Tom O'Dwyer

Senior Lecturer

 
researcher

Biography

Tom O'Dwyer was awarded his Ph.D. degree from the University of Limerick in 1993. Prior to joining the University of Limerick in 1996, he worked with the Environmental Division of Bord Na Mona, a division of the company which engages in the design and manufacture of waste treatment technologies as well as broader environmental monitoring and consultancy work. He has also worked in technical roles in the pharmaceutical, dairy and food sectors. His research interests span various areas including pollutant removal from waste streams, environmental technology development, waste minimisation, water recovery and reuse and occupational hygiene. he also has a strong interest in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Since joining UL Tom has graduated a number of Ph.D. and M.Sc. students and has published extensively in a host of international peer reviewed technology and environmental research journals. He has also worked extensively in the areas of curriculum design and programme development, particularly in relation to the B.Sc. Environmental Science and B.Sc. Health & Safety programmes. He is currently Course Director for the B.Sc. Environmental Science.       

Research Interests

  • Waste Minimisation, Recovery & Recycling
  • Optimisation of industrial waste separation processes
  • Application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to environmental issues
  • Adsorbent design for water treatment

  • Nutrient (P, N) waste minimisation approaches in the biotechnology sector
  • Removal and recovery of metals from waste streams

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
2001 'Novel approaches to combat insect contamination on HLFC wings'
O'Donoghue, D; O'Dwyer, TF; Young, T; Pembroke, JT (2001) 'Novel approaches to combat insect contamination on HLFC wings' In: AERODYNAMIC DRAG REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES. Germany: Springer-Verlag. [Details]
2006 'Development of a Physico-Chemical process for the Removal of Organic Compounds from Waste Streams'
O'Brien, J., Curtin, T. and O’Dwyer T.F., , , Ed. , Calgary, , Section: Wastewater Treatment & Re-Use, pp: 7-12 ISBN: (2006) 'Development of a Physico-Chemical process for the Removal of Organic Compounds from Waste Streams' In: Advanced Technology in the Environmental Field. Canada: ACTA Press. [Details]
2006 'Design of a Novel Cellulose Based Adsorbent for Use in Heavy Metal Recovery from Waste Streams'
O'Connell D.W., Birkinshaw C. and O'Dwyer T.F. (2006) 'Design of a Novel Cellulose Based Adsorbent for Use in Heavy Metal Recovery from Waste Streams' In: Water Pollution VIII. Southamptom, UK: WIT Press. [Details]
2007 'Removal of Organic Compounds from Waste Streams'
O'Brien J., Curtin T. & O’Dwyer T.F., (2007) 'Removal of Organic Compounds from Waste Streams' In: Water Resources Management IV. Southampton UK: WIT Press. [Details]
2008 'Removal of copper, nickel and lead from wastewater using a modified cellulose material: A comparison'
O'Connell D.W., Birkinshaw C. and O’Dwyer T.F. (2008) 'Removal of copper, nickel and lead from wastewater using a modified cellulose material: A comparison' In: Waste Management & The Environment IV. Southampton, U.K: WIT Press. [Details]
2010 'The Degradation of Oligonucleotide-based Pharmaceutical Products by Selected Chemical Means'
Robinson C., Walsh G. & O'Dwyer T.F. (2010) 'The Degradation of Oligonucleotide-based Pharmaceutical Products by Selected Chemical Means' In: Environmental Engineering & Sustainability. South Africa: ATINER, SA. [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
1992 'Materials for Advanced Technology Applications: Adsorbents for the Removal of Chromium from Effluents'
O'Dwyer, T; Hodnett, BK (1992) 'Materials for Advanced Technology Applications: Adsorbents for the Removal of Chromium from Effluents'. KEY ENGINEERING MATERIALS, 72-74 (*) [Details]
1995 'RECOVERY OF CHROMIUM FROM TANNERY EFFLUENTS USING A REDOX ADSORPTION APPROACH'
ODWYER, TF; HODNETT, BK (1995) 'RECOVERY OF CHROMIUM FROM TANNERY EFFLUENTS USING A REDOX ADSORPTION APPROACH'. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, 62 (1):30-37 [DOI] [Details]
2001 'The Preparation and Use of a Mesoporous Silicate Material for the Removal of Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) from Aqueous Solution'
Kelleher, BK; Doyle, AM; O'Dwyer, TF; Hodnett, BK (2001) 'The Preparation and Use of a Mesoporous Silicate Material for the Removal of Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) from Aqueous Solution'. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, 76 (*):1216-1222 [Details]
2001 'Novel Approaches to Combat Insect Contamination on Hybrid Laminar Flow Control Wings'
O'Donoghue, D; Young, T; O'Dwyer, TF; Pembroke, JT (2001) 'Novel Approaches to Combat Insect Contamination on Hybrid Laminar Flow Control Wings'. Notes on Numerical Fluid Mechanics - Aerodynamic Drag Reduction Technologies, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 76 (*):357-365 [Details]
2002 'An investigation into the adsorption characteristics of grafted mesoporous silicates for the removal of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide from aqueous solution'
Kelleher, BP; Doyle, AM; Hodnett, BK; O'Dwyer, TF (2002) 'An investigation into the adsorption characteristics of grafted mesoporous silicates for the removal of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide from aqueous solution'. ADSORPTION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 20 (8):787-796 [DOI] [Details]
2002 'The use of fly ash from the combustion of poultry litter for the adsorption of chromium(III) from aqueous solution'
