Olivier Patrick Lefebvre

Dr Olivier LEFEBVRE is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research work is in electrochemical technologies and advanced oxidation processes for industrial wastewater treatment and reuse. He is also an adjunct Professor at the Research Institute of Mines and Environment of the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). Olivier is an editor for Water Science & Technology and an IWA Fellow, administrator, newsletter editor and webmaster for the specialist group on water reuse, within the International Water Association (IWA). An agricultural engineer by training, Olivier obtained his PhD from Supagro Montpellier (France) in 2005, on a collaborative work between the French National Research Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the Anna University in Chennai, India. The topic was related to the treatment of tannery wastewater.

• 2021-current: Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS
• 2014-2020:Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS
• 2011-2014: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS
• 2006-2010: Research Fellow, Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, NUS

• 2005: PhD (Environmental Engineering), Montpellier SupAgro, France
• 2002: M.Sc. (Agricultural Engineering), Montpellier SupAgro, France
• 1999: B.Sc. (Population Biology), Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France

• 2018-To date: Editor for Water Science and Technology
• 2016-2018: Associate Editor for Water Science and Technology
• 2014-Present: Administrator, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster of the IWA Water Reuse Specialist Group
• 2012-Present: Adjunct Professor at the Research Institute of Mines and Environment, University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)

• Environmental Engineering Principles and Practice
• Environmental Challenges in the Anthropocene
• Sludge & Solid Waste Management
• Physico-chemical treatment of hazardous chemicals
• Engineering Professionalism

• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Environmental electrochemistry
• Advanced oxidations processes
• Technology transfer
• Water reuse
• Engineering education and pedagogy

