Contact Dr Gabriela Dotro
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754552
- Email: g.c.dotro@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Water Science and Engineering
Background
Dr Gabriela Dotro joined Cranfield University in October 2009 as a postdoctoral researcher and was promoted to Senior Research Fellow in April 2012. She holds an Ecological Engineering degree from Universidad de Flores (Argentina), a Masters degree in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary (Canada), and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Memphis (USA).
Dr Dotro started her work on nature-based solutions (NbS) for wastewater treatment during her Masters studies in Canada in 2001. She was awarded a Detomasi Award in recognition of the quality of her proposal for her Masters studies, and received a merit-based Herff Fellowship for her PhD studies, among several other fellowships and scholarships during her formal training.
After completing her PhD, Dr Dotro was awarded a Herff Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue her work on implementing constructed wetlands for tannery wastewater treatment in Argentina. She also served briefly as a lecturer on biological wastewater treatment processes at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina before relocating to the UK in September 2009.
Research opportunities
nature-based solutions for water management
microbial cycling of pollutants in engineered and natural ecosystems
greenhouse gas emissions of biological treatment processes
Current activities
Dr Gabriela Dotro's main area of expertise are nature based solutions for wastewater treatment and understanding biogeochemical transformation of phosphorus, iron and nitrate in natural and engineered systems. She is currently working on the development and improvement of nature based solutions to deliver multiple benefits including greenhouse gas accounting and carbon sequestration with treatment wetlands, intensification of wetland technology for small wastewater treatment plant discharges, phosphorus cycling in surface flow wetlands as well as developing a novel biological reactor for metal recovery.
Dr Dotro co-created the Wastewater Network, a network of water companies and universities that meets regularly to address some of the key challenges and research gaps in wastewater treatment in the UK. Together with a team of internationally-renowned academics and practitioners, she developed a fully-online short course on nature-based solutions that runs annually. She delivers targeted in-company training on topics like treatment wetlands and low energy wastewater treatment, as well as a masterclass on treatment wetland applications.
Dr Dotro is the elected Chair of the Constructed Wetland Association (UK) and serves as a member of the Management Committee for the IWA Specialist Group on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control and the IWA Working Group on NbS for Water and Sanitation. Whilst chairing the IWA Task Group on Mainstreaming the Use of Treatment Wetlands, she co-authored an Open Access textbook on Treatment Wetlands, edited and co-authored specific chapters within the IWA Scientific and Technical Report on Wetland Technology. She is also a member of the EBNet working group on nitrous oxide emissions from environmental biotechnologies and the IWA Climate Smart Utilities CoP Working Group on Greenhouse Gas monitoring. She also leads a work programme on biological recovery of metals from wastewater sludge as part of the Engineering Biotechnology BBSRC Hub.
Clients
- Severn Trent PLC
- United Utilities Group PLC
- Scottish Water
- Anglian Water
- Southern Water
- Wessex Water
- Thames Water
- Welsh Water
- Northumbrian Water
- Yorkshire Water
- Uisce Éireann (Irish Water)
- Environment Agency
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Mott MacDonald Group
- Abydoz Environmental Inc
- APEM
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Savvidou P, Dotro G, Campo P, Coulon F & Lyu T. (2024). Constructed wetlands as nature-based solutions in managing per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Evidence, mechanisms, and modelling. Science of The Total Environment, 934
- Al-Mashaqbeh O, Alsalhi L, Salaymeh L, Dotro G & Lyu T. (2024). Treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewater for water reuse in Jordan using hybrid constructed wetlands. Science of The Total Environment, 939
- Hassard F, Curtis TP, Dotro GC, Golyshin P, Gutierrez T, .... (2024). Scaling-up Engineering Biology for Enhanced Environmental Solutions. ACS Synthetic Biology, 13(6)
- Lyu T, Headley T, Kadlec RH, Jefferson B & Dotro G. (2024). Phosphorus removal in surface flow treatment wetlands for domestic wastewater treatment: Global experiences, opportunities, and challenges. Journal of Environmental Management, 369
- Brown GC, MacAdam J, Dotro G & Jefferson B. (2023). A wholelife cost and carbon perspective of alternatives to septic tanks utilising nature-based solutions. H2Open Journal, 6(3)
- Wybrow J, Lyu T, Dotro G & Jefferson B. (2022). Constructed wetlands, micropollutants and climate change. Royal Society of Chemistry ECG Bulletin
- Dale G, Dotro G, Srivastava P, Austin D, Hutchinson S, .... (2021). Education in Ecological Engineering—a Need Whose Time Has Come. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1(1)
- Barak J, Dotro G & Jefferson B. (2019). The role of concentrations gradients on phosphorus and iron dynamics from chemically-dosed horizontal flow wetlands for tertiary sewage treatment. Water Science and Technology, 79(11)
- Khomenko O, Dotro G, Jefferson B, Coulon F & Bajón Fernández Y. (2019). Influence of sludge layer properties on the hydraulic behaviour of gravel-based vertical flow constructed wetlands for primary treatment of sewage. Science of The Total Environment, 691
- Hargreaves AJ, Constantino C, Dotro G, Cartmell E & Campo P. (2018). Fate and removal of metals in municipal wastewater treatment: a review. Environmental Technology Reviews, 7(1)
