Dr. Hongxu Zhou joined the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in 2024 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. He is committed to developing practical, engineering-driven solutions to address water quality challenges in agricultural and rural environments. His research focuses on water quality management, treatment of both traditional and emerging contaminants, and advancing circular economy principles through sustainable technologies.
Dr. Zhou’s work integrates innovative eco-treatment and nature-based systems, such as engineered biochar materials and denitrifying woodchip bioreactors. Using a combination of laboratory experimentation, field-scale demonstration, and life-cycle/techno-economic assessments, he investigates how these technologies can simultaneously improve water quality, enhance resource recovery, and support sustainable environmental management.
At ISTC, his current efforts center on the development and optimization of biochar-enabled systems for the adsorption and destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). He has contributed to multiple federally funded projects, including those supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (SERDP), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, Dr. Zhou also leads several competitive research grants as Principal Investigator. He is actively seeking collaborations in agricultural sustainability and biochar-based environmental management.