
Dr Bing Guo
Academic and research departments
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bioinformatics.Biography
Dr Bing Guo joined the University of Surrey as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2020. She received her PhD and M.Eng in Civil Engineering from McGill University, Canada, and B.Eng in Environmental Engineering from Beijing Normal University, China. Prior to joining Surrey, she was awarded the Quebec Postdoctoral Research B3X scholarship in 2019 as a joint postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, Canada and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. Her research interests include microbial ecology modelling (immigration theory, microbial interactions and networks), syntrophic relationships and electron transfer mechanisms in anaerobic bioreactors, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wastewater treatment processes and receiving environments, using omics and bioinformatics tools.
Areas of specialism
University roles and responsibilities
- CEE UG Admission
- Athena Swan SAT
- Women's Engineering Society academic support for student group
My qualifications
Affiliations and memberships
Research
Research interests
Research projects include: microbial ecology of activated sludge systems, antimicrobial resistance genes in water and environment, dynamics of microbial communities in sewer environment, low-temperature anaerobic digestion of municipal wastewater, biomethane production from decentralized blackwater and food waste, greywater reuse and treatment by membrane biofilm.
- Biological wastewater treatment and resource recovery
- Anaerobic digestion, syntrophic relationships; Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET)
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and gene transfer mechanisms (ARGs)
- Wastewater based epidemiology and public health
- Meta-omics, bioinformatics, mathematical modelling
- Microbial ecology (immigration theory, microbial interactions and networks)
Research projects
- 2021-2022, Royal Society Research Grant "Untangle inter-links between quorum sensing, c-di-GMP and EPS production for mixed-culture biofilm growth" (£19,925)
- 2021-2024, NERC SCENARIO Studentship - international "Understanding risks and optimising anaerobic digestion to minimise pathogen and antimicrobial resistance genes entering the environment"
- 2021-2022, Host of Institute of Advanced Studies fellow: Dr Yuesong Yang (£2k)
- 2021, Capital fund, DNA analysis, gene sequencing platform for environmental microbiology (£25k)
- 2020, Capital fund, Lab-scale automatic control anaerobic digester for resource recovery (£25k)
- Collaboration: 2021-2024, USA NSF 20-595 Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Program “Stakeholder-Driven International Development in STEM Graduate Education for Systems Thinking at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus” Penn State U.
Prospective students and post-docs
Our group welcomes prospective PhD students to apply. Please send your CV, research statement, and if holding/applying your own scholarship.
Post-doc researchers are welcome to apply for competitive fellowships.
Academic Activities
- Editorial Board Member, iMeta journal.
- Editor, Special Issue "Microbial Community in Wastewater Treatment Systems" on Water journal.
- Co-editor, Call for papers Journal of Environmental Engineering: Special Collection on “Recent Advances in Bioreactor Microbiome Research”
- New Engineers to Watch & Early Career Editorial Board, Water Environment Research
- Early Career Editorial Board, Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
- Review Editor, Frontiers in Water
- Review Editor, Frontiers in Public Health.
Conference organising activities
- Scientific Committee member
IWA 17th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, June 17-22, 2022 – register
Abstract and workshop submission deadline: March 1st, 2022
2022 Lettinga Award submission deadline: May 1st, 2022
- EBNet ECR conference scientific comittee, session chair. Online. June 2021
- Conference Coordinator and Session Chair, 11th Western Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 10 May 2019. Edmonton, Canada
- Workshop on Illumina high-throughput sequencing data analysis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, 2019
- Co-chair, International Water Association (IWA) ecoSTP18 Conference Workshop on Advances in system microbiology to inform modelling and operation of nutrient recovery and removal processes. June 2018. London, Ontario, Canada
- Workshop on Bioinformatics for high-throughput sequencing of environmental samples, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 2018
- University representative, New England Graduate Student Water Symposium, 2017-2018
- Session Chair, New England Graduate Student Water Symposium. September 2017. Amherst, MA, USA.
Research graphic abstracts







Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
My teaching
ENG3204 ADVANCED WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT
ENGM055 APPLIED CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY (module leader)
ENGM036 WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SEWERAGE (module leader)
PERSONAL TUTOR
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING TUTOR
My publications
Highlights
Also available at Google Scholar page or ResearchGate page.
