ABSTRACT: The development of innovative materials enables new processes, which can make a significant contribution to promoting sustainability, e.g., decreasing the cost and increasing the supplies of water, energy, and health. This presentation will introduce two examples and talk about their environmental applications. One is about a chemical-free pathogen inactivation technology called locally enhanced electric field treatment (LEEFT). This technology has been applied for water disinfection and algae control. Another example is a three-dimensional (3D) filtration process based on rationally designed super-absorbent polymer (SAP) beads. Applications of 3D filtration have been demonstrated in water purification, algae harvesting, and environmental and biological sample preservation.
BIO: Dr. Xing Xie is an Assistant Professor and the Carlton S. Wilder Junior Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Prior to joining GT, he was a postdoc at Caltech. Dr. Xie received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Science & Engineering from Tsinghua. He received his second M.S. degree in Materials Science & Engineering and Ph.D. degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including PNAS, Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, and Energy & Environmental Science. His work has been cited over 8000 times with an H-index of 33. Dr. Xie received the CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2019, the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Emerging Investigator Award in 2020, and the Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Honor Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists in 2021.