Jalal Hawari studies how to use bacteria to clean up contaminated sites and make new "bio-products" that do not harm the environment.

As leader of the environmental and analytical chemistry group, I manage a multidisciplinary team of about 16 scientists, which includes chemists, microbiologists, biologists and engineers. One of our mandates is to study environmental pollution in soil, water and air, and then design strategies on how to remove the pollutants. We are also starting to use microbes and renewable feedstocks to develop new "bioproducts" that do not harm the environment.

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"I like being part of a team and helping to make discoveries that have an impact on people's lives."

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Current Projects

Since 1993, I've worked on an environmental remediation project for the Department of National Defence. They want to know the extent of contamination caused by explosives and understand their ecological impact on living organisms ranging from bacteria to trees and animals. This project is still running today, which gives you an idea of its complexity and the amount of science we've generated. It involves characterizing the chemicals found at contaminated sites and how they migrate through subsurface soil to reach the water table. Then we look at the bacteria that live near these contaminated sites, isolate them, and see in the lab how we can use them or train them to degrade explosives and other emerging contaminants.

Through this work, we've obtained research contracts from U.S. government sources such as the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and the Office of Naval Research. We've discovered the degradation pathways of RDX, one of the most widely used explosives. We're also studying marine sediments – we obtain samples from ocean depths of 200-300 metres, look at the microbial communities, and see how they interact with pollutants. As a result, we've discovered new bacteria that not only can degrade explosives but also generate new, environmentally friendly bioproducts.

In another project, we've been studying the possibility of developing useful products using the sugar reserves found in maple sap. We fed maple sap to bacteria that are known to live on sugar, and the bacteria produced a natural polymer that could be used as biodegradable food packaging and other applications. We now need an industrial partner to commercialize the process. The beauty of maple sap is that it's sterile and has the right pH and metal content for bacterial growth.  

Our group is also targeting lignin – one of the most abundant agricultural waste materials. We want to find ways to transform lignin into useful bioproducts or bioenergy.

Getting There: Road to NRC

I grew up in a village where my mother made our own soap from olive oil. I started being curious about science in high school. I earned a B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Jordan in Amman and then went to England to pursue post-graduate studies. I got my Ph.D. at University College in London and did two years of post-doctoral work. NRC researchers used to visit us in London to give presentations, which is how I learned about NRC. I've worked at NRC since September 1983, starting in the former chemistry division in Ottawa and then moving to the NRC Biotechnology Research Institute in Montréal in 1987.

Life in a Research Lab

I leave home at 8 a.m. and arrive back home by 8 p.m., so I work almost a 12 hour-day at NRC. And when I go home, I often end up turning on the computer.

Each day, I meet with team members, get updates on work in progress, look at research data, and respond to phone calls and e-mails. I may also talk to research collaborators in the U.S., U.K. or Canada. Afterwards, I may work on a scientific manuscript, or write a report for clients who gave us research funding.

Jalal After Hours

I love listening to music. As for exercise, I don't drive to work. I walk or commute using public transportation. I used to play tennis, but now I'm happy just walking. 

Vacations: Ever odd year – 1983, 1985, 1987, etc. – I used to take a few months off in the summer to visit my mother. But she died in 1999 so this routine stopped. Now, I may take a few days off during a conference, or relax at home with my wife. When we do travel, we normally go to the Middle East.

Books: I like to read history books. And I recently enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, who discusses life from the perspective of a dying person. His ideas are similar to those of Gibran Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese writer who wrote The Prophet.

Music: I enjoy classical music, especially Pavarotti. But now that he's gone, life has no meaning!

Television: I like the Discovery and History channels, as well as news shows. I like to know what's going on in the world.

Movies: I prefer to read the book or an abstract about a movie.

For more information about Jalal Hawari's research, visit:

From the sugar shack to the biorefinery

Got Questions?

• Feel free to drop Jalal a line at education@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca .
• Be sure to address your question to Jalal and he'll try to answer it as best he can.