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Areas of Research

• Physical chemical treatment processes
• Disinfection byproducts
• Natural organic matter
• Stormwater treatment
• Biological filtration

Awards and Honors

• College of Engineering Grantswinship Award, �ձ�av��Ƶ, 2025
• College of Engineering Grantswinship Award, �ձ�av��Ƶ, 2024
• College of Engineering Grantswinship Award, �ձ�av��Ƶ, 2023
• Adviser to Student Outstanding Oral Presentation Award (Ankur Debnath), South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, South Dakota, 2022
• Adviser to Student Outstanding Oral Presentation Award (honorable mention, Peng Dai), South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, South Dakota, 2022
• Student Poster Award, adviser to second place (Zengyue Wang), South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, South Dakota, 2021
• Student Oral Presentation Award, adviser to second place (Brenden Olevson), South Dakota Student Water Conference, Brookings, South Dakota, 2021
• College of Engineering Grantswinship Award, �ձ�av��Ƶ, 2021
• Excellent Paper Award (with Morgan Salo and Abdoul Kouanda), International Conference on Chemical, Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Seoul, South Korea, 2019
• Student Poster Award, adviser to first place (Abdoul Kouanda), Eastern South Dakota Water Conference, 2018
• Student Poster Award, adviser to first place (Peng Dai), Eastern South Dakota Water Conference, 2017
• Student Poster Award, adviser to second place (Ibrahim Abusallout), Eastern South Dakota Water Conference, 2017
• College of Engineering Grantswinship Award, �ձ�av��Ƶ, 2016
• Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award, adviser to second place in M.S. category (Bjorn Sellner), American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 2016
• Outstanding Graduate Student Oral Presentation Award, adviser to M.S. student (Bjorn Sellner), Student Water Conference, Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Outstanding Graduate Student Poster Award, adviser to M.S. student (Bjorn Sellner), Student Water Conference, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2015
• Student Poster Award, adviser to first place (Morgan Salo), Eastern South Dakota Water Conference, 2014
• Student Poster Award, advisor to second place (Bjorn Sellner), Eastern South Dakota Water Conference, 2014
• Water Science and Research Division Best Paper Award, American Water Works Association, 2009
• Water Quality and Technology Division Best Poster Award, first place, AWWA, 2008
• Best Student Paper Award, AWWA Water Quality and Technology Conference, 2006

