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Wen's Research Group
Dr. Zhang’s research group recently received an EPA P3 Phase II grant to support the proposed research on Microwave-Catalytic Membrane for PFAS Degradation and Antiviral Applications.
The EPA P3 Phase I research focused on the incorporation of BFO catalyst on filtration membranes to aid the degradation of organic persistent pollutants and antifouling characteristics. In the phase II research, we aim to exploit a suite of novel high-performance microwave-responsive catalysts to devise functional microwave-enhanced liquid filtration systems. The first objective will be the fabrication and characterization of a suite of V2O5/Co3O4@rGO nanocomposites with respect to their microwave adsorption performance and mechanisms. The second objective is to experimentally examine the microwave penetration into the membrane modules, water and catalyst layers, followed by complementary Multiphysics COMSOL simulation to predict the results that are difficult to obtain experimentally. Moreover, capability of viral inactivation in microwave assisted membrane filtration system will be tested. The catalyst coated microwave-assisted membrane filtration is expected to enhance the viral removal or inactivation compared to the same filtration process without catalyst or microwave irradiation, which leads to microwave catalysis reactions and viral inactivation. This project will support Dr. Zhang’s doctoral student (Fangzhou Liu) and other team members to carry out this project for two years from 2022 to 2023.
Wen Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Principal Investigator
Professor
Phone: (973) 596-5520
Fax: (973) 596-5790
Email: wen.zhang@njit.edu
Office Location: Colton Hall 211
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