Kelleher, BP; O'Callaghan, MN; Leahy, MJ; O'Dwyer, TF; Leahy, JJ (2002) 'The use of fly ash from the combustion of poultry litter for the adsorption of chromium(III) from aqueous solution'. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, 77 (11):1212-1218 [DOI] [Details]
2002 'Advances in Poultry Litter Disposal Technology - A Review'
Kelleher, BP; Leahy, JJ; Henihan, AM; O'Dwyer, TF; Sutton, D; Leahy, M (2002) 'Advances in Poultry Litter Disposal Technology - A Review'. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, 83 (1):27-36 [Details]
2002 'An investigation of surfactant and enzyme formulations for the alleviation of insect contamination on Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) surfaces'
O'Donoghue, D; Young, TM; Pembroke, JT; O'Dwyer, TF (2002) 'An investigation of surfactant and enzyme formulations for the alleviation of insect contamination on Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) surfaces'. AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 6 (1):19-29 [DOI] [Details]
2002 'The effect of kaolinite intercalation on the structural arrangements of N-methylformamide and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone'
Kelleher, BP; Sutton, D; O'Dwyer, TF (2002) 'The effect of kaolinite intercalation on the structural arrangements of N-methylformamide and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone'. JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE, 255 (2):219-224 [DOI] [Details]
2002 'Utilisation of a mesoporous silicate material for the removal of quaternary ammonium hydroxides (QAHs) from aqueous solution'
Kelleher, BP; Doyle, AM; Hodnett, BK; O'Dwyer, TF (2002) 'Utilisation of a mesoporous silicate material for the removal of quaternary ammonium hydroxides (QAHs) from aqueous solution'. ADSORPTION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 20 (3):261-267 [DOI] [Details]
2002 'Intercalation of benzamide into expanded kaolinite under ambient environmental conditions'
Kelleher, BP; O'Dwyer, TF (2002) 'Intercalation of benzamide into expanded kaolinite under ambient environmental conditions'. CLAYS AND CLAY MINERALS, 50 (3):331-335 [DOI] [Details]
2003 'An investigation of amorphous phase separation, leachability and surface area of an ionomer glass system and a sodium-boro-silicate glass system'
Rafferty, A; Hill, R; Kelleher, B; O'Dwyer, T (2003) 'An investigation of amorphous phase separation, leachability and surface area of an ionomer glass system and a sodium-boro-silicate glass system'. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE, 38 (19):3891-3902 [DOI] [Details]
2004 'Adsorption of aniline from aqueous solution using copper-exchanged ZSM-5 and unmodified H-ZSM-5'
O'Brien, J; Curtin, T; O'Dwyer, TF (2004) 'Adsorption of aniline from aqueous solution using copper-exchanged ZSM-5 and unmodified H-ZSM-5'. ADSORPTION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 22 (9):743-754 [DOI] [Details]
2005 'An investigation into adsorption of aniline from aqueous solution using H-beta zeolites and copper-exchanged beta zeolites'
O'Brien J., Curtin T., O'Dwyer T.F. (2005) 'An investigation into adsorption of aniline from aqueous solution using H-beta zeolites and copper-exchanged beta zeolites'. Adsorption Science and Technology, 23 (3):255-266 [DOI] [Details]
2006 'A modified cellulose adsorbent for the removal of nickel(II) from aqueous solutions'
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF (2006) 'A modified cellulose adsorbent for the removal of nickel(II) from aqueous solutions'. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, 81 (11):1820-1828 [DOI] [Details]
2006 'A chelating cellulose adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aoueous solutions'
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF (2006) 'A chelating cellulose adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aoueous solutions'. JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, 99 (6):2888-2897 [DOI] [Details]
2006 'Removal of lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions using a modified cellulose adsorbent'
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF (2006) 'Removal of lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions using a modified cellulose adsorbent'. ADSORPTION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 24 (4):337-347 [DOI] [Details]
2008 'Heavy Metal Adsorbents Prepared from the Modification of Cellulose: A Review'
O'Connell D., Birkinshaw C. and O'Dwyer T.F.* (2008) 'Heavy Metal Adsorbents Prepared from the Modification of Cellulose: A Review'. Bioresource Technology, 99 (15):6709-6724 [Details]
2008 'Removal of Aniline from Waste Streams Using a Combined Adsorption and Catalytic Oxidation Approach'
O'Brien, J; Curtin, T; O'Dwyer, TF (2008) 'Removal of Aniline from Waste Streams Using a Combined Adsorption and Catalytic Oxidation Approach'. ADSORPTION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 26 (5):311-321 [Details]
2008 'A novel process for the removal of aniline from wastewaters'
O'Brien, J; O'Dwyer, TF; Curtin, T (2008) 'A novel process for the removal of aniline from wastewaters'. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, 159 (1-4):476-482 [DOI] [Details]
2010 'A Study of the Mechanisms of Divalent Copper Binding to a Modified Cellulose Adsorbent'
O'Connell, DW; Aszalos, B; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF (2010) 'A Study of the Mechanisms of Divalent Copper Binding to a Modified Cellulose Adsorbent'. JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, 116 (5):2496-2503 [DOI] [Details]
2010 'Utilisation of phosphorus nutrient content in industrial scale plasmid DNA production: a waste minimisation study'
Cliffe, FE; Walsh, G; O'Dwyer, TF (2010) 'Utilisation of phosphorus nutrient content in industrial scale plasmid DNA production: a waste minimisation study'. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, 18 (10-11):1066-1072 [DOI] [Details]