2022
50. Dang, H., N. Yu, A. Mou, L. Zhang, B. Guo and Y. Liu (2022). "Metagenomic insights into direct interspecies electron transfer and quorum sensing in blackwater anaerobic digestion reactors supplemented with granular activated carbon." Bioresour Technol 352: 127113 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127113
49. Zhou, Y., M. N. Anwar, B. Guo, W. Huang and Y. Liu (2022). "Response of antibiotic resistance genes and microbial niches to dissolved oxygen in an oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor during greywater treatment." Science of The Total Environment 833: 155062 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155062
48. Wang, T., B. Kuang, Z. Ni, B. Guo, Y. Li and G. Zhu (2022). "Stimulating Anaerobic Degradation of Butyrate via Syntrophomonas wolfei and Geobacter sulfurreducens: Characteristics and Mechanism." Microbial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-022-01981-2
47. Wang, T., Z. Ni, B. Kuang, L. Zhou, X. Chen, Z. Lin, B. Guo, G. Zhu and J. Jia (2022). "Two-stage hybrid microalgal electroactive wetland-coupled anaerobic digestion for swine wastewater treatment in South China: Full-scale verification." Sci Total Environ 820: 153312 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153312
46. Zhang, Y., L. Zhang, N. Yu, B. Guo and Y. Liu (2022). "Enhancing the resistance to H2S toxicity during anaerobic digestion of low-strength wastewater through granular activated carbon (GAC) addition." Journal of Hazardous Materials 430: 128473 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128473
45. Guo, B., L. Zhang, H. Sun, M. Gao, N. Yu, Q. Zhang, A. Mou and Y. Liu (2022). "Microbial co-occurrence network topological properties link with reactor parameters and reveal importance of low-abundance genera." npj Biofilms and Microbiomes 8(1): 3 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-021-00263-y
44. Chen, W., W. Li, T. Wang, Y. Wen, W. Shi, W. Zhang, B. Guo and Y. Yang (2022). "Isolation of functional bacterial strains from chromium-contaminated site and bioremediation potentials." Journal of Environmental Management 307: 114557 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114557
43 .Navab-Daneshmand, T., B. Guo, R. Gehr and D. Frigon (2022). "Impact of pH and removed filtrate on E. coli regrowth and microbial community during storage of electro-dewatered biosolids." Science of The Total Environment: 152544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152544
42. Amori, P. N., J. C. Mierzwa, S. Bartelt-Hunt, B. Guo and D. P. Saroj (2022). "Germination and growth of horticultural crops irrigated with reclaimed water after biological treatment and ozonation." Journal of Cleaner Production: 130173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.130173
41. Yingdi Zhang, Bing Guo, Hongyu Dang, Lei Zhang, Huijuan Sun, Najiaowa Yu, Yao Tang, Yang Liu (2022). "Roles of granular activated carbon (GAC) and operational factors on active microbiome development in anaerobic reactors", Bioresource Technology, 126104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126104
40. Yun Zhou, Ran Li, Bing Guo, Siqing Xia, Yang Liu, Bruce E Rittmann (2022). "The Influent COD/N Ratio Controlled the Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Biodegradation and Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation in an Oxygen-based Membrane Biofilm Reactor" Journal of Hazardous Materials, 126862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126862
2021 (#27-39)
39. Huijuan Sun, Lei Zhang, Yingdi Zhang, Bing Guo, Yang Liu (2021). "A new non-steady-state mass balance model for quantifying microbiome responses to disturbances in wastewater bioreactors." Journal of Environmental Management, 296, 113370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113370.
38. Qianyi Zhang, Ran Li, Bing Guo, Lei Zhang, Yang Liu (2021). "Thermophilic co-digestion of blackwater and organic kitchen waste: Impacts of granular activated carbon and different mixing ratios." Waste Management, 131: 453-461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.06.024.
37. Cerruti, M., B. Guo, R. Delatolla, N. de Jonge, A. Hommes - de Vos van Steenwijk, P. Kadota, C. E. Lawson, T. Mao, M. J. Oosterkamp, F. Sabba, M. Stokholm-Bjerregaard, I. Watson, D. Frigon and D. G. Weissbrodt (2021). "Plant-Wide Systems Microbiology for the Wastewater Industry." Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EW00231G.
36. Zhou, Y., R. Li, B. Guo, N. Yu and Y. Liu (2021). "Cometabolism accelerated simultaneous ammoxidation and organics mineralization in an oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor treating greywater under low dissolved oxygen conditions" Science of The Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147898.
