Joint Symposium with    

Symposium 23: Water Forum
Materials Science for Next Generation of Water Purification

Water is central to production of food, energy, and health. It touches every aspect of the environment and economy. However, due to population growth, over pumping of aquifers, and now changes in water patterns due to climate change, water scarcity is becoming critical all over the world. New methods to increase water from reclaiming, reusing, and desalinating water are needed to create new supplies. Increasing contamination of surface and ground waters increases the need for treating water, as well as the need to remediate arsenic from waters around the world, including Mexico. The need to disinfect water is as critical as ever, with billions around the world becoming sick every year (nearly 200 million lost work years) and millions of deaths due to pathogens in water. Traditional disinfection methods are not available for much of the world due to the lack of infrastructure; and, even where it is used, potent toxic disinfection byproducts can be produced. For all water supply and treatment issues, new materials are needed that can reduce energy and chemical usage, increase performance, and decrease the cost of water for human use. The combined U.S. MRS/Mexico MRS Water Forum is envisioned as an invitation for speakers and panelists, with significant participation by the attendees to help define the major materials issues facing emerging water supply, treatment, and purification issues for both developed and developing regions of the world. The emphasis would be on Mexico that has regions from the rural poor where there is little to no clean water, to one of the largest metropolitan regions in the world with significant issues with water scarcity.

A full definition of the problem will be sought, including (but not limited to) the following considerations: New materials are needed for creating new water supplies from reuse and desalination, decontamination, and pathogen inactivation for both developed and developing nations and regions. Water-material interactions must be understood, including how cells, viruses, and heavy metals interact with filter components with good transport properties, and how we can utilize indigenous materials for new water-treatment materials. New heterogeneous disinfection and hydrocarbon oxidation materials are needed