CAREER: Disinfection Using Membranes: Optimizing Virus and Disinfection By-Product Control
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| Abstract | Membrane technologies such as nanofiltration and microfiltration have the ability to purify drinking water and wastewater to a high degree. Even though membranes are capable of achieving a very high quality of filtered water, to date the mechanisms by which they function are not well understood. For this reason, we (Prof. Chellam's research group at the University of Houston) have been performing laboratory experiments and computer simulations to quantitatively delienate their separation mechanisms including hindered convection, diffusion, electromigration, and adsorption. An approximate two-month long visit by the Principal Investigator to the Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement des Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France was was undertaken in order to develop a collaboration between the two institutions. During this time several potential topics for future collaboration were identified following discussions of our mutual research interests and capabilities and one in particular in the broad area of implementing innovative electrocoagulation methods for purifying suspended and dissolved contaminants from industrial effluents is currently being pursued. This trip also served to broaden the interactions of Prof. Chellam with European scientists, to better understand the research methodology of a leading French institution, and to initiate the writing of manuscripts for peer-review prior to publication. |
| Contributor | Mourad Ouzzani
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| Bio | Shankar Chellam received the B.E. (Hons.) degree in Mechanical Engineering and the M.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Chemistry from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India in 1986. He then worked as an engineer with J.K. Synthetics Ltd. (India) responsible for the operation and maintenance of the facilities for treatment of drinking water, wastewater, and industrial grade ultra-pure water. He joined Rice University in Houston, TX in 1989 to later receive his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Following this, he worked for four years as an environmental consulting engineer with Montgomery Watson Inc., Herndon, VA joining the University of Houston in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an Assistant Professor in 1999. Since then he has been promoted to the rank of Professor in 2008 and also has a courtesy appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His research interests include various aspects of membrane transport phenomena related to fouling and water quality. Another aspect of his research (not related to this particular NSF grant) includes the trace level measurements of metals in airborne particulate matter and their apportionment to various sources including the petroleum refining industry and automobiles. |
| Cite this work | Researchers should cite this work as follows: Shankar Chellam, "CAREER: Disinfection Using Membranes: Optimizing Virus and Disinfection By-Product Control", Trip report presented at the NSF IREE 2008 Grantees Conference, May 2008, Washington, D.C. |
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