- Hargreaves AJ, Vale P, Whelan J, Alibardi L, Constantino C, .... (2018). Correction to: Coagulation–flocculation process with metal salts, synthetic polymers and biopolymers for the removal of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) from municipal wastewater. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 20(5)
- Hargreaves AJ, Vale P, Whelan J, Alibardi L, Constantino C, .... (2018). Coagulation–flocculation process with metal salts, synthetic polymers and biopolymers for the removal of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) from municipal wastewater. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 20(2)
- Hargreaves AJ, Vale P, Whelan J, Alibardi L, Constantino C, .... (2018). Impacts of coagulation-flocculation treatment on the size distribution and bioavailability of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) in municipal wastewater. Water Research, 128
- Dotro G, Mander Ü & Rousseau D. (2017). WETPOL 2015: Closing the gap between natural and constructed wetlands research. Ecological Engineering, 98
- Hargreaves AJ, Vale P, Whelan J, Constantino C, Dotro G, .... (2017). Distribution of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) between particulate, colloidal and truly dissolved fractions in wastewater treatment. Chemosphere, 175
- Besançon A, Le Corre KS, Dotro G & Jefferson B. (2017). Assessment of activated sludge, membrane bioreactors and vertical flow wetlands for upgrading sewage treatment works. Environmental Technology, 38(2)
- Butterworth E, Richards A, Jones M, Dotro G & Jefferson B. (2016). Assessing the potential for tertiary nitrification in sub-surface flow constructed wetlands. Environmental Technology Reviews, 5(1)
- Butterworth E, Richards A, Jones M, Mansi G, Ranieri E, .... (2016). Performance of Four Full-Scale Artificially Aerated Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetlands for Domestic Wastewater Treatment. Water, 8(9)
- Butterworth E, Richards A, Jones M, Brix H, Dotro G, .... (2016). Impact of aeration on macrophyte establishment in sub-surface constructed wetlands used for tertiary treatment of sewage. Ecological Engineering, 91
- Hargreaves AJ, Vale P, Whelan J, Constantino C, Dotro G, .... (2016). Mercury and antimony in wastewater: fate and treatment. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 227(3)
- Stafford B, Dotro G, Vale P, Jefferson B & Jarvis P. (2014). Removal of phosphorus from trickling filter effluent by electrocoagulation. Environmental Technology, 35(24)
- Black G, Jones M, Vale P, Johnson N, Nocker A, .... (2014). Biofilm Responses to Toxic Shocks in Closed Pipes: Using Nitrous Oxide Emissions as an Early Warning of Toxicity Ahead of a Wastewater Treatment Works. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 225(2)
- Aboobakar A, Jones M, Vale P, Cartmell E & Dotro G. (2014). Methane Emissions from Aerated Zones in a Full-Scale Nitrifying Activated Sludge Treatment Plant. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 225(1)
- Mander Ü, Dotro G, Ebie Y, Towprayoon S, Chiemchaisri C, .... (2014). Greenhouse gas emission in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: A review. Ecological Engineering, 66
- Aboobakar A, Cartmell E, Stephenson T, Jones M, Vale P, .... (2013). Nitrous oxide emissions and dissolved oxygen profiling in a full-scale nitrifying activated sludge treatment plant. Water Research, 47(2)
- Butterworth E, Dotro G, Jones M, Richards A, Onunkwo P, .... (2013). Effect of artificial aeration on tertiary nitrification in a full-scale subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetland. Ecological Engineering, 54
- Dotro G, Castro S, Tujchneider O, Piovano N, Paris M, .... (2012). Performance of pilot-scale constructed wetlands for secondary treatment of chromium-bearing tannery wastewaters. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 239-240
- Nivala J, Knowles P, Dotro G, García J & Wallace S. (2012). Clogging in subsurface-flow treatment wetlands: Measurement, modeling and management. Water Research, 46(6)
- Dotro G, Jefferson B, Jones M, Vale P, Cartmell E, .... (2012). ChemInform Abstract: Impact and Potential of Intermittent Aeration on Continuous Flow Nitrifying Activated Sludge. ChemInform, 43(25)
- Dotro G, Jefferson B, Jones M, Vale P, Cartmell E, .... (2011). A review of the impact and potential of intermittent aeration on continuous flow nitrifying activated sludge. Environmental Technology, 32(15)
- Dotro G, Larsen D & Palazolo P. (2011). Treatment of chromium‐bearing wastewaters with constructed wetlands. Water and Environment Journal, 25(2)
- Knowles P, Dotro G, Nivala J & García J. (2011). Clogging in subsurface-flow treatment wetlands: Occurrence and contributing factors. Ecological Engineering, 37(2)
- Dotro G, Larsen D & Palazolo P. (2011). Preliminary Evaluation of Biological and Physical–Chemical Chromium Removal Mechanisms in Gravel Media Used in Constructed Wetlands. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 215(1-4)
- Dotro G, Palazolo P & Larsen D. (2009). Chromium Fate in Constructed Wetlands Treating Tannery Wastewaters. Water Environment Research, 81(6)
- Dotro G, Palazolo P & Larsen D. (2008). Chromium Fate in Constructed Wetlands Treating Tannery Wastewaters. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2008(11)
Conference Papers
- Almashaqbeh O, Lyu T, Alsalhi L, Dotro G & Salaimeh L. (2023). Testing a pilot-scale of constructed wetlands for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment using Jordanian zeolitic tuff
- Hargreaves A, Vale P, Whelan J, Constantino C, Dotro G, .... (2017). Removal of Trace Metals from Municipal Wastewater by Coagulation-Flocculation
Books
- Langergraber G, Dotro G, Nivala J, Stein OR & Rizzo A (eds). (2019). Wetland Technology: Practical information on the design and application of treatment wetlands
- Dotro G, Langergraber G, Molle P, Nivala J, Puigagut J, .... (2017). Treatment Wetlands: Biological Wastewater Treatment Volume 7 (Volume 7)
- Dotro G, Fort RP, Barak J, Jones M, Vale P, .... (2015). Long-Term Performance of Constructed Wetlands with Chemical Dosing for Phosphorus Removal In Jan Vymazal (ed.), The Role of Natural and Constructed Wetlands in Nutrient Cycling and Retention on the Landscape. Springer International Publishing.