2012 'Chemical and physical features of living and non-living maerl rhodoliths'
O'Reilly, SS,Hurley, S,Coleman, N,Monteys, X,Szpak, M,O'Dwyer, T,Kelleher, BP (2012) 'Chemical and physical features of living and non-living maerl rhodoliths'. Aquatic Biology, 15 :215-224 [DOI] [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
1992 'Adsorbents for the Removal of Chromium from Tannery Effluents'
O'Dwyer, TF; Hodnett, BK (1992) 'Adsorbents for the Removal of Chromium from Tannery Effluents' Materials for Advanced Technology Applications, Key Engineering Materials, Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland, 72-74 (*) :529-536. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
2001 AERODYNAMIC DRAG REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
ODonoghue, D; ODwyer, TF; Young, T; Pembroke, T (2001) Novel approaches to combat insect contamination on HLFC wings AERODYNAMIC DRAG REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES , pp.351-358 [Details]
2006 Water Pollution VIII: Modelling, Monitoring and Management
OConnell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; ODwyer, TF (2006) Design of a novel cellulose-based adsorbent for use in heavy metal recovery from aqueous waste streams Water Pollution VIII: Modelling, Monitoring and Management , pp.489-498 [DOI] [Details]
2006 Proceedings of the Second IASTED International Conference on Advanced Technology in the Environmental Field
OBrien, J; Curtin, T; ODwyer, TF (2006) Development of a physico-chemical process for the removal of organic compounds from waste streams Proceedings of the Second IASTED International Conference on Advanced Technology in the Environmental Field , pp.7-12 [Details]
2007 Water Resources Management IV
OBrien, J; Curtin, T; ODwyer, TF (2007) Removal of organic compounds from waste streams: a combined approach Water Resources Management IV , pp.447-456 [DOI] [Details]
2008 WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT IV
OConnell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; ODwyer, TF (2008) Removal of copper, nickel and lead from wastewater using a modified cellulose material: a comparison WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT IV , pp.809-818 [DOI] [Details]
2009 Environ 2009
Cliffe, F., Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T. (2009) Utilisation of phosphorus nutrient content in industrial scale plasmid DNA production: A waste minimisation study Environ 2009 [Details]
2009 Environ 2009
Robinson, C. , Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T. (2009) Detection and quantification of phosphorothioate oligonucleotide degradation by selective physicochemical means Environ 2009 [Details]
2010 EPA National Research Conference 2010
Robinson, C. Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T. (2010) Development of physicochemical and enzymatic technologies for the treatment and degradation of antisense-based pharmaceutical products EPA National Research Conference 2010 [Details]
2010 EPA National Research Conference 2010
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T and Walsh, G. (2010) Generation of a model system to allow for an environmental analysis of biopharmaceutical manufacturing using recombinant E. coli EPA National Research Conference 2010 [Details]
2010 5th Annual International Symposium on Environment
Robinson, C., Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T. (2010) The Degradation of Oligonucleotide based Pharmaceutical Products by Selected Chemical Means 5th Annual International Symposium on Environment [Details]
2010 The international conference on environmental science and technology (ICEST 2010)
Robinson, C. Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T. (2010) The use of oxidizing agents for treating antisense-based pharmaceutical products The international conference on environmental science and technology (ICEST 2010) [Details]
2010 Environ 2010
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G. (2010) Generation of a model system to allow for an environmental analysis of biopharmaceutical manufacturing using recombinant Escherichia coli Environ 2010 [Details]
2012 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
Witt, M., O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G. (2012) Greener production: reducing the phosphorus content of the fermentation media of Escherichia coli in recombinant protein production BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing [Details]
2012 Proceedings of the 5th international conference on sustainable energy and environmental protection
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G. (2012) Reduction of phosphorus waste produced during microbial upstream processing Proceedings of the 5th international conference on sustainable energy and environmental protection [Details]
2014 4th international congress on Green Process Engineering
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G. (2014) Environmental analysis of protein purification and preliminary phosphorous minimization study 4th international congress on Green Process Engineering [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
2014 4th International Congress on Green Process Engineering,
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G. (2014) Environmental analysis of protein purification and preliminary phosphorous minimization study. [Oral Presentation], 4th International Congress on Green Process Engineering, Sevilla, Spain , 07-APR-14 - 10-APR-14 [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
1998 Teaching - Excellence (Nomination/short-listed) University of Limerick
2003 Research - Special Achievement (Nominated/short-listed) University of Limerick