1. Qin W., Dong Y., Jiang H., Loh WH., Imbrogno J., Swenson T.M., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Lefebvre 2024. A New Approach of Simultaneous Adsorption and Regeneration of Activated Carbon to Address the Bottlenecks of Pharmaceutical Wastewater Treatment. Water Research. 121180.
2. Yu D., He J., Bai L., Zheng Y., Wang Z., Lefebvre, Zhang J. 2024. High-valent metal-oxo species heterogeneous activation making use of MoS₂ in a novel Electro-Fenton System: pH-independent catalytic environment and nonradical generation mechanism. Chemical Engineering Journal. 479, 147573.
3. Xu J., Olvera-Vargas H., Ou GHX., Randriamahazaka H., Lefebvre 2023. Hybrid TiO2/Carbon quantum dots heterojunction photoanodes for solar photoelectrocatalytic wastewater treatment. Chemosphere. 341, 140077.
4. Fang C., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Shang C., Imbrogno J., Swenson T.M., Lefebvre, Zhang S. 2023. An omniphobic membrane with macro-corrugation for the treatment of real pharmaceutical wastewater via membrane distillation. Journal of Membrane Science. 676, 121582.
5. Wang Z., Olvera Vargas H., Vinicius Surmani Martins M., Garcia Rodriguez O. Garaj S., Lefebvre 2023. High performance and durable graphene-grafted cathode for electro-Fenton degradation of tetramethyldecynediol. Chemical Engineering Journal. 455, 140643.
6. Ding J., Khan H.J., Sarrigani G.V., Fitzgerald P., Ghadi A.E., Lefebvre, Meng C., Harun M.H.Z.M., Lu Y., Abbas A., Montoya A., Wiley D., Wang D.K. 2022. Enhancing the active site accessibility of cobalt-silica catalysts for improved Fenton-like performance. Chemical Engineering Journal. 432, 134435.
7. Olvera-Vargas H., Wang Z., Xu J., Lefebvre 2022. Synergistic degradation of GenX (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid) by pairing graphene-coated Ni-foam and boron-doped diamond electrodes. Chemical Engineering Journal. 430, 132686.
8. Mousset, Loh W.H., Lim W.S., Jarry L., Wang Z., Lefebvre O. 2021. Cost comparison of advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment using accumulated oxygen-equivalent criteria. Water Research. 200, 117234.
9. Xu J., Olvera-Vargas H., Teo F., Lefebvre 2021. A comparison of visible-light photocatalysts for solar photoelectrocatalysis coupled to solar photoelectro-Fenton: application to the degradation of the pesticide simazine. Chemosphere. 276, 130-138.
10. Olvera-Vargas H., Dubuc J., Wang Z., Coudert L., Neculita C., Lefebvre 2021. Electro-Fenton beyond the Degradation of Organics: Treatment of Thiosalts in Contaminated Mine Water. Environmental Science & Technology. 55, 2564-2574.
11. Olvera-Vargas H., Gore-Datar N., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Mutnuri, Lefebvre O. 2021. Electro-Fenton treatment of real pharmaceutical wastewater paired with a BDD anode: reaction mechanisms and respective contribution of homogeneous and heterogenous •OH. Chemical Engineering Journal. 404, 126524.
12. Garcia-Rodriguez O., Mousset E., Olvera-Vargas H., Lefebvre 2020. Electrochemical treatment of highly concentrated wastewater: a review of experimental and modelling approaches from lab to full-scale. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 1-70.
13. Deng F., Olvera-Vargas H., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Qiu S., Yang J., Lefebvre 2020. Unconventional electro-Fenton process operating at a wide pH range with Ni foam cathode and tripolyphosphate electrolyte. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 396, 122641.
14. Xu J., Olvera-Vargas H., Loh B.J.H., Lefebvre 2020. FTO-TiO₂ Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of Triphenyltin Chloride Coupled to Photoelectro-Fenton: a mechanistic study. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 271, 118923
15. Garcia-Rodriguez O., Villot A., Olvera Vargas H., Gerente C., Andres Y., Lefebvre 2020. Impact of the saturation level on the electrochemical regeneration of activated carbon in a single sequential reactor. Carbon. 163, 265-275.
16. Foudhaili T., Rihem J., Neculita C.M., Rosa E., Triffault-Bouchet G., Veilleux E., Coudert L., Lefebvre 2020. Effect of the electrocoagulation process on the toxicity of gold mine effluents: A comparative assessment of Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex. Science of the Total Environment. 708, 134-141.
17. Foudhaili T., Rakotonimaro T.V., Babi K., Neculita C.M., Coudert L., Lefebvre 2019. Comparative efficiency of electrocoagulation and microbial fuel cells for the treatment of iron-rich acid mine drainage. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 7, 103149.
18. Olvera-Vargas H., Zheng X., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Lefebvre 2019. Sequential electrochemical peroxidation – electro-Fenton” process for the treatment of anaerobic sludge from a poultry farm. Water Research. 154, 277-286.
19. Olvera-Vargas H., Wee Y.H.V., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Lefebvre 2019. Near-neutral electro-Fenton treatment of pharmaceutical pollutants: the effect of triphosphate ligand and BDD electrode. ChemElectroChem. 6(3), 937-946.
20. Mousset E., Wang Z., Olvera-Vargas H., Lefebvre 2018. Advanced electrocatalytic pre-treatment to improve the biodegradability of real wastewater from the electronics industry – a detailed investigation study. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 360, 552-559.
21. Deng F., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Olvera-Vargas H., Qiu S., Lefebvre, Yang J. 2018. Iron foam as a heterogeneous catalyst in the presence of tripolyphosphate electrolyte for improving electro-Fenton oxidation capability. Electrochimica Acta. 272, 176-183.
22. Garcia-Rodriguez O., Lee Y.Y., Olvera-Vargas H., Deng F., Wang Z., Lefebvre 2018. Mineralization of electronic wastewater by electro-Fenton with an enhanced graphene-based gas diffusion cathode. Electrochimica Acta. 276, 12-20.
23. Deng F., Olvera-Vargas H., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Qiu S., Yang J., Lefebvre 2018. The synergistic effect of Nickel-Iron-Foam and tetrapolyphosphate for enhancing the electro-Fenton process at circum-neutral pH. Chemosphere. 201, 687-696.
24. Lefebvre 2018. Beyond NEWater: an insight into Singapore’s water reuse prospects. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 2, 26-31.
25. Mousset E., Huang W.V., Foong Y.K.B., Tng J.W., Koh J.S., Wang Z., Lefebvre 2017. A new 3D-printed photoelectrocatalytic reactor combining the benefits of a transparent electrode and the Fenton reaction for advanced wastewater treatment. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 5(47), 24951-24964.
26. Mousset E., Wang Z., Hammaker J., Lefebvre 2017. Electrocatalytic phenol degradation by a novel nanostructured carbon fiber brush cathode coated with graphene ink Electrochimica Acta. 258, 607-617.
27. Mousset E., Ko Z.T., Syafiq M., Wang Z., Lefebvre, 2016. Electrocatalytic activity enhancement of a graphene ink-coated carbon cloth cathode for oxidative treatment. Electrochimica Acta. 222, 1628-1641.
28. Mousset E., Wang Z., Lefebvre, 2016. Electro-Fenton for control and removal of micropollutants – process optimization and energy efficiency. Water Science and Technology. 74(9), 2068-2074.
29. Mousset E., Wang Z., Hammaker J., Lefebvre O., 2016. Physico-chemical properties of pristine graphene and its performance as electrode material for electro-Fenton treatment of wastewater. Electrochimica Acta. 214, 217-230.

