Overview of the research work of Dr. Hui-Ping Chuang

Abstract

Dr Hui-Ping Chuang, Sustainable Environment Research Laboratories, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, is investigating the ability of different environmental microorganisms to degrade pollutants and produce sustainable resources. A particular focus is on the microbes involved in the nitrogen cycle. She collaborates with Japanese researchers at DHS Technology, Hiroshima University and Tohoku University, among others, as well as communicating with Taiwan researchers based at National Taiwan University and National Chiayi University. Chuang is currently involved in five studies: exploring different types of sponge media for cultivating slow-growing functional microbes; investigating aerobic autotrophic microbes for the conversion of greenhouse potential (GHP) gases such as N2O and CO2 to mitigate global warming; investigating the application of different functional microbes for treating different types of wastewaters containing nitrogenous compounds or alkylphenol compounds or long-term alkanes; cultivating a chloroethane-degrading community used for remediation of soil and groundwater pollution; exploring the use of an anaerobic microbial community for the treatment of biological waste to produce the green energy as methane (CH4) and nitrogen fertiliser as resources; and developing a microbial monitoring platform integrating chemical and molecular analyses. This microbial monitoring platform can be used to detect and quantify nitrogen oxidising or reducing microorganisms, as well as other groups with some modifications and it has now been used in various fields to understand important relationships.