saline municipal wastewater', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 756, article no. 143653, pp. 1-11. Open access 11 7
2020	Duan, H, van den Akker, B, Thwaites, BJ, Peng, L, Herman, C, Pan, Y, Ni, BJ, Watt, S, Yuan, Z & Ye, L 2020, 'Mitigating nitrous oxide emissions at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant', Water Research, vol. 185, pp. 1-11. 44 27 4
2019	Krysiak-Baltyn, K, Cavalida, R, Thwaites, B, Reeve, PJ, Scales, PJ, Van den Akker, B, Ong, L, Martin, GJ, Stickland, AD & Gras, SL 2019, 'Comparison of physical characteristics and dewatering behaviour between granular and floccular sludges generated from the same sewage source', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 29, article no. 100785, pp. 1-12. 15 11
2019	Mai, L, Lian, Y, van den Akker, B & Fallowfield, HJ 2019, 'Nitrification performance of high rate nitrifying trickling filters at low ammonia concentrations: does the aspect ratio matter?', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 26, no. 20, pp. 20520-20529. 3 2
2019	Yadav, MK, Gerber, C, Saint, CP, Van den Akker, B & Short, MD 2019, 'Understanding the removal and fate of selected drugs of abuse in sludge and biosolids from Australian wastewater treatment operations', Engineering, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 872-879. Open access 12 10 1
2019	Yadav, MK, Short, MD, Gerber, C, Awad, J, van den Akker, B & Saint, CP 2019, 'Removal of emerging drugs of addiction by wastewater treatment and water recycling processes and impacts on effluent-associated environmental risk', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 680, pp. 13-22. Open access 28 24
2019	Yadav, MK, Short, MD, Gerber, C, van Den Akker, B, Aryal, R & Saint, CP 2019, 'Occurrence, removal and environmental risk of markers of five drugs of abuse in urban wastewater systems in South Australia', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 26, pp. 33816-33826. 14 13 18
2018	Hegab, HM, ElMekawy, A, van Den Akker, B, Ginic-Markovic, M, Saint, C, Newcombe, G & Pant, D 2018, 'Innovative graphene microbial platforms for domestic wastewater treatment', Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio-Technology, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 147-158. 15 13 3
2018	Thwaites, BJ, Short, MD, Stuetz, RM, Reeve, PJ, Gaitan, JPA, Dinesh, N & Van Den Akker, B 2018, 'Comparing the performance of aerobic granular sludge versus conventional activated sludge for microbial log removal and effluent quality: implications for water reuse', Water Research, vol. 145, pp. 442-452. Open access 30 25 4
2018	Thwaites, BJ, Van Den Akker, B, Reeve, PJ, Short, MD, Dinesh, N, Alvarez-Gaitan, JP & Stuetz, R 2018, 'Ecology and performance of aerobic granular sludge treating high-saline municipal wastewater', Water Science and Technology, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 1107-1114. Open access 8 8 2
2017	Carvajal, G, Branch, A, Sisson, SA, Roser, DJ, van den Akker, B, Monis, P, Reeve, P, Keegan, A, Regel, R & Khan, SJ 2017, 'Virus removal by ultrafiltration: Understanding long-term performance change by application of Bayesian analysis', Water Research, vol. 122, pp. 269-279. 13 13 4
2017	King, B, Fanok, S, Phillips, R, Lau, M, van den Akker, B & Monis, P 2017, 'Cryptosporidium attenuation across the wastewater treatment train: recycled water fit for purpose', Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 83, no. 5, article no. e03068-16, pp. 1-18. Open access 24 19
2017	Reeve, PJ, Regel, R, Le Moigne, I, van den Akker, B, Monis, P, Dreyfus, J, Beard, H & Brehant, A 2017, 'Evaluating membrane performance in recycled water treatment plants for assets replacement strategy', Water Science and Technology, vol. 76, no. 11, pp. 2941-2948. 1
2017	Thwaites, BJ, Reeve, P, Dinesh, N, Short, MD & Van Den Akker, B 2017, 'Comparison of an anaerobic feed and split anaerobic-aerobic feed on granular sludge development, performance and ecology', Chemosphere, vol. 172, pp. 408-417. Open access 22 20
2017	Yadav, MK, Short, MD, Aryal, R, Gerber, C, van den Akker, B & Saint, CP 2017, 'Occurrence of illicit drugs in water and wastewater and their removal during wastewater treatment', Water Research, vol. 124, pp. 713-727. Open access 79 66 2
2016	Chahal, C, van den Akker, B, Young, F, Franco, C, Blackbeard, J & Monis, P 2016, 'Pathogen and particle associations in wastewater: significance and implications for treatment and disinfection processes', Advances in Applied Microbiology, vol. 97, pp. 63-119. Open access 97 72 3
2016	Mai, L, van den Akker, B, Du, J, Kookana, R & Fallowfield, H 2016, 'Removal of chemicals of concern by high rate nitrifying trickling filters', Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, vol. 91, no. 12, pp. 3070-3078. 9 9
2016	Mai, L, van den Akker, B, Du, J, Kookana, RS & Fallowfield, H 2016, 'Impact of exogenous organic carbon on the removal of chemicals of concern in the high rate nitrifying trickling filters', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 174, no. 7, pp. 7-13. 11 10
2016	Pan, Y, Van Den Akker, B, Ye, L, Ni, B-J, Watts, S, Reid, K & Yuan, Z 2016, 'Unravelling the spatial variation of nitrous oxide emissions from a step-feed plug-flow full scale wastewater treatment plant', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, article no. 20792, pp. 1-10. Open access 31 23 3
2016	Pan, Y, Ye, L, van den Akker, B, Ganigue, PR, Musenze, RS & Yuan, Z 2016, 'Sludge-drying lagoons: a potential significant methane source in wastewater treatment plants', Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 1368-1375. 9 4
2016	Reeve, P, Regel, R, Dreyfus, J, Monis, P, Lau, M, King, B & Van Den Akker, B 2016, 'Virus removal of new and aged UF membranes at full-scale in a wastewater reclamation plant', Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 1014-1021. 13 12 1
2016	Reeve, PJ, Mouilleron, I, Chuang, H-P, Thwaites, B, Hyde, K, Dinesh, N, Krampe, J, Lin, T-F & Van Den Akker, 2016, 'Effect of feed starvation on side-stream anammox activity and key microbial populations', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 171, pp. 121-127. 25 19 3
2016	Trinh, T, van den Akker, B, Coleman, HM, Stuetz, RM, Drewes, JE, Le Clech, P & Khan, SJ 2016, 'Seasonal variations in fate and removal of trace organic chemical contaminants while operating a full-scale membrane bioreactor', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 550, pp. 176-183. 68 64
2015	Ni, BJ, Pan, Y, van den Akker, B, Ye, L & Yuan, Z 2015, 'Full-scale modeling explaining large spatial variations of nitrous oxide fluxes in a step-feed plug-flow wastewater treatment reactor', Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 49, no. 15, pp. 9176-9184. 45 35
2015	Short, MD, Van Den Akker, B & Regel, R 2015, 'Benchmarking the energy-health nexus for more efficient water recycling operations', Water: Journal of the Australian Water Association, vol.42, no. 3, pp. 68-74. Open access
2015	Van Den Akker, B, Reid, K, Middlemiss, K & Krampe, J 2015, 'Evaluation of granular sludge for secondary treatment of saline municipal sewage', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 157, pp. 139-145. 27 25
2014	Nothrop, S, Richardson, D, Van Leeuwen, J, Machin, M, Theunissen, K, Watkins, T & Van Den Akker, B 2014, 'Zoogloeal viscous bulking in a Pinus radiata TMP/ONP: OMG recycled fibre newsprint activated sludge plant', Appita Journal, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 302-308. 1
2010	Van Den Akker, B, Beard, H, Kaeding, U, Giglio, S & Short, MD 2010, 'Exploring the relationship between viscous bulking and ammonia-oxidiser abundance in activated sludge: A comparison of conventional and IFAS systems', Water Research, vol. 44 no. 9, pp. 2919-2929. 49 40
2010	Van Den Akker, B, Holmes, M, Short, M, Cromar, N & Fallowfield, H 2010, 'Application of high rate nitrifying trickling filters to remove low concentrations of ammonia from reclaimed municipal wastewater', Water Science and Technology, vol. 61 no. 10, pp. 2425-2432. 8 8
2010	Yamamoto, T, Short, M, Van Den Akker, B, Cromar, NJ & Fallowfield, H 2010, 'Nitrification potential in waste stabilisation ponds: Comparison of a secondary and tertiary pond system', Water Science and Technology, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 781-788. 3 2

