Heini Postila

PhD
Senior research fellow
Water resources and environmental engineering

Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Technology

Dr. Heini Postila has 17 years’ experience from studies related of treatment wetlands and their purification efficiency and hydrology and hydraulics in the Nordic climate conditions. The wetlands have been treated runoff from peat extraction area, but also runoff from mining and municipal wastewater treatment plant in polishing phase. She has been studied also other nature-based solutions (NBS)/passive hybrid purification systems in (runoff)water and wastewater treatment. The other topics are related e.g. water and wastewater networks, greenhouse gas emissions from sewage sludge treatment and acid sulfate soils. She is Docent in Nature-based water treatment
systems in arctic conditions.

Research interests

treatment wetlands
nature-based solutions
water purification in different seasons under Nordic climate conditions
passive hybrid water purification systems
woodchip bioreactors
water and wastewater networks
hydrology of peatlands and hydraulic properties of peat
urban and forest runoff treatment
acid sulfate soil and peat extraction
sewage sludge treatment and greenhouse gases

Researcher information

Research groups

Water Supply and Wastewater Engineering

Researcher profiles

Scientific merits

Büngener, L., Postila, H., Löder, M.G.J., Laforsch, C., Ronkanen, A.-K., Heiderscheidt, E. 2023. The fate of microplastics from municipal wastewater in a surface flow treatment wetland. Science of the Total Environment 903, 166334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166334 
Büngener, L., Postila, H., Kujala, K., Kinnunen, J., Fernandez, F.P., Ronkanen, A.-K., Heiderscheidt, E. 2023. The effects of cold frozen conditions on nitrogen removal and transformation in wetlands purifying wastewater: Insights from combined full-and pilot-scale observations. Ecological Engineering 191, 106951 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2023.106951 
Cainglet, A., Kujala, K., Liimatainen, M., Prokkola, H., Piippo, S., Postila, H., Ronkanen, A.-K., Heiderscheidt, E. 2023. The influence of coagulant type on the biological treatment of sewage sludge. Science of The Total Environment 869, 161706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161706 
Khan, U.A., Postila, H. Kujala, K., Heiderscheidt, E., Ronkanen A.-K. 2022. Capability of HYDRUS wetland module to simulate flow and nitrogen removal processes in pilot-scale treatment peatlands under frost and no-frost conditions. Ecological Engineering 184, 106790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106790 
Lehtoranta, S., Laukka, V., Vidal, B., Heiderscheidt, E., Postila, H., Nilivaara, R., Herrmann I. 2022. Circular Economy in Wastewater Management—The Potential of Source-Separating Sanitation in Rural and Peri-Urban Areas of Northern Finland and Sweden. Frontiers in Environmental Science 10:804718. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.804718
Heiderscheidt, E., Tesfamariam, A., Marttila, H., Postila, H., Zilio, S., Rossi, P.M. 2022. Stable water isotopes as a tool for assessing groundwater infiltration in sewage networks in cold climate conditions. Journal of environmental management 302, 114107.
Marttila, H., Aurela, M., Büngener, L., Rossi, P.M., Lohila, A. Postila, H., Saari, M., Penttilä, T., Kløve, B. 2021.Quantifying groundwater fluxes from an aapa mire to riverside esker formation, Hydrology Research 52 (2), 585-596NB.
Ala-aho, P., Autio, A., Bhattacharjee, J., Isokangas, E., Kujala, K., Marttila H., Menberu, M., Meriö, L-J., Postila, H., Rauhala, A., Ronkanen, A-K., Rossi, P.M., Saari, M., Torabi Haghighi, A., Kløve B. 2021. What conditions favor the influence of seasonally frozen ground on hydrological partitioning? A systematic review. Environmental Research Letters - ERL-109806.R2
Nystrand, M.I., Hadzic, M. Postila, H., Wichmann, A., Karppinen, A., Ihme, R., Österholm, P., 2021. Characteristics of sulfide bearing soil materials in peat extraction areas in N-Finland, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 106640 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2020.106640
