Chair Professor (Water and Environmental Engineering)
Ir Professor Tong ZHANG

BSc (Eng), Nanjing University, China
MPhil, Nanjing University, China
PhD, The University of Hong Kong, China

Office: HW 6-31
Phone: +852 2857 8551
Fax: +852 2559 5337
E-mail: zhangt@hku.hk
Homepage: http://web.hku.hk/~zhangt/ZhangT.htm

Teaching Activities CCCH9036 Environmental Pollution in China
CIME2101 Water and Air Quality: Concepts and Measurements
CIVL3107 Environmental Impact Assessment of Civil Engineering Projects
CIVL6006 Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment
CIVL6023 Environmental Chemistry
CIVL6025 Environmental Impact Assessment of Engineering Projects
ENVM7014 Environmental Quality Management

Research Interests Wastewater engineering and biological treatment
Anaerobic digestion
Environmental microbiology and biotechnology
Environmental bioinformatics
Environmental toxicology related to wastewater treatment

Representative Research / Consultancy Projects GRF (General Research Fund) Polyphosphate-accumulating organisms in enhanced biological phosphorus removal process: new insights from metagenomics and metatranscriptomics approaches. 2016-2018. 172057/15E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$695,788. (ongoing)
Exploring core keystone populations in activated sludge using network analysis based on next generation sequencing. 2015-2017. 172099/14E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 500, 000. (ongoing)
Exploring biodegradation pathway and associated genes for emerging pollutants using high-resolution LC-QToF-MS and high-throughput sequencing. 2013-2015. 7190/12E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 700,000. (ongoing)
Fates of antibiotics resistant bacteria and genes in sewage treatment plants. 2012-2014. 7201/11E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 1,095,720. (Completed)
Removal mechanisms of personal care products in activated sludge and anaerobic digestion processes. 2011-2013. 7198/10E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$1,028, 213. (Completed)
Biodegradation/biotransformation and adsorption of antibiotics in sewage and sludge treatment processes. 2010-2012. 7202/09E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 1,111,200. (Completed)
Partial nitrification from ammonia to nitrite by enriched ammonia-oxidizing Archaea in sewage. 2009-2011. 7197/08E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 861,203. (Completed)
Microbial diversity and characteristics of activated sludge treating Hong Kong's saline sewage. 2007-2009. HKU 7195/06E. Supported by Hong Kong GRF (RGC). HK$ 864,300. (Completed)
ITF (Innovation and Technology Fund) The study of anaerobic biohydrogen production technology from cellulose-containing biomass material and application. 2013-2015. GHP/015/11SZ. Supported by ITF (Innovation and Technology Fund). HK$ 880,720. (ongoing)
Develop diagnostic platform for important microbial groups in biological municipal wastewater treatment using next generation sequencing. 2013-2015. ITS/304/12. Supported by ITF (Innovation and Technology Fund). HK$ 959,900. (Completed)
ECF (Environment and Conservation Fund) Exploring microbial diversity and antibiotic resistant genes of Hong Kong marine sediment using advanced molecular techniques. 2014-2015. ECF Project 30/2012. Supported by ECF (Environment and Conservation Fund). HK$ 494,760. (Completed)
Quantification of antibiotic residues and microbial antibiotic-resistant genes in fishponds and marine culture zones of Hong Kong. 2010-2011. ECF Project 35/2009. Supported by ECF (Environment and Conservation Fund). HK$ 499, 880. (Completed)

10 Selected Representative Publications Ju F, Zhang T*. 2015. Experimental design and bioinformatics analysis for the application of metagenomics in environmental sciences and biotechnology, Environmental Science and Technology, 49(21), 12628-40.
Li B, Yang Y, Ma LP, Ju F, Guo F, Tiedje JM, Zhang T*. 2015. Metagenomic and network analysis reveal wide distribution and co-occurrence of environmental antibiotic resistance genes. The ISME Journal. 9(11), 2490-502.
Ju F, Zhang T*. 2015. Bacterial assembly and temporal dynamics in activated sludge of a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant. The ISME Journal. 9(3), 683-95.
Mao Y, Yu K, Xia Y, Chao Y, Zhang T*. 2014. Genome reconstruction and gene expression of 'Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis' Clade IB performing biological phosphorus removal. Environmental Science and Technology, 48(17), 10363-71.
Ju F, Xia Y, Guo F, Wang ZP, Zhang T*. 2014. Taxonomic relatedness shapes bacterial assembly in activated sludge of globally distributed wastewater treatment plants. Environmental Microbiology. 16, 2421-2432.
Yang Y, Li B, Ju F, Zhang T*. 2013. xploring variation of antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge over a four-year period through a metagenomic approach. Environmental Science and Technology. 47 (18), 10197–10205.
Cai L, Zhang T*. 2013. Detecting human bacterial pathogens in wastewater treatment plants by a high-throughput shotgun sequencing technique. Environmental Science and Technology, 47 (10), 5433–5441.
Ye L, Zhang T*, Wang TT, Fang ZW. 2012. Microbial structures, functions and metabolic pathways in wastewater treatment bioreactors revealed using high-throughput sequencing. Environmental Science and Technology. 46(24), 13244-13252.
Li B, Zhang T*. 2012. pH significantly affects removal of trace antibiotics in chlorination of municipal wastewater. Water Research. 46, 3703-3713.
Zhang T*, Shao MF, Ye L. 2012. 454 Pyrosequencing reveals bacterial diversity of activated sludge from 14 sewage treatment plants. The ISME Journal. 6(6), 1137-47.

Others For more information of Professor T. Zhang, please visit http://web.hku.hk/~zhangt/ZhangT.htm and HKU Scholars Hub.