Zhikun Chen

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University. My research investigates how microplastics move through cold-region environments and how electrochemical processes can remove them from water. I also work on sustainable waste management and evidence-based response strategies for coastal oil spills.

My goal is to connect fundamental environmental processes with practical engineering solutions—from understanding contaminant transport during ice formation to developing scalable separation technologies for water treatment.

Research focus

• Fate and transport of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) — environmental behaviour, transformation, entrainment, and transport, with a focus on ice formation and freeze–thaw processes in cold regions.
• Electrochemical water treatment — separation and electrosorption approaches for micro- and nanoplastics.
• Sustainable environmental management — oil-spill response, construction and demolition waste, and greenhouse-gas assessment.

View publications