Grants

1. “Collaborative Research: Transformation of Phenols to Aliphatic Disinfection Byproducts: Identifying Critical Factors and Strategies that Minimize Intermediate Halophenols.” National Science Foundation. Hua, G. (principal investigator), January 2025-December 2027, $229,589.
2. “Collaborative Research: Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Control of Iodinated Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water.” NSF. Hua, G. (principal investigator), September 2023-August 2026, $209,472.
3. “Pilot Scale Evaluation of Escherichia Coli Removal from Stormwater Runoff Using Steel Byproduct Filtration.” U.S. Department of Transportation-Mountain Plains Consortium, East Dakota Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., May 2022-July 2024, $240,000.
4. “Pilot Scale Evaluation of Escherichia Coli Removal from Stormwater Runoff Using Steel Byproduct Filtration.” City of Sioux Falls, Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., June 2022-August 2024, $75,000.
5. “Nanobubble Technology for Dairy Processing Effluent Management.” U.S. Geological Survey 104b and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Mohan. M. (principal investigator), Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), Wei, L., September 2022-August 2023, $22,112.
6. “Nutrient Removal and Recovery from Stormwater Using Water Treatment Residual Coated Woodchips.” USDOT-Mountain Plains Consortium, South Dakota Rural Water Center and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., May 2021-August 2023, $195,439.
7. “Improvement of Denitrification Bioreactor Performance Using Weathered Woodchips and Wet-Dry Cycle Control.” USGS 104b and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Min, K., Schmit, C., March 2019-February 2021, $98,198.
8. “Bacteria Removal from Stormwater Runoff Using Steel Byproduct Filters.” USDOT-Mountain Plains Consortium, East Dakota Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Min, K., Schmit, C., July 2019-August 2021, $156,454.
9. “Evaluation of Nitrate Removal Rates of Denitrification Bioreactors Using Agricultural Residue Media.” USGS 104b, East Dakota Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., March 2017-June 2019. $136,274,
10. “The Role of Volatile Organic Compounds in Chemical Reactions and Mechanisms in the Water and Soil.” U.S. Department of Defense/Army Research Office. Schmit, C. (principal investigator), Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), Burckhard, S., April 2017-April 2018, $203,952.
11. “Nutrients and Bacteria Removal in Subsurface Drainage Using Denitrification Bioreactors and Filters.” South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Ahiablame, L. (principal investigator), Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), McDaniel, R., Kringen, D., Trooien, T., July 2016-June 2018, $129,635.
12. “Development of Mixed Media Filtration for Stormwater Runoff Treatment.” USDOT-Mountain Plains Consortium, East Dakota Water Development District, James Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., August 2015-July 2018, $140,384.
13. “Reuse of Aqueous Waste Streams in Transportation Related Applications.” USDOT-Mountain Plains Consortium and South Dakota DOT. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Min, K., Schmit, C., July 2015-November 2016, $65,000.
14. “Controlling Harmful Algal Blooms in Eutrophic Lakes by Combined Phosphorus Precipitation and Sediment Capping.” USGS 104b, East Dakota Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Min, K. (principal investigator), Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), March 2015-February 2017, $129,985.
15. “Using Denitrification Bioreactors and Phosphate Adsorption Media to Remove Nutrients from Agricultural Subsurface Drainage.” South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Ahiablame, L. (principal investigator), Kjaersgaard, J., Hay, C., Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), Trooien, T., July 2014-June 2016, $115,548.
16. “Nutrient Removal from Agricultural Subsurface Drainage Using Denitrification Bioreactors and Phosphate Adsorbents.” USGS 104b, East Dakota Water Development District and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), Schmit, C., Kjaersgaard, J., Hay, C., March 2014-February 2016, $140,653.
17. “Using Flocculation to Reduce Turbidity of Construction Site Runoff.” USDOT-Mountain Plains Consortium and �ձ�av��Ƶ. Hua, G. (principal investigator), October 2013-November 2015, $53,154.
18. “Performance Evaluation of Water and Wastewater Treatment.” Brookings Municipal Utilities, Brookings, South Dakota. Schmit, C. (principal investigator), Hua, G. (co-principal investigator), July 2013-June 2024, $2,711,850.
19. “Factors Affecting the Formation of Total Organic Halogen during Drinking Water Chlorination.” �ձ�av��Ƶ Scholarly Excellence Fund. Hua, G. (principal investigator), October 2012-August 2013, $6,000.

