Annual symposium with presentations and exhibitors from the field of wastewater treatment

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Responsible for research in the field of wastewater treatment

Teaching:

• Urban Water Infrastructure and Management 
• Wastewater Treatment Technologies
• Siedlungswasserwirtschaft
• Lab practical course
• Modelling Wastewater Treatment Processes

Students searching for bachelor thesis, master thesis and research study project in the field of wastewater treatment, feel free to get in touch with me.

Research

Energy-efficient (biological) wastewater treatment methods, Anammox, Biofilm (e.g. MBBR, IFAS) and granular technologies, Mathematical modelling of wastewater processes, Microbial community analysis for wastewater treatment , GHG emission in WWTPs, Resource recovery and carbon capture in WWTPs, Adsorption processes, Risk assessment for WWTPs

Research projects

Accomplished projects

Previous projects with other universities and partners

Project manager and postdoc in Uni Duisburg-Essen, by LANUV

• Project title: Investigations on deammonification in the mainstream of sewage treatment plants (ANAMMOSTROM)

PhD project in Civil Engineering, Uni Duisburg-Essen

• Dissertation title: optimization and investigation of (sidestream) anammox process using mathematical modelling and experimental lab-scale approaches

Completed research projects

Mitgliedschaften

IWA, DWA, WEF und SCI

Awards and scholarships

2014 – 2018: PhD Scholarship, Sustainable Water Management – NaWaM, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Uni Duisburg-Essen, the scholarship with estimated total value of 90,000 €

2019: Anammox workshop, integrative methods to assess anammox during climatic and environmental changes, awarded by Newcastle University, UK

2015: Summer school in biofilm science and modelling, awarded a scholarship by Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), awarded by NTU- Singapore

2012: Summer school for enhanced technologies for water and wastewater treatment, scholarship holder, Uni Duisburg-Essen, awarded by DAAD

Publications

Sheik, A.G., Kumar, A., Srungavarapu, C.S., Azari, M., Ambati, S.R., Bux, F. and Patan, A.K., 2025. Insights into the application of explainable artificial intelligence for biological wastewater treatment plants: Updates and perspectives. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 144, p.110132.

Mofrad, M.M.G., Mahdavi, M. and Azari, M., 2025. Treatment of synthetic catechol solution by electrocoagulation‐magnetic granular activated pomegranate peel carbon: A cost‐effective approach. Water Environment Research, 97(3), p.e70045.

Li, S., Chen, X., Gong, H., Yang, J., Guo, Q., Wang, X., Wang, H., Zhu, D., Zhang, Y., Zhou, S., Azari, M. and Dai, X., 2025. Influence of influent suspended solids concentration on a two-stage partial nitrification/anammox process treating liquid digestate of kitchen waste: Nitrogen removal performance and microbial community analysis. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, p.115452.

Azari, M., Show, P.L., Du, R. and Huang, X., 2024. Advanced biotechnologies towards energy-efficient wastewater treatment plants. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15, p.1407478.

Azari, M. and Fuchs, S., 2023. Moderne Ansätze in der Abwasserbehandlung - Volume II: Tagungsband der 33. Karlsruher Flockungstage, Verlag Siedlungswasserwirtschaft Karlsruhe, Schriftenreihe SWW (Bd. 161).

Azari, M. and Fuchs, S., 2022. Moderne Ansätze in der Abwasserbehandlung: Tagungsband der 33. Karlsruher Flockungstage, Verlag Siedlungswasserwirtschaft Karlsruhe, Schriftenreihe SWW (Bd. 159).

Yang, Y., Lu, Z., Azari, M., Kartal, B., Du, H., Cai, M., Herbold, CW., Ding, X., Denecke, M., Li X., Li, M. and Gu, JD. 2022. Discovery of a new genus of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria with a mechanism for oxygen tolerance. Water Research 226, 119165.

Mehrani, M.J., Azari, M., Teichgräber, B., Jagemann, P., Schoth, J., Denecke, M. and Mąkinia, J., 2022. Performance evaluation and model-based optimization of the mainstream deammonification in an integrated fixed-film activated sludge reactor. Bioresource Technology, 351, p.126942.

Gholami-Shiri, J., Azari, M., Dehghani, S. and Denecke, M., 2021. A technical review on the adaptability of mainstream partial nitrification and anammox: substrate management and aeration control in cold weather. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(6), p.106468.

Azari, M., Jurnalis, A. and Denecke, M., 2021. The influence of aeration control and temperature reduction on nitrogen removal and microbial community in two anammox‐based hybrid sequencing batch biofilm reactors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 96(12), pp.3358-3370.

Yang, Y., Azari, M., Herbold, C.W., Li, M., Chen, H., Ding, X., Denecke, M. and Gu, J.D., 2021. Activities and metabolic versatility of distinct anammox bacteria in a full-scale wastewater treatment system. Water Research, 206, p.117763.

