Academic staff
Dr Wilson Mwandira
mwandiw2@lsbu.ac.uk
Civil and Building Services Engineering
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2498-2857
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I am Marie Curie Researcher in the School of Built Environment and Architecture. I joined LSBU in January 2022 and have been working on research on ground improvement using microorganisms. The study seeks to use microorganisms to repair old railway infrastructure. The technique has potential for various civil or environmental engineering applications. The ultimate goal is to realise biocementation as a viable, sustainable method of improving infrastructure earthworks, thus contributing to combatting climate change.
I was recently awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship in 2021, and our work appeared in Horizon Europe magazine.
Wilson has a long-standing collaboration with Prof. Kawasaki and his colleagues at Hokkaido University in Japan. This collaboration spans cross-disciplinary and international research on bioremediation, biocement and investigating low-carbon technologies. Externally he still serves as a Principal Environmental Consultant with AGS Consulting Ltd in Africa, advising various mining companies on sustainable environmental practices. He is currently working on a project to remediate tailings facility using bacteria.
Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
| Mr Adedamola Elisha Oluwagbemiga | Valorisation of well-drilling waste as building material | PhD |
Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan.
The University of Zambia
Copperbelt University
Hokkaido University
1. Managing Safety, Health & Environmental role in a gemstone mining industry
2. Identify and manage HSE risks correctly, in line with the sites’ risks and activities; developing action plans to drive improvement, ensuring these are in line with the group requirements and standards.
3. Implement and respect common standards and develop local standards where appropriate.
4. Monitor HSE performance and activities and report regularly to site management as well as to central HSE.
Promote a positive HSE culture.
5. Advise management and employees on the management of HSE risks and any need for improvement.
Give advice on environmental matters on areas such as the effects of new developments on the environment, the control of pollution and noise, the effects of agriculture or recreation on plants and wildlife, the effect of climate change and waste management and recycling.
The Environmental Management Systems Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the environmental performance of the Group and maintaining its ISO14001.
‘Development Minerals’ are minerals and materials that are mined, processed, manufactured and used domestically in industries such as construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture. Eight of the top ten produced mineral commodities in the world are Development Minerals, which total 84% of global mineral production. While they may be relatively low value to international commodity markets, the value of Development Minerals is in their domestic use. Development Minerals provide crucial inputs for domestic economic development and have the potential to be high value in terms of broad-based national development. In comparison to the metals sector, Development Minerals have closer links with the local economy, and have the potential to generate more local jobs, with a greater impact on poverty reduction. This is partly because the sector is dominated by small and medium scale domestic businesses. At present few undergraduate or post-graduate education and research programmes are focussed on Development Minerals related topics despite the fact working opportunities for geoscientists in this field being wide and the potential for sustainable development impact high. This project will engage tertiary and post-graduate students in work-integrated learning and action research. Through the participation of early career scientists, the project will contribute to knowledge generation and transfer, and enhance the cooperation of academic institutions, government agencies, and the private sector.
1. Development Minerals
2. Environmental Management
3. Gender
Guide, mentor, source of information and facilitator to the student as they progress through a research project.
1. Biocementation
2. Bioremediation
3. Water, hygiene, and sanitation
4. Water quality
Prizes, awards, and accolades
Young Scientist Competition Oral Award: Outstanding (Jul 2019)
Asian Congress on Biotechnology
14th Asian Congress on Biotechnology
Shining Star Award for 2017 (Dec 2017)
Laboratory of Biotechnology for Sustainable Resources Engineering
Laboratory of Biotechnology for Sustainable Resources Engineering - Shining Star Award for 2017
Best Presentation Award (Outstanding Oral Presentation), (Nov 2017)
International KAMPAI Symposium
1st International KAMPAI Symposium
Best Graduating Student in Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering (Aug 2008)
Copperbelt University
Best Graduating Student in Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering
Bioremediation of lead-contaminated mine waste by Pararhodobacter sp. based on the microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation technique and its effects on strength of coarse and fine grained sand
Mwandira, W., Nakashima, K. and Kawasaki, S. (2022). Bioremediation of lead-contaminated mine waste by Pararhodobacter sp. based on the microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation technique and its effects on strength of coarse and fine grained sand. Ecological Engineering. 109 (Part A), pp. 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.09.011
Cellulose-metallothionein biosorbent for removal of Pb(II) and Zn(II) from polluted water
Mwandira, W., Nakashima, K., Yuki, T., Sato, T. and Kawasaki, S. (2019). Cellulose-metallothionein biosorbent for removal of Pb(II) and Zn(II) from polluted water. Chemosphere. 246 (125733), pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125733
Efficacy of biocementation of lead mine waste from the Kabwe Mine site evaluated using Pararhodobacter sp.
