• One of the main areas of work for our group is the processing, beneficial use, and disposal of sewage sludge. In our group's work throughout Turkey, two significant projects on the management of domestic, urban, and industrial sludge were completed.,

• Our present research focuses on investigating the energy potential of sewage sludge, enhancing this potential, and using it sustainably. We examined the drying of sewage sludge, burning it separately or in a group in businesses like cement plants, and exploiting its thermal value in this way. The academicians in our department worked under the guidance of our team to test burning treatment sludge in place of coal for the first time in a thermal power plant in our country.

• Anaerobic digestion is a method for producing biogas from treatment sludge. Examining the characteristics that positively or adversely affect the amount of biogas, removing the negative aspects, and highlighting the positive ones are crucial for the productive use of the treatment sludge. Our group has conducted numerous experiments to examine the effects of trace pollutants (micropollutants), such as nonylphenols and PCB group compounds, on the anaerobic digestion process and their destiny in this process. Additionally, it has been shown in prior TÜBİTAK research that using methods for physical, chemical, and thermal disintegration will significantly increase the amount of biogas produced from treated sludge.

• In our recurring TÜBİTAK 1001 project, we investigate how microplastics, a common micropollutant, affect the anaerobic digestion process as well as how various disintegration techniques affect the decay process and the degradation of microplastics. This project examines the microplastics polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polycarbonate (PC), which have received little research attention yet have been found in significant quantities in sewage sludge. The Middle East Technical University is also funding a project that investigates how polyamide (PA) affects the processes of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion. Advanced analytical tools are being used to keep track of PA's progress in the refutation process concurrently.

• We also do research in the areas of wastewater treatment and the presence and fate of micropollutants in wastewater. In this context, one of our TÜBİTAK projects examines the presence of microplastics in industrial wastewater, a topic that has not received much attention in the literature. We do this in both mixed wastewaters that fall under the purview of two different OIZs and in discrete wastewaters that are specific to four distinct industries.