Azari M., Aslani, A. and Denecke, M., 2020. The effect of the COD: N ratio on mainstream deammonification in integrated fix-film activated sludge SBR. Chemosphere, p.127426.

Azari M.: 2019, Optimization and Investigation of Anammox Process Using Existing Models and Experimental Approaches, Logos, Belin. ISBN 978-3-8325-4837-7

Wang, Q., Azari M., Q.; Denecke,M., Men, Jin-Young, Okabe, S., Ali, M, Yu-Tzu, Gu, J., Lin, J. & Lee, P. 2018. Insight into the roles of anammox bacteria in post-treatment of anaerobically treated sewage. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 48 (6), 655-684

Steuernagel, L., de Léon Gallegos, E.L., Azizan, A., Dampmann, A.K., Azari, M. and Denecke, M., 2018. Availability of carbon sources on the ratio of nitrifying microbial biomass in an industrial activated sludge. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 129, pp.133-140.

Azari, M., Le, A.V., Lübken, M. and Denecke, M., 2018. Model-based analysis of microbial consortia and microbial products in an anammox biofilm reactor. Water Science and Technology, 77(7), pp.1951-1959.

Azari, M., Lübken, M. and Denecke, M., 2017. Simulation of simultaneous anammox and denitrification for kinetic and physiological characterization of the microbial community in a granular biofilm system. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 127, pp.206-216.

Azari, M., Le, A.V. and Denecke, M., 2017. Population Dynamic of Microbial Consortia in a Granular Activated Carbon-Assisted Biofilm Reactor: Lessons from Modelling. In Frontiers International Conference on Wastewater Treatment and Modelling (pp. 588-595). Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Springer, Cham, ISBN 978-3-319-58421-8.

Azari, M., Walter, U., Rekers, V., Gu, J.D. and Denecke, M., 2017. More than a decade of experience of landfill leachate treatment with a full-scale anammox plant combining activated sludge and activated carbon biofilm. Chemosphere, 174, pp.117-126.

Ke, Y.; Azari, M.; Han, P.; Görtz, I.; Ji-Dong Gu, J.-D.; Denecke, M.: 2015. Microbial community of nitrogen-converting bacteria in anammox granular sludge. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Volume 103, Pages 105-115.

Zarrineh, N. and Azari, M., 2014. Integrated water resources management in Iran: Environmental, socio-economic and political review of drought in Lake Urmia. International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, 6(1), pp.40-48.

Publications in conference proceedings (oral presentation):

Azari M., 2022. Mikroaerobe Stickstoffelimination im Hauptstrom von Kläranlagen, 33. Karlsruher Flockungstage, In Moderne Ansätze in der Abwasserbehandlung: Tagungsband der 33. Karlsruher Flockungstage, Verlag Siedlungswasserwirtschaft Karlsruhe, Schriftenreihe SWW (Bd. 159).

Azari M., Schoth J., Hetschel M., Phan L, Jagemann P. and Denecke, M: 2019, Untersuchungen zur Deammonifikation im Hauptstrom von Kläranlagen, 13. Aachener Tagung Wassertechnologie Verfahren der Wasseraufbereitung und Abwasserbehandlung, Oktober 2019, Aachen, Deutschland (in German)

Azari, M. and Denecke, M.: 2017. Analysis of nitrous oxide production and system performance for a full-scale anammox plant combining activated sludge and granular activated carbon biofilm: a model-based study, 15th International Conference on Environmental Science And Technology (CEST2017), September 2017, Rhodes, Greece

Azari, M. and Denecke, M.: 2017. Stickstoffelimination 4.0: Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten, 12. Aachener Tagung Wassertechnologie Verfahren der Wasseraufbereitung und Abwasserbehandlung, Oktober 2017, Aachen, Deutschland (in German)

Azari, M., Lȕbken, M. and Denecke, M., 2016. Multispecies granular biofilm modelling for simultaneous anammox and denitrification processes in batch systems. International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software (iEMSs Conference), Toulouse, France.

Publications in conference abstract books (poster presentation):

Azari M., Schoth J., Hetschel M., Phan L, Jagemann P. and Denecke, M. 2022. Mainstream Microaerobic Nitrogen Removal: Carbon Redirection, Anammox Contribution and Aeration Optimization, IWA World Water Congress 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark

Azari M., Jurnalis, A. and Denecke, M. 2019. Enhanced Nitrogen Removal And Microbial Community Structure In Hybrid Sequencing Batch Reactors, IWA LET 2019, June 2019, Edinburgh, UK

Zarrineh, N., Van Steenbergen, N. and Azari, M., 2013, Integrated Water Resources Management in Iran: Case Study for Lake Urmia Basin. In The IWA UK 14th Young Water Professional Conference, Date: 2013/04/17-2013/04/19, Location: Teeside University, Darlington.

Azari, M., Tolessa, O., Bauwens, W.: 2013. Climate change impact studies on water quality, and   quantity of river Zenne in Belgium, 2nd Open symposium of water, June 2013, Brussels, Belgium