Publications

1. Ebrahimzadeh, S., Hua, G., Schmit, C., 2025. Copper removal from stormwater using powdered activated carbon water treatment residual coated steel slag. Journal of Environmental Management 394, 127699.
2. Ebrahimzadeh, S., Hua, G., Schmit, C., 2025. Phosphate removal and recovery from aqueous solutions using iron-coated steel slag. Desalination and Water Treatment 324, 101460.
3. Sikder, R., Hua, G., Ye, T., 2025. Toward generalizable machine learning models for dichloroacetonitrile formation: interpretable insights and a framework for model reliability. Water Research 124823.
4. Hossain, M.M., Sikder, R., Hua, G., Ye, T., 2025. From model development to mitigation: machine learning for predicting and minimizing iodinated trihalomethanes in water treatment. Environmental Science and Technology 59, 23, 11638–11652.
5. Haleem, N., Kumar, P., Zhang, C., Jamal, Y., Hua, G., Yao, B., Yang, X., 2024. Microplastics and associated chemicals in drinking water: A review of their occurrence and human health implications. Science of the Total Environment 912, 169594. 
6. Fan, Y., Zhuang, J., Essington, M., Zhang, X., Hua, G., Bhadha, J., Xia, S., Lu, X., Lee, J., 2023. Characterizing the role of hydraulic retention time on nitrate removal indices in denitrifying bioreactors by nonlinear models. Environmental Technology and Innovation 32, 103431. 
7. Abusallout, I., Hua, G., 2022. Solar photocatalytic degradation of total organic halogen in water using TiO2 catalyst. Chemosphere 308, 136206. 
8. Kouanda, A., Hua, G., 2021. Effects of different pairing configurations of woodchips and steel chips in dual media treatment systems on nutrient removal and organics and iron leaching. Journal of Environmental Management 300, 113722 
9. Kouanda, A., Hua, G., 2021. Determination of nitrate removal kinetics model parameters in woodchip bioreactors. Water Research 195, 116974. 
10. Sadeghi, S., Hua, G., Min, K., Johnson, T.J., Gibbons, W.B., 2020. Phosphorus and cyanobacteria precipitation and sediment capping in lake water using alum and natural minerals. Journal of Environmental Engineering 146 (1), 04019095. 
11. Sadeghi, S., Hua, G., Min, K., Johnson, T.J., Gibbons, W.B., 2019. Synergistic effects of polyaluminum chloride and Phoslock on phosphate and cyanobacteria removal in eutrophic lake water. AWWA Water Science 1 (5), e1157. 
12. Sellner, B.M., Hua, G., Ahiablame, L.M., 2019. Fixed bed column evaluation of phosphate adsorption and recovery from aqueous solutions using recycled steel byproducts. Journal of Environmental Management 233, 595-602. 
13. Sellner, B.M., Hua, G., Ahiablame, L.M., Trooien, T.P., Hay, C.H., Kjaersgaard, J., 2019. Evaluation of industrial byproducts and natural minerals for phosphate adsorption from subsurface drainage. Environmental Technology 40, 756-767.
14. Abusallout, I., Rahman, S., Hua, G., 2017. Effect of temperature and pH on dehalogenation of total organic chlorine, bromine and iodine in drinking water. Chemosphere 187, 11-18. 
15. Abusallout, I., Hua, G., 2017. Characterization of dissolved organic carbon leached from a woodchip bioreactor. Chemosphere 183, 36-43. 
16. Hua, G., Salo, M.W., Schmit, C.G., Hay, C.H., 2016. Nitrate and phosphate removal from agricultural subsurface drainage using laboratory woodchip bioreactors and recycled steel byproduct filters. Water Research 102, 180-189. 
17. Abusallout, I., Hua, G., 2016. Photolytic dehalogenation of disinfection byproducts in water by natural sunlight irradiation. Chemosphere 159, 184-192. 
18. Abusallout, I., Hua, G., 2016. Natural solar photolysis of total organic chlorine, bromine and iodine in water. Water Research 92, 69-77. 
19. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., Abusallout, I., 2015. Correlation between SUVA and DBP formation during chlorination and chloramination of NOM fractions from different sources. Chemosphere 130, 82-89. 
20. Hua, G., Kim, J., Reckhow, D.A., 2014. Disinfection byproduct formation from lignin precursors. Water Research 63, 285-295. 
21. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2013. Effect of preozonation on the formation and speciation of DBPs. Water Research 47, 4322-4330.
22. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2012. Evaluation of bromine substitution factors of DBPs during chlorination and chloramination. Water Research 46, 4208-4216. 
23. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2012. Effect of alkaline pH on the stability of halogenated DBPs. Journal American Water Works Association 104 (2), E107-E120. 
24. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2008. DBP formation during chlorination and chloramination: Effect of reaction time, pH, dosage, and temperature. Journal American Water Works Association 100 (8), 82-95. 
25. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2008. Hydrophobicity and molecular size distribution of unknown TOX in drinking water. Journal of Environmental Engineering 134, 152-160. 
26. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2007. Characterization of disinfection byproduct precursors based on hydrophobicity and molecular size. Environmental Science and Technology 41 (9), 3309-3315. 
27. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2007. Comparison of disinfection byproduct formation from chlorine and alternative disinfectants. Water Research 41, 1667-1678.
28. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., 2006. Determination of TOCl, TOBr and TOI in drinking water by pyrolysis and off-line ion chromatography. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 384, 495-504. 
29. Hua, G., Reckhow, D.A., Kim, J., 2006. Effect of bromide and iodide ions on the formation and speciation of disinfection by-products during chlorination. Environmental Science and Technology 40, 3050-3056.