Research

Basic and applied research in membrane science & technology; process development, design, control of membrane-based water treatment systems; water reclamation & reuse; process intensification; process automation; prototyping and pilot systems; distributed water systems and cyber-infrastructure; fouling & mineral scaling; membrane integrity; real-time membrane system performance monitoring; desalination concentrate treatment and salt harvesting; energy issues in water treatment and desalination processes; water treatment infrastructure for disadvantaged/remote communities.

Development of advanced technologies in water treatment and desalination, including chemical enhanced seeded precipitation for RO concentrate treatment, novel integration and control of integrated UF-RO for seawater desalination, self-adaptive membrane-based water treatment and desalination, real time membrane integrity monitoring, real-time membrane fouling/mineral scaling monitoring, and flexible cyclic RO desalination process.

Current Projects

Co-PI, Pilot Scale Evaluation of Flexible Low Energy Reverse Osmosis, Sponsor: US Bureau of Reclamation.
Co-PI, Self-Adaptive High Recovery Desalination of Agricultural Drainage Water with Concentrate Salt Harvesting, Sponsor: California Department of Resources (Pending contract agreement).
Co-PI, Overcoming Operating Pressure Barrier in High Recovery Membrane Desalination via Hybrid RO-NF Processes, Sponsor: US Bureau of Reclamation.
Co-PI, Distributed Potable Water Treatment Infrastructure for Remote Communities, Sponsor: California State Water Resources Control Board
Co-PI, Nanostructured High Performance Surface Responsive RO Membranes, Sponsor: US Army