Dr Frederic Coulon
Lecturer in Bioremediation & Resources Management
Location: Building 40, Cranfield campus
E: f.coulon@cranfield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1234 754981
Sustainable Systems
Current activities
Dr Frederic Coulon is Lecturer in Bioremediation and Resources Management at the Centre for Resources Management and Efficiency at Cranfield University and Course Director of the Waste and Resource Management postgraduate programme. Fred is research active in treatment and remediation processes for pollution control across contaminated land and wastewater sectors. He has a Master degree in Fundamental and Applied Microbiology from University of Western Brittany (France) and a PhD in Biology and Environmental Chemistry from University of Perpignan (France).
Fred has 9 years’ expertise in environmental chemistry, oil microbial ecology and chemical ecological fate modelling. He is leading the organic analyses in the Sustainable Systems Department. He has published 30 research papers, books and conference proceedings with substantive contributions to oil remediation and environmental risk management.
Two recent and successfully completed projects are the BBSRC/BERR-funded industrial consortium (BIOREM_35 and BB/B512432/1) on optimising biopile processes for weathered hydrocarbons within a risk management framework, and a co-funded Environment Agency, United Utilities research project on micropollutant fate in wastewater (AMP4 DS). The BBSRC research has developed a combined biological, chemical and ecotoxicological risk assessment and technology verification strategy for biopiling to help building confidence among stakeholders. The water utility project has improved knowledge of micropollutant fate in sewage treatment systems, contributing to recommendations on revised operating strategies to maximize metals removal. Further to this, Fred led a research project funded by National Grid UK on the field measurement of vapour emissions during gasholder decommissioning. This work informed estimates of worker exposure to volatile and semivolatile hydrocarbons when remediating derelict storage tanks. It was the first attempt to use a fugacity modelling approach for such environments and has enabled researchers to predict the concentrations of risk-critical compounds such as benzene, naphthalene and other monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into vapour phase. This work indicated the need for modifications of the exposure assessment models used to generate soil-screening guideline values.
Clients
- ACO Building Drainage (UK)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), UK
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), UK
- Agency of England and Wales (EA)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Ford
- Integrated Polluted Management Network (IPM-Net)
- London Technology Network (LTN)
- National Grid plc
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Shell Global Solutions
- United Utilities
Background
Dr Coulon contributes the analytical and microbiological expertise on micropollutants in the Sustainable Systems Department. His principal scientific contribution is providing a microbiological understanding of treatment and remediation processes for pollution control. He also holds a Visiting fellowship at the University of Essex (UK) and a Business fellowship from the London Technology Network
His professional interests are at the interface between environmental microbiology and chemistry. His expertise covers removal strategies of organic contaminants in various environments, and management of wastes as resources. With respect to technology transfer, he has secured funds from the London Technology Network to assist technology-intensive companies in their knowledge acquisition and exploitation from Universities.
Dr Coulon has international research collaborations with the Universities of Pau and Paris VI (France), the French Polar Institute, (IPEV, France), the Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski (ISMER, Canada) and the University of Essex (UK). He is currently appointed as foreign expert in contaminated land by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Selected publications
- Aburto, A. & Fahy, A. & Coulon, F. & Lethbridge, G. & Timmis, K.N. & Ball, A.S. & Mcgenity, T.J. (2009) "Mixed aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities in benzene-contaminated groundwaters" , Journal Of Applied Microbiology, vol. 16, page 317-328
- Coulon, F. & Orsi, R. & Turner, C. & Walton, C. & Daly, P. & Pollard, S. (2009) "Understanding the fate and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons from coal tar within gasholders" , Environment International, vol. 39, page 248-252
- Risdon, G.C. & Pollard, S. & Brassington, K. & Mcewan, J.N. & Paton, G.I. & Semple, K.T. & Coulon, F. (2008) "Development of an analytical procedure for weathered hydrocarbon contaminated soils within a UK risk-based framework" , Analytical Chemistry, vol. 80, page 7090-7096
- Paisse, S. & Coulon, F. & Goni-Urriza, M. & Peperzak, L. & Mcgenity, T.J. & Duran, R. (2008) "Structure of sediment-associated bacterial communities along a hydrocarbon contamination gradient in coastal environment" , Fems Microbiology Ecology, page 1-11
- Pollard S.J.T., Hough R.L., Kim K-H, Bellarby J., Paton G., Semple K., Coulon F. 2008. Fugacity modelling to predict the distribution of organic contaminants in the soil:oil matrix of constructed biopiles. Chemosphere. 71: 1432-1439.
- McKew B.A., Coulon F., Yakimov M.M., Denaro R., Smith C.J., Osborn A.M., Timmis K.N., McGenity T.J. 2007. Efficacy of intervention strategies for bioremediation of crude oil in marine systems and effects on indigenous hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria.Environmental microbiology.9: 1562-1571.
- Coulon F., McKew B.A., McGenity T.J., Osborn A.M., Timmis K.N. 2007. Effects of temperature and biostimulation on oil-degrading microbial communities in temperate estuarine waters. Environmental microbiology. 9: 177-186
