Education and qualifications

• Bachelor of Engineering Honours I - Industrial Chemistry, 2010, UNSW

• PhD - 'Validation of membrane bioreactors for water recycling', 2016, UNSW

• Membrane Society of Australasia member

• Australian Water Association member

Amos Branch

Water and Wastewater Expert Engineer

Amos has worked with Carollo Engineers as a Technologist in the Water Reuse Technical Practice Group since 2019 after almost eight years working on wastewater treatment and reuse research and consulting projects.

Amos completed a doctorate in 2016 that developed Australian National guidance (now WaterVal) for how to reliably produce safe recycled water using membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Amos has performed numerous consulting projects including pilot and laboratory challenge testing and operation of membrane products, expert witnessing and advice for log removal value performance evaluations. He continues to work towards more systematic protocols to improve water reuse with ultraviolet advanced oxidation processes.

Amos specializes in chemical and microbiological water quality and has extensive knowledge of wastewater pathogens, contaminant removal performance, advanced data analysis, and membrane processes.

Employment History

• 2010 – Production Chemist at Harrison Manufacturing Company

• 2012 – UNSW PhD Candidate and Tutor

• 2016 – UNSW Research Associate

• 2019 – Technologist in Carollo Engineers’ Water Reuse Technical Practice Group

• 2021 – ExpertESA’s Water and Wastewater Expert Engineer

Project / Discipline experience

Commissioning engineer at the Las Virgenes Pure Water Demonstration Project.

Responsibilities included daily treatment plant operations, training of client staff, trouble shooting, commissioning and maintenance of advanced monitoring equipment including: total organic carbon analyzers, turbidity meters, online UV transmittance, ammonia and chlorine sensors.

• The full advanced treatment plant including ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and UV advanced oxidation was brought online with full instrumentation within 3 weeks of arrival onsite.

• Faulty sensors and operational programs were identified and replaced by the contractor prior to handover through a thorough sampling and verification regime.

• Shortfalls in remote access and data management were identified and remediated.

• District operators and public engagement staff were introduced, informed and trained on the plant operation.

Project engineer confirming the 5 million gallon per day (mgd) set of UVAOP reactors at Monterey One Water was producing safe water.

• Responsibilities included sampling and testing onsite for chlorine and hydrogen peroxide residuals, coordinating sampling for chemicals of concern including NDMA and 1,4 -Dioxane.

• The site team’s initial agile efforts resulted in M1W gaining a conditional permit to operate from the Division of Drinking Water (DDW). The conditional permit was required to finalize the last stages of distribution system commissioning.

• Follow-up efforts by the site team were conducted to optimize the energy usage of the process while still achieving the same water quality.

• SOPs were drafted and training was conducted for M1W laboratory staff to allow them to continue using the methods developed for onsite quantification of hydrogen peroxide.

Project engineer pathogen sampling for the Lake of the Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant (LOP WWTP) Kubota MBR.

Responsibilities included attending site and sampling large volumes of filtrate (50 - 150 gal) to allow high resolution analysis of pathogens of concern including Cryptosporidium, Giardia and viruses.

• The results from the study will help Kubota to demonstrate the pathogen removal performance of their MBR product as well as the enhanced level of wastewater treatment achieved at LOP WWTP.

Project engineer San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Pure Water SF plant.

Responsibilities included assisting with sampling and plant operations in the lead up to and during sampling for a recycled water tasting event. As well as trouble shooting membrane systems.

• The successful tasting event was attended by a range of SFPUC staff, including the board.

• The project demonstrated the feasibility of potable water production from wastewater at a decentralized building scale.

Project engineer Water Corporation of Western Australia (WCWA) quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) of water reuse treatment trains.

Responsibilities included statistical analysis and presentation of operational and pathogen removal data from an existing advanced water treatment plant, creation of a technical report detailing the QMRA findings, as well as communication of the findings to the client and health regulators via webinar presentations.

• The report and presentations demonstrated the high level of safety in the clients recycled water production facility and identified potential improvements for thecurrent facility as well as future designs

• The webinar presentations helped to engage local health regulators and the WCWA board in future potable water reuse supply efforts.

Project manager Water Corporation of Western Australia (WCWA) summary of direct potable reuse guidelines.

Responsibilities included review of all existing US, international and Australian health-based guidance for potable water production via water reuse. A large number of guidance reports and case studies were summarized into a technical report for the client. Webinars were used to provide a synopsis of the report for the client and local health regulators.

• The summary of potable water recycling regulations will provide a best practice guide for the client as they move toward direct potable reuse.

Project engineer Morro Bay Advanced Water Treatment Plant (Owners Advisor).

Responsibilities included review of MBR log removal value (LRV) engineering reports provided by the design and construction team prior to submission to DDW. Presentation of MBR LRV research and current trends was also delivered at a meeting with DDW technical specialists at a meeting in San Diego.

• The report review identified and recommended modifications to the approach used by contractor to increase likelihood of the client receiving a permit from DDW.

Research Experience

Research associate for the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Work included:

• Conducted a research project looking at the potential for transformation of chemical enantiomers during wastewater treatment and with an aim to quantifying impacts on treated water toxicity.

• Conducted a research project aimed at developing guidelines for validation of ultraviolet advanced oxidation processes (UV/AOP) for water recycling.

