Onur Apul
Onur Apul is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering. His research focuses on water treatment and contaminant removal, especially through carbon-based filtration. He also studies the life cycle of treatment processes to prevent contaminants from leaching back into the environment. That work includes finding ways to treat, regenerate, or contain used filter materials. Apul’s projects include thermal regeneration of filters, nanobubble technology for aeration, and new physicochemical methods to improve filter efficiency and contaminant removal.
He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Clemson University in 2014. His bachelor's and master's degrees are in Environmental Engineering from Turkey's Middle East Technical University.
https://www.onurapul.com/
In the News
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Recent Publications
Molecular connectivity indices and soil properties to predict the sorption of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances
Alulema-Pullupaxi, P., Evrendilek, F., Hatinoglu, D., Moavenzadeh Ghaznavi, S., Mensah, K., Choudhary, M., Ortiz, S. & Apul, O., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Unraveling the behavior of highly-concentrated nanobubble solutions: The influence of colloidal nature on their generation and stability
Arias-Sanchez, A. N., Cerrón-Calle, G. A., Morón-López, J., Apul, O. G. & Garcia-Segura, S., Feb 2026, In: Journal of Colloid And Interface Science. 703, 139134.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Interaction effects of feedstock and temperature on biogas production during torrefaction-coupled catalytic stepwise pyrolysis of phytoremediation biomass
Chen, Z., Liu, J., Tao, L., Jia, D., Ke, G., Evrendilek, F., Apul, O. G., Zhuang, P., He, Y., Li, W. & Huang, W., Mar 15 2026, In: Renewable Energy. 260, 125131.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Differential morphological and physicochemical responses of polyvinyl chloride and Polyamide-12 micro- and nanoplastics to Fenton oxidation
Kidd, J., Hatinoglu, D., Mensah, K., Ochoa, L., Nguyen, K., Yan, B., Fahrenfeld, N., Apul, O. & Stapleton, P., Jan 15 2026, In: Science of the Total Environment. 1012, 181214.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Implications of water chemistry on ozone nanobubble-based advanced oxidation processes
Magdaleno, A. L., Myers-Haeussler, K., Mensah, K., Arias-Sanchez, A. N., Apul, O. G., Garcia-Segura, S. & Morón-López, J., May 1 2026, In: Water Research. 295, 125596.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Precision nanobubble irrigation tailors plant physiology to drive sustainable lettuce growth with water savings
Morón-López, J., Varela, A., Montenegro-Ayo, R., Maya, A., Hernandez-Molina, M., Flores, K., Matula, E. E., Graf, J., Apul, O. & Garcia-Segura, S., Mar 31 2026, In: Agricultural Water Management. 325, 110149.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Analyzing the Release of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Spent Granular Activated Carbons by Standard Leaching Procedures
Alulema-Pullupaxi, P., Zhang, Y., Saleh, N. B., Venkatesan, A. & Apul, O. G., May 6 2025, In: Environmental Science and Technology. 59, 17, p. 8681-8693 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Aftermath of a major firefighting foam spill in Brunswick, Maine: Spatiotemporal dynamics of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the downstream surface waters
Hannan, M., Evrendilek, F., Leclair, D., Choudhary, M., Mensah, K., Aeppli, C., Venkatesan, A. K. & Apul, O. G., Nov 2025, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters. 6, 100150.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Protecting the environment pays off for the USA economy and public health
Hannan, M., Hatinoglu, D., Blaney, L., Vikesland, P., Knappe, D., Miller, R. & Apul, O., Dec 2025, In: Nature Water. 3, 12, p. 1336-1338 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Interplay of surface oxygen content and pore water during thermal regeneration of granular activated carbons
Hatinoglu, D., Edwards, L., Turzo, P. I., Hanigan, D. & Apul, O. G., Jul 5 2025, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 491, 137885.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Microwave Heating of Superparamagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles Toward Environmental Hyperthermia-Based Applications
Hatinoglu, D., Lee, S. S. S., Choudhary, M., Lee, J., Attanayake, S. B., Hwang, K. Y., Detellem, D., Phan, M. H., Fortner, J. D. & Apul, O. G., Sep 3 2025, In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. 17, 35, p. 49775-49783 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Combined Adsorption and Michaelis-Menten Approach Reveals Predominant Enzymatic Depolymerization of Crystalline Poly(ethylene terephthalate) by Humicola insolens Cutinase in the Solution Phase
Kamal, S., Carew, K., Qin, J., Hatinoglu, D., Apul, O. & Xiong, B., Feb 17 2025, In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. 13, 6, p. 2401-2410 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Oxidative cleaning of surface fouling in heated sanitary systems at low ozone concentrations: Unveiling the role of nanobubbles in mass transfer
Mensah, K., Ference, C., Ovalle, L., Perreault, F., Morón-López, J., Garcia-Segura, S. & Apul, O. G., Oct 2025, In: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 13, 5, 117637.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Mass-manufactured diffraction pattern enables large-scale spectroscopic, temporal, and spatial measurements of fluid movement and mixing
White, L. R., Miner, J. N., Craig, B., Zier, A. R., Apul, O. G. & Howell, C., Dec 2025, In: Results in Engineering. 28, 107597.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Variable-Area Sensor Permits Near-Continuous Multipoint Measurements of Aqueous Biological and Chemical Analytes
White, L. R., Miner, J. N., McKinney, L. D., Pierce, L. E., Folley, A., Larrabee, A., Scrapchansky, L., Fessler, W., Choudhary, M., Kamalanathan, M., Pouria, R., Zare, S., Perry, E., Edalatpour, S., Apul, O. G. & Howell, C., Jan 8 2025, In: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 64, 1, p. 382-391 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review