Invited Talks 

1. Electrochemical techniques for the management of saline waste streams. In: 31st International Materials Research Congress (IMRC 2023). August 13–18 2023. Cancun, Mexico.
2. Pharmaceutical wastewater treatment by continuous adsorption and in-situ electrochemical regeneration of a three-dimensional sintered activated carbon cathode. In: 31st International Materials Research Congress (IMRC 2023). August 13–18 2023. Cancun, Mexico.
3. Industrial wastewater management in Singapore: techniques and solutions. In: Webinar Series on Experience Sharing on Water and Wastewater Management & Treatment between Singapore and Sri Lanka: Industrial Wastewater Management. February 15, 2023, Singapore.
4. Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for industrial water reuse: overview, challenges and perspectives. In: 13^th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse. January 15-19 2023. Chennai, India.
5. From microbial fuel cells to electro-Fenton, 15 years of advancing (bio)-electrochemical environmental applications. In: IWA Biofilms 2022 conference. December 6-8, 2022. Phuket, Thailand.
6. Water reuse – trends & challenges in relation with food security. In: ILSI Taiwan 2022 Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium – New Trends on Net Zero: Towards Circular Economy, and Sustainable Development in Food Industry. Jun 7, 2022, Taipei City, Taiwan.
7. Using treated wastewater as water reclamation and reuse (case study in Singapore). In: The 11^th International Conference on Environmental Engineering, Science and Management. May 12, 2022, Bangkok, Thailand.
8. Water reuse – research trends in the context of Singapore. In: Webinaires du réseau REUSE. March 30, 2022, France.
9. Electro-Fenton as a pre-treatment solution – prospects in industrial water reuse. In: 2021 ACS Fall National Meeting. August 22 – 26, 2021, Atlanta, USA.
10. Water reuse in Singapore: opinion and trends with past, present and future perspectives. In: Spanish Association for Sustainable Water Reuse Webinar. November 18, 2020, Spain.
11. Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for hard-to-treat industrial wastewater. In: IX^th Annual Congress of the Mexican Society of Membrane Science and Technology. October 22-23, 2020, Queretaro City, Mexico.
12. Wang Z., Olvera-Vargas H., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Surmani Martins M.V., Garaj S., Lefebvre Synthesis of a graphene-coated cathode for the electro-Fenton treatment of TMDD. In: 257^th ACS National Meeting & Exposition. March 31 – April 3, 2019, Florida, USA.
13. Garcia-Rodriguez O., Mousset E., Olvera-Vargas H., Wang Z., Deng F., Lefebvre Innovative 3D printed materials for electrochemical wastewater treatment. In: 257^th ACS National Meeting & Exposition. March 31 – April 3, 2019, Florida, USA.
14. Olvera-Vargas H., Xu J., Lefebvre FTO-TiO₂ photoelectrocatalytic degradation of triphenyltin chloride coupled to photoelectro-Fenton. In: 257^th ACS National Meeting & Exposition. March 31 – April 3, 2019, Florida, USA.
15. Olvera-Vargas H., Garcia-Rodriguez O., Wang Z., Muzzi R., Xu J., Lefebvre Recent Developments In Electrochemical Wastewater Treatment And Toxicity Monitoring. In: Bio-X Diagnostics, Monitoring & Entrepreneurship Conference. March 1-5, 2019, Israel.
16. Olvera Vargas H., Garcia Rodriguez O., Wang Z., Xu J., Muzzi R., Lefebvre Electrochemical treatment of industrial wastewater – novel materials and reactor designs. In: ICW 2018: International Conference on Water: from pollution to purification. December 7-10, 2018, Kottayam, India.
17. Lefebvre Needs and perspectives for water reuse in India and South-East Asia. In: Workshop on Water Reuse For Emerging Economies: Lessons Learned From Distributed Water Reuse in Japan (Drewes J.E., Lefebvre O., Bahri, A., Hu, H.Y.), IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition. September 16-21, 2018, Tokyo, Japan.
18. Lefebvre Novel approaches for toxicity sensing of advanced oxidation treatment of industrial wastewater. In: Bio-X Diagnostics, Monitoring & Entrepreneurship Conference. February 21-22, 2018, Singapore.
19. Olvera Vargas H., Garcia Rodriguez O. Lefebvre Master class in environmental electrochemistry. In: Workshop on Novel Sanitation Approaches and Emerging Trends in Wastewater Treatment Technology. December 18-20, 2017, Goa, India.
20. Lefebvre Towards applications of electrochemical solutions for advanced treatment of industrial wastewater. In: Workshop on Novel Sanitation Approaches and Emerging Trends in Wastewater Treatment Technology. December 18-20, 2017, Goa, India.
21. Lefebvre Beyond NEWater: Purifying Industrial Wastewater for Our Needs. In: One-North Festival 2017. August 18, 2017, Singapore.
22. Bahri A., Drewes J., Khan S., Lefebvre O, Stanford B.. Closing Plenary Session – The Future of Water Reuse. In: 11th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse. July 23-27, 2017, Long beach, USA.