35. B. Guo, Z. Sheng, and Y. Liu (2021). "Evaluation of influent microbial immigration to activated sludge is affected by different-sized community segregation." npj Clean Water 4, 20 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-021-00112-7
34. B. Guo, N. Yu, D. G. Weissbrodt and Y. Liu (2021). "Effects of micro-aeration on microbial niches and antimicrobial resistances in blackwater anaerobic digesters." Water Research 196: 117035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117035.
33. Yu, N., B. Guo and Y. Liu (2021). "Shaping differentiated biofilm microbiomes by changing GAC location in wastewater anaerobic digestion." Science of The Total Environment: 146488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146488.
32. Gao, M., B. Guo, L. Li and Y. Liu (2021). "Role of syntrophic acetate oxidation and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in co-digestion of blackwater with food waste." Journal of Cleaner Production 283: 125393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125393.
31. Zhang, L., A. Mou, B. Guo, H. Sun, M. N. Anwar and Y. Liu (2021). "Simultaneous Phosphorus Recovery in Energy Generation Reactor (SPRING): High Rate Thermophilic Blackwater Treatment." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 164: 105163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105163.
30. Zhang, Y., B. Guo, L. Zhang, H. Zhang and Y. Liu (2021). "Microbial community dynamics in granular activated carbon enhanced up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) treating municipal sewage under sulfate reducing and psychrophilic conditions." Chemical Engineering Journal 405: 126957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.126957.
29. Guo, B., Y. Zhang, N. Yu and Y. Liu (2021). "Impacts of conductive materials on microbial community during syntrophic propionate oxidization for biomethane recovery." Water Environ Res 93(1): 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1357.
28. Zhou, Y., B. Guo, J. Mao and S. Xia (2021). "Key role of soluble microbial products in waste activated sludge reduction by synergetic combination of cocoamidopropyl betaine and alkalinity in the short-time aerobic digestion system." J Hazard Mater 408: 124930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124930.
27. Zhou, Y., R. Li, B. Guo, N. Yu, S. Xia and Y. Liu (2021). "Lumen air pressure (LAP) affecting greywater treatment in an oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor (O2-MBfR)." Chemosphere 270: 129541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129541.
Conferences
- Bing Guo, Lei Zhang, Huijuan Sun, Mengjiao Gao, Najiaowa Yu, Qianyi Zhang, Anqi Mou and Yang Liu. Modeling Microbial Community Networks and Linking Topological Characteristics with Bioreactor Operation and Performance. IWA MEWE 2021. 18-20 Oct 2021. Delft, NL.
- Guo, B., Yu, N., Weissbrodt, D. and Liu, Y. Micro-aeration Affects Blackwater Anaerobic Digestion, Microbial Community and Antimicrobial Resistant Gene. 5th IWA Specialized International Conference Ecotechnologies for Wastewater Treatment (ecoSTP). 21-25 June 2021, Milan, Italy.
- Guo, B., Zhang, Y. and Liu, Y. Ecological and Metagenomic Insights in Granular Activated Carbon Facilitated Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage. The 4th International Conference on Biogas Microbiology.19-20 May 2021, Braga, Portugal. (postponed from 2020)
- Weissbrodt, D., Calderón-Franco, D., Guo, B. and Pallares-Vega, R. Biotechnology and Safety to Manage Antimicrobial Resistance from Urban to Space Water Cycles. Current and Future Ways to Closed Lift Support System, MELISSA conference. 3-5 November 2020.
- Gao, M.; Guo, B.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Yu, N.; Liu, Y. From energy consumption to energy production: blackwater anaerobic treatment in modern sanitation. 16th IWA Specialised Conference on Small Water and Wastewater Systems. Perth, Western Australia. 1-5 December 2019.
- Nouha Klai, Bing Guo, Claire Gibson, Dominic Frigon. (2019) Do PAO-related species in the influent perform EBPR in the WWTPs? Field characterization of PAOs in EBPR vs. Conventional System. Poster, The 8th IWA Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering Specialist Conference (MEWE). 17-20 November 2019, Hiroshima, Japan.
- Claire Gibson, Shameem Jauffur, Bing Guo, Nouha Klai and Dominic Frigon. (2019) How is the activated sludge community assembled? Investigating the impact of influent immigration. Poster, The 8th IWA Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering Specialist Conference (MEWE). 17-20 November 2019, Hiroshima, Japan.
- Bing Guo, Mengjiao Gao, Lei Zhang, Yingdi Zhang, Huixin Zhang and Yang Liu. (2019) Enrichment of microbial consortia for anaerobic digestion of source-diverted blackwater collected from conventional and vacuum toilets. Oral presentation, National Water and Wastewater Conference. 3-6 November 2019, Banff, Canada.
