Cigdem Eskicioglu

Eskicioglu made it her mission to make a difference: “I’m passionate about discovering knowledge in the laboratory and sharing it in the classroom,” she says.

“I help graduate and undergraduate students understand that it takes very little effort to contaminate the environment, and a tremendous amount of time, effort, innovative technology and resources to make it safe again.”

Her research focuses on biological waste treatment processes, in particular anaerobic digestion, which can utilize microorganisms to turn organic waste into renewable energy (methane) and organic fertilizer. Eskicioglu also works to identify and remove emerging micropollutants like hormones, pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

Eskicioglu collaborates with many government agencies, municipalities, industries and researchers within UBC and other institutions, with the ultimate goal of waste reduction and resource recovery. The group operates three facilities: the Advanced Anaerobic Digestion Facility; the Particle Sizing, Zeta Potential and Imaging Facility; and the Micropollutant Detection Facility.

Partnering with local municipalities and utilities, Eskicioglu explores waste-to-energy options, waste minimization, resource recovery and odour-reduction solutions.

Her interest in emerging micropollutants developed while she was a graduate student at the University of Ottawa.

“Since most of the conventional wastewater treatment plans are not able to efficiently remove micropollutants, I believe that advanced treatment processes designed to target these micropollutants are urgently needed.”

Eskicioglu’s research bridges multi-disciplinary and academic boundaries in the pursuit of making the world a cleaner and more sustainable place. In recognition of her work, which has made a significant contribution to research on the UBC Okanagan campus, across Canada, and around the world, Eskicioglu was recognized as the 2020 UBC Okanagan Researcher of the Year (NSERC category).

Valorization of organic waste

Waste reduction and resource recovery through advanced thermo- chemical and bio-chemical processes and micro-pollutant removal.

Organic waste is a biodegradable material that comes from residential, rural and industrial activities, a steady source material that can be used for renewable energy, and value-added products generation. The research of Professor Cigdem Eskicioglu develops ways to utilize organic waste in reactors utilizing thermo-chemical and bio-chemical processes and help contribute to renewable energy and fertilizer generation, while reducing the environmental impacts that organic waste has in landfills and bodies of water. One challenge of producing renewable energy from organic waste is its complex molecular structure, making it difficult to access the organic materials that will be converted into energy. Professor Eskicioglu aims to develop pre-treatment technologies that convert large complex molecules into simpler and smaller molecules. This allows for a faster rate and more efficient conversion of waste to energy. It also improves the final waste product to allow organizations to get rid of it more easily and make it safer to use as fertilizer. With less organic waste in our landfills and an efficient process of generating renewable bio-energy, Eskicioglu is contributing to a sustainable environment for cities and communities.