Mwandira, W., Nakashima. K., Kawasaki, s., Ito, M., Sato, T., Igarashi, T., Banda, K., Chirwa, M., Nyambe, I., Nakayama, N. and Ishizuka, M. (2019). Efficacy of biocementation of lead mine waste from the Kabwe Mine site evaluated using Pararhodobacter sp. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 26, pp. 15653-15664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04984-8
Biosorption of Pb (II) and Zn (II) from aqueous solution by Oceanobacillus profundus isolated from an abandoned mine
Mwandira, W., Nakashima. K., Kawasaki, S, Arabelo, A., Banda, K., Nyambe, I., Chirwa, M., Ito, M., Sato, T., Igarashi, T., Nakayama, N., Hakuto, N. and Ishizuka, M (2022). Biosorption of Pb (II) and Zn (II) from aqueous solution by Oceanobacillus profundus isolated from an abandoned mine. Scientific Reports. 10 (21189). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78187-4
Solidification of sand by Pb(II)-tolerant bacteria for capping mine waste to control metallic dust: Case of the abandoned Kabwe Mine, Zambia
Mwandira, W., Nakashima. K., Kawasaki, S., Ito, M., Sato, T., Igarashi, T., Banda, K., Chirwa, M., Nyambe, I., Nakayama, N., Hakuto, N. and Ishizuka, M. (2019). Solidification of sand by Pb(II)-tolerant bacteria for capping mine waste to control metallic dust: Case of the abandoned Kabwe Mine, Zambia. Chemosphere. 228, pp. 17-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.04.107
Chapter 13 - Stabilization/solidification of mining waste via biocementation
Mwandira, W., Nakashima, N. and Kawasaki, S. (2022). Chapter 13 - Stabilization/solidification of mining waste via biocementation. in: Tsang, D.C.W and Wang, L. (ed.) Low Carbon Stabilization and Solidification of Hazardous Wastes Elsevier. pp. 201-209
Artificial Fusion Protein to Facilitate Calcium Carbonate Mineralization on Insoluble Polysaccharide for Efficient Biocementation
Nawarathna, T.H.K, Nakashima, K., Kawabe, T., Mwandira, W., Kurumisawa, k. and Kawasaki, S. (2022). Artificial Fusion Protein to Facilitate Calcium Carbonate Mineralization on Insoluble Polysaccharide for Efficient Biocementation. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 9 (34), p. 11493–11502. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03730
Mechanism of salinity change and hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in the Machile-Zambezi Basin, South-western Zambia
Banda, K.E., Mwandira, W., Jakobsen, R., Ogola, J., Nyambe, I. and Larsen, F. (2019). Mechanism of salinity change and hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in the Machile-Zambezi Basin, South-western Zambia. Journal of African Earth Sciences. 153, pp. 72-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2019.02.022
The Potential Use of Food Waste in Biocementation Process for Eco-Efficient Construction Materials
Mwandira, W., Mavroulidou, M., Gunn, M., Garelick, H. and Purchase, D. (2022). The Potential Use of Food Waste in Biocementation Process for Eco-Efficient Construction Materials. in: Wong, M.H., Purchase, D. and Dickinson, N. (ed.) Food Waste Valorisation World Scientific Publishing.
Biocementation through the carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity of microorganisms -A review
Mwandira, W., Mavroulidou, M., Gunn, M., H. Garelick and D. Purchase (2022). Biocementation through the carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity of microorganisms -A review. 9th International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2022) and SECOTOX Conference. Mykonos, Greece 03 - 09 Jun 2022