- Gao, M.; Zhang, L.; Guo, B.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, Y. Anaerobic treatment of source-diverted blackwater: Energy recovery from human excreta. National water and wastewater conference. Banff, Alberta, Canada. Nov 3-6, 2019.
- Zhang, Y.; Guo, B.; Zhang, L.; Liu, Y. Decentralized Domestic Wastewater Treatment for Energy Recovery. National water and wastewater conference. Banff, Alberta, Canada. Nov 3-6, 2019.
- Zhang, L.; Zhang, Q.; Guo, B.; Zhou, Y.; Zhang H.; Liu Y. Anaerobic codigestion of blackwater and kitchen organic waste: alternative energy surplus onsite treatment. National water and wastewater conference. Banff, Alberta, Canada. Nov 3-6, 2019.
- Lei Zhang, Bing Guo, Qianyi Zhang, Anna P. Florentino, Huixin Zhang andYang Liu. (2019) Anaerobic Codigestion of Household Blackwater with Kitchen Organic Waste. Poster, The 16th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion (AD16). 23-27 June 2019, Delft, the Netherlands.
- Zhang, Y.; Zhang, L.; Guo, B.; Gao, M.; Liu Y. (2019). Enhancing biogas recovery from municipal sewage using granular activated carbon amended UASB digestion. Oral presentation, The 16th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion (AD16). 23-27 June 2019, Delft, the Netherlands.
- Zhang, Y.; Zhang. L.; Guo, B.; Gao, M.; Tang, Y.; Mohammed, A.; Liu, Y. (2019). Anaerobic digestion and methane production in municipal sewage at low temperatures using a granular activated carbon-amended UASB. Oral presentation, 11th Western Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 10 May 2019, Edmonton, Canada.
- Zhou, Y.; Guo, B.; Zhang, L.; Yang, S.; Zou, X.; Zhang, H.; Liu, Y. (2019). Simultaneous denitrification and anammox processes for the treatment of anaerobic digested blackwater. Oral presentation, 11th Western Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 10 May 2019, Edmonton, Canada.
- Zhang, Q.; Zhang, L.; Guo, B.; Liu, Y. (2019). Blackwater and Kitchen Organic Waste Codigestion in Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Reactors. Oral presentation, 11th Western Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 10 May 2019, Edmonton, Canada.
- Bing Guo, Yingdi Zhang, Lei Zhang, Yang Liu. Increased spatial resolution and RNA-based analysis revealed microbial enrichment by granular activated carbon in anaerobic digesters. (2019) Oral presentation, 11th Western Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 10 May 2019, Edmonton, Canada.
- Bing Guo, Claire Gibson, Chenxiao Liu. and Dominic Frigon. (2018) Microbial community structure of wastewater varies diurnally like physicochemical characteristics and suggest origins of microorganisms. Oral presentation, International Water Association ecoSTP18 Conference. 25-27 June 2018, London, Ontario, Canada.
- Bing Guo, Nouha Klai and Dominic Frigon. (2017) Microbial Community Diversity in Influent and Activated Sludge in Wastewater Treatment: Analysis Using 16S Illumina Sequencing and Qiime2. Oral presentation, New England Graduate Student Water Symposium. 8-10 September 2017, Amherst, MA, USA.
- Bing Guo, Sarah Outayek, and Dominic Frigon. (2017) Wastewater Quality Time Series Analysis Using Univariate and Multivariate Models and Wastewater Influences on Microbial Activity. Oral presentation, 31st Eastern Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. 19 May 2017, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
- Yu Yang, Bing Guo, Shameem Jauffur, and Dominic Frigon (2016) Dynamics of class 1 integron gene cassette arrays in wastewater treatment systems. Poster, New England Graduate Student Water Symposium, Session Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst. 9-11 September 2016, Amherst, MA.
- Bing Guo. and Dominic Frigon. (2015) Classification and Phylogenetic Identification of Heterotrophic Specialists in Activated Sludge. Oral presentation, New England Graduate Student Water Symposium. 13 September 2015, Amherst, MA, USA.
- Bing Guo. and Dominic Frigon. (2014) Identification of microbial functional groups in wastewater treatment systems by cell sorting and pyrosequencing. Best student oral presentation. International Symposium on Environment and Health. 4-5 July 2014, Beijing, China.