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
ESAI (Environmental Scientists Association of Ireland) Member 01-JAN-00 / 30-DEC-99
AWMA (Air & Waste Management Association) Member 01-JAN-97 / 30-DEC-99
Institute of Occupational Safety & Health Affiliate Member 01-JAN-04 / 30-DEC-99
Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland Council Member 01-JAN-04 / 30-DEC-99

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
External Panel Member, Programme Validation, B.Sc. (Hons) Environmental Bioscience, Dundalk IT External Academic /
External Panel Member, Programme Review, B.Sc. (Hons) Health & Safety, Sligo IT External Academic /
National Council Member, Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland Council Member 2004 / 1999
Executive Committee Member, Materials & Surface Science Institute Executive Committee Member 2004 / 1999
Chairman, Programme Design Team, B.Sc. Health & Safety Chairman 2004 / 1999
Chairman, Programme Modification Committee, B.Sc. Environmental Science Chairman 2002 / 1999

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
RIMA Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Development Technologist 01-FEB-86 / 01-SEP-87
Tipperary Co-op Creamery Analyst 01-APR-82 / 01-SEP-82
Bord Na Mona (Environmental) Deputy Section Head 01-FEB-94 / 01-SEP-96

Teaching Interests

Environmental Technology
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Fate Modelling
Occupational Hygiene
Geographical Information Systems 

Modules Taught

  Term (ID)) Title Link Subject
Sem1/1 Introduction to Environmental & Biosciences ER4011
Sem 1/2 Occupational Hygiene 1 HS4003
Sem 1/3 Monitoring & Research Methods ER4707
Sem 1/4 Environmental Fate Modelling ER4438