Heiderscheidt, E., Leiviskä, T., Campos Lopez, F., Tesfamariam, A., Postila, H., 2020, Suitability of natural and chemically modified peat as a sorbent material for mining water purification in small-scale pilot systems. Environmental Technology, 1–34, https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2020.1812007 
Postila, H., Heiderscheidt., E., 2020. Function and biomass production of willow wetlands applied in the polishing phase of sewage treatment in cold climate conditions. Science of the Total Environment 727:138620.
Saari, M., Rossi, P.M., Postila, H., Marttila, H., 2020. Predicting iron transport in boreal agriculture-dominated catchments under a changing climate. Science of The Total Environment 714: 136743
Heiderscheidt, E., Khan, U.A., Kujala, K., Ronkanen, A.-K., Postila H., 2020. Design, construction and monitoring of pilot systems to evaluate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on pollutant retention in wetlands. Science of the Total Environment 703: 134713
Heiderscheidt, E., Postila, H., Leiviskä, T., 2020. Removal of metals from wastewaters by mineral and biomass-based sorbents applied in continuous-flow continuous stirred tank reactors followed by sedimentation. Science of the Total Environment 700: 135079
Postila, H., Heiderscheidt, E. & Leiviskä, T. 2019. Removal of metals from mine drainage waters by in situ mineral sorbent-based pilot filter systems. Journal of Environmental Management 236: 631–638.
Heikkinen, K., Karppinen, A., Karjalainen, S.M., Postila, H., Hadzic, M., Tolkkinen, M., Marttila, H., Ihme, R. & Kløve, B. 2018. Long-term purification efficiency and factors affecting performance in peatland-based treatment wetlands: An analysis of 28 peat extraction sites in Finland. Ecological engineering 117:153–164.
Piippo, S., Lauronen, M. & Postila, H. 2018. Greenhouse gas emissions from different sewage sludge treatment methods in north. Journal of Cleaner Production 177: 483–492
Gogoi, H., Leiviskä, T., Heiderscheidt, E., Postila, H. & Tanskanen, J. 2018. Removal of metals from industrial wastewater and urban runoff by mineral and bio-based sorbents. Journal of environmental management 209: 316–327.
Gogoi, H., Leiviskä, T., Heiderscheidt, E., Postila, H. & Tanskanen, J. 2018. Тhe Еffectiveness of Metal and Metalloid Sorption from Mining Influenced Waters by Natural and Modified Peat. Mine Water and the Environment.
Postila, H., Karjalainen, S.-M. & Kløve, B. 2017 Can limestone, steel slag or man-made sorption materials be used to enhance phosphate-phosphorus retention in treatment wetland for peat extraction runoff with low phosphorous concentration? Ecological engineering 98:403–409.
Postila, H., Ronkanen A-K, & Kløve, B, 2015. Wintertime purification efficiency of constructed wetlands treating runoff from peat extraction in a cold climate. Ecological Engineering 85: 13–25.
Postila, H., Ronkanen, A.-K., Marttila, H., Kløve, B. 2015. Hydrology and hydraulics of treatment wetlands constructed on drained peatlands. Ecological Engineering 75: 232–241.
Postila, H., Saukkoriipi, J., Heikkinen, K., Karjalainen, S.M., Kuoppala, M., Marttila, H. & Klöve, B. 2014 Can treatment wetlands be constructed on drained peatlands for efficient purification of peat extraction runoff? Geoderma 228–229: 33–43.
Jäkäläniemi, A., Postila, H. & Tuomi, J. 2013. Accuracy of Short-Term Demographic Data in Projecting Long-Term Fate of Populations. Conservation Biology 27(3): 552–559.
Marttila, H., Postila, H. & Klöve B. 2010 Calibration of turbidity meter and acoustic Doppler velocimetry (Triton-ADV) for sediment types present in drained peatland headwaters: focus on particulate organic peat. River research and applications 26 (8): 1019–1035.

Contact information

E-mail

heini.postila@oulu.fi

Phone number

+358 294 48 4503

Postal address

Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit
P.O. Box 4300
90014 University of Oulu
Finland

Keywords

Northern regions Environmental technology industrial waste water and mine water purification and treatment wastewater treatment water resources engineering

Heini Postila

Research interests

Researcher information

Research groups

Researcher profiles

Scientific merits

Contact information

E-mail

Phone number

Postal address

Keywords

Projects

HyMETLand

Arktisten alueiden typpi -ja raskasmetallipitoisten valumavesien puhdistaminen hybridipuhdistusratkaisuilla (TypArkt)

Postal address

Street address