Reports

Year	Output
2014	Short, MD, Saint, CP, Regel, R & Van Den Akker, B 2014, An integrated approach for performance benchmarking of water recycling operations, Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, Australia. Open access

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Highlights

Member of the NHMRC Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee

Goyder Institute Management Board Member

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Adelaide Services Alliance (Allwater) - SUEZ Water	AUSTRALIA
Allwater	AUSTRALIA
Australian Water Quality Centre	AUSTRALIA
Ch2M Hill	UNITED STATES
CSIRO Australia (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation)	AUSTRALIA
Flemish Institute for Technological Research	BELGIUM
Flinders University	AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Water	AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Water Corporation	AUSTRALIA
Monash University	AUSTRALIA
National Cheng Kung University	TAIWAN
Norske Skog Paper Mill	AUSTRALIA
Norske Skog Technical Support and Development	AUSTRALIA
RMIT University	AUSTRALIA
SA Water Corporation	AUSTRALIA
Technical University Munich	GERMANY
United Water Pty Ltd	AUSTRALIA
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Melbourne	AUSTRALIA
University of New South Wales	AUSTRALIA
University of Queensland	AUSTRALIA
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Technology Sydney	AUSTRALIA
University of Vienna	AUSTRIA
Vienna University of Technology	AUSTRIA
Wuhan University of Technology	CHINA

External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition	Year
Goyder Institute Management Board Member Goyder Institute	2023
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2023
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2022
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2021
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2020
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2019
Australian Water Association SA Branch Conference Best Paper Award Australian Water Association	2018
Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member NHMRC	2018
South Australian Research and Innovation Award Australian Water Association	2018
Guy Parker Best Water Journal Paper Australian Water Association	2015
South Australian Research and Innovation Award Australian Water Association	2015

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Dr Ben Van den Akker

About me

About me

UniSA STEM

About me

Professional Associations

In the media

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Projects

Outputs

Chapters

Journal Articles

Reports

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Highlights

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Goyder Institute Management Board Member

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

Australian Water Association SA Branch Conference Best Paper Award

Recreational Water Quality Advisory Committee Member

South Australian Research and Innovation Award

Guy Parker Best Water Journal Paper

South Australian Research and Innovation Award

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

Courses and programs

Courses I teach

Gallery