CEE SEMINAR: Pushing the Envelope for Carbon Nanomaterial Application in Drinking Water Treatment

McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium (MDEA)
Onur Apul, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
University of Maine

 

Abstract: Science fiction fans of the 20th century may be disappointed because flying cars did not replace automobiles or talking robots are not our loyal butlers. But we are fully immersed in extremely sophisticated technologies in our daily lives that we can barely catch up. These technologies allow us to send video messages from our seats in an airplane over 35,000 feet flying above the Atlantic Ocean. We can cure diseases that were deadly 30 years ago or develop vaccines within months. We can solve crimes using advanced analytical tools that were unsolvable a few decades ago. We use highly precise gene editing tools. Quantum computing is not a dream anymore. The James Webb Space Telescope is performing high resolution and sensitive visualization of objects from the edge of the universe. The list can go on and on. However, when it comes to securing our access to safe drinking water, the technologies and materials we rely on are outdated and inefficient. In this presentation, I will focus on recent technological advances for the water treatment industry, which aspire to contribute to efficient, safe and sustainable water treatment. Specifically, I will discuss developing free energy relationships for removal of low molecular weight synthetic organic compounds from water by carbon nanomaterials, edge-tailoring regenerable carbon nanomaterials, and generation of electrospun carbon/polymer composites.

Bio: : Onur Apul is an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at University of Maine. He earned his doctorate in 2014 in environmental engineering at Clemson University, SC. His research focuses on evaluating intermolecular interactions between organic pollutants and carbon-based adsorbents within water treatment context. For this, in 2023, he was inducted into the "40 Under 40" cohort of American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. In 2023, Apul received the Early Career Research Award from the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. He has more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and has submitted seven patent applications to date. He has given more than 100 presentations including invited keynote lectures and invited talks at national and international meetings. He is an editor of Elsevier's Chemical Engineering Science.