Professor Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation)
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
Title: Photocatalytic Membranes for Water Reclamations: From Material Sciences to Applications
Abstract:
Water reclamation is an attractive approach to address global water shortage issues. Many innovative technologies have been established for contaminant removal from various wastewater sources. The utilization of nanosized photocatalysts for the remediation of environmental problems has shown remarkable potential in line with the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The modification in atomic level to produce particles that are independent in nanoscale has provided a myriad of novel characteristics that cannot be found in bulk materials. The photocatalyst can be synthesized using bottom-up approach to carefully tailor the desired properties, such as surface charges and functionalities to interact with the pollutants. Tremendous research efforts have been focused on the fine-tuning and the modification of these semiconductors for efficient degradation of organic pollutants since semiconductors are able to efficiently degrade a wide range of organic-based pollutants found in wastewater. On the other hand, membrane technology is also playing increasing roles in wastewater treatment and water reclamation owing to their attractive features compared to conventional techniques. Lately, photocatalysts and membrane technologies have been merged to form a relatively new class of nanocomposite membrane known as photocatalytic membranes. The synergic combination of the separation and reaction processes allows optimal performances in terms of productivity and sustainability. Through the unique combinations, the limitations of photocatalytic reaction and membrane separation can be resolved. The polymeric membrane acts as the host to enable facile recovery of photocatalyst nanoparticles, hence minimizing the risks of secondary pollutions. Likewise, the fouling issues associated to membrane technology can be mitigated through the incorporation of photocatalysts. The design of the photocatalytic membrane and its reactor requires a multidisciplinary approach in which different disciplines including chemistry, membrane engineering, and process engineering. This presentation focuses on the development of novel and efficient photocatalysts and photocatalytic membranes for wastewater treatment and water reclamation. The roles of nano-photocatalysts in heightening the efficiency of membrane technologies through the fabrication of photocatalytic membranes will be highlighted. The future outlooks, challenges and upscaling of this innovative technology will also be covered.
Biography:
Professor Ahmad Fauzi Ismail is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. He is the Founding Director of Advanced Membrane Technology Research Center (AMTEC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He is the author of over 700 papers in refereed journals and over 50 book chapters. He has authored or co-authored 6 books and edited or co-edited 11 books, 9 Patents granted and 21 Patents pending. He received more than 130 awards both at National and International level. Among the prestigious awards won are The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Prize in Engineering Sciences for 2019, Merdeka Award for the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Category on 4th September 2014, three times Malaysia’s Rising Star Award by Clarivate Analytics (2016, 2017, 2018). He has been awarded Malaysia Young Scientist Award in 2000; ASEAN Young Scientist Award in 2001; the National Intellectual Property Award twice in (Patent Category), 2009 and (Product Category), 2013; Two times National Innovation Award for (Waste to Wealth Category), 2009 and (Product Category), 2011. He also won National Academic Award (Innovation and Product Commercialization Category) in August 2013 and Malaysian Toray Science and Technology Foundation Award, on 28 November 2013. In 2004, The Cambridge Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England has listed him in the 2000 Outstanding Scientist of the 21th Century. He has been named as one of Most Cited Researchers in the list developed for Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic in Chemical Engineering 2016.
He is a Fellow of The Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Chairman of the ASM Southern Region Chapter since 2016, Founding President of Malaysia Membrane Society (MyMembrane) since 2018, Founding Vice President Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Alumni Association Malaysia, 2019; Chartered Engineer in the UK (CEng) and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE).
Prof. Fauzi served as the Chief Editor (Water Treatment and Desalination), Emergent Materials journal; Engineering Editor for The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (AJSE) Journal; Advisory Board Qatar University Press 2018, Advisory Board Members for Desalination Journal, Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology and Journal of Membrane Science and Research; Editorial Board Members for Journal of Membrane Water Treatment, Carbon Resources Conversion Journal, Jurnal Teknologi, Journal of Membrane and Separation Technology; Biofuel Research Journal, Journal of Rubber Research and Editor-in Chief for Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology.
Prof. Fauzi’s research focuses on development of polymeric, inorganic and mixed matrix membranes for water desalination, waste water treatment, gas separation processes, membrane for fuel cell applications, palm oil refining, haemodialysis membrane and smart optical fiber for tracking migration of oil flow and currently owns one spin off company.