National Science Foundation Grand Awarded to Develop New Technologies for Removal of Hormones and Pharmaceuticals from Wastewater

November 18, 2013

Associate Professor Andrew Schuler recently received a $330,000 grant from the National Science Foundation Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) Unsolicited Award Program, “Engineering a better biofilm: Rational design of attachment surface chemistry and morphology to remove nutrients and microconstituents.” The goal of this research is to develop a new generation of materials that can be used to “engineer” biofilms to better remove both conventional contaminants, such as ammonia, and microconstituents, such as hormones and pharmaceuticals. This work will test the hypothesis that key biofilm chemical and ecological properties can be influenced by rational design of attachment surface chemistry and morphology. This research will be conducted over the next 3 years; excellent graduate applicants are invited to inquire about research opportunities.

51st Paving and Transportation Conference
January 6-7, 2014