• Applied liquid-chromatography coupled organic carbon and nitrogen detection to multiple water sources with an aim to assisting with troubleshooting of low (UF/MF) and high (RO) pressure membrane plants

• Conducted a literature review with the aim of investigating the risks associated with occurrence and proliferation of Legionella in water treatment processes operated in temperate environments.

• Contributed to further technical journal articles and other PhD thesis.

• Completed a wide variety of contract research and consulting activities from start to finish including initial client contact and proposal preparation, to conducting research activities to preparation of reports and final invoicing documents.

PhD Candidate and Tutor for the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Work included:

• Undertook critical literature review on pathogen removal and operation monitoring techniques for MBRs.

• Developed and enacted an extensive sampling campaign over 11 full-scale installations, inclusive of more than 180 site visits.

• Quantified relationships between MBR operations and design parameters and pathogen removal efficiencies to enable more efficient performance assessment of MBR systems and manage health risk uniformly across Australian water recycling schemes.

• Compiled research outcomes into reports detailing experiment parameters, statistical analysis, findings and recommendations.

• Delivered presentations to a wide variety of audiences, including undergraduate students, plant operators and technical specialists, communicating complex research.

• Tutored under-graduate and post-graduate courses on sustainability assessment and health risk analysis, water quality, process design and safety.

• Undertook consulting activities including experimental work and report writing, membrane autopsy for fouling and integrity analysis, expert witness of membrane challenge testing and evaluation of new integrity monitoring sensors for membrane systems.

• Assisted in organization of an early career researcher conference for young membrane professionals held in Geelong in 2014.

Research and Development Intern for the Evoqua Water Technologies, Australia.

Work included:

• Created and tested over 60 laboratory scale desalination modules and undertook collection and analysis of performance data to determine the most viable module for scale up

• Produced scaled up modules for the development of an in-house pilot plant

• Evaluated resin properties including hardness, viscosity and set isotherm to ascertain their suitability as desalination module materials.

• Improved the design of laboratory measurement apparatus in terms of simplicity, reproducibility and capacity for automated result collection; resulting in the generation of a large amount of useful design related data, in a short time scale.

Treatment Operation Intern for the Sydney Water Corporation, Australia.

Work included:

• Undertook research into bio-solids odor and possible treatments.

• Designed, built and implemented a pilot dosing system to control bio-solids odors.

• Undertook all daily quality tests on influent and effluent wastewater and maintained the laboratory QC records

• Calibrated odour scrubber process control sensors resulting in faster process response and more efficient utilization of dosed chemicals

Publications/Presentations

Amos Branch, Greg Leslie and Pierre Le-Clech - “A statistical review of pathogen and indicator log removal values from membrane bioreactor literature.” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, June 2020.

Guido Carvajal, Amos Branch, Scott A. Sission, David J. Roser, Ben van den Akker, Paul Monis, Petra Reeve, Alexandra Keegan, Rudi Regel and Stuart J. Khan - “Virus Removal by Ultrafiltration: Understanding Long-term Performance Change by Application of Bayesian Analysis,” Water Research, 122, 269 – 279, 2017.

Guido Carvajal, Amos Branch, Philipp Michel, Scott A. Sission, David J. Roser, Jörg E. Drewes and Stuart J. Khan - “Robust Evaluation of Performance Monitoring Options for Ozone Disinfection in Water Recycling Using Bayesian Analysis,” Water Research, 124, 605 – 617, 2017.

Trang Trinh, Amos Branch, Adam C. Hambly, Guido Carvajal, Heather M. Coleman, Richard M. Stuetz, Jörg E. Drewes, Pierre Le-Clech and Stuart J. Khan - “Hazardous Events in MBRs – Part 1: Impacts on Key Operational and Bulk Water Quality Parameters.” Journal of Membrane Science 497, 494-503, 2016.

Amos Branch, Trang Trinh, Guido Carvajal, Heather M. Coleman, Richard M. Stuetz, Jörg E. Drewes, Greg Leslie, Pierre Le-Clech and Stuart J. Khan - “Hazardous Events in MBRs – Part 3: Impacts on Microorganism Log Removal Efficiencies. Journal of Membrane Science 497, 514-523, 2016.

Alice Antony, Amos Branch, Greg Leslie, Pierre Le-Clech - “Impact of Membrane Aging on Reverse Osmosis Performance – Implications on Validation Protocol,” Journal of Membrane Science, 520, 37 – 44, 2016.

Amos Branch, Trang Trinh, Ben Zhou, Greg Leslie and Pierre Le-Clech (2015) - “Chemical Cleaning in MBRs: Implications for Accreditation in Water Recycling,” Australian Water Association: Water Journal, 42 (4) ,60 – 64, June 2015.

Rita K Henderson, Yulia Shutova, Andy Baker, Arash Zamyadi, Pierre Le-Clech, Amos Branch, Gale Newcombe, Stuart J. Khan, Richard M. Stuetz. (2015) - “Fluorescence: State-of-the-art monitoring for water treatment systems”, Australian Water Association: Water Journal, 42 (2), 108 – 113, April 2015.

Trang Trinh, Amos Branch, Ben van den Akker, Pierre Le-Clech, Jörg E Drewes and Stuart J Khan - “Chapter 7: Impacts of Hazardous Events on Performance of MBRs. IWA Publishing (London). Pages 207-221. ISBN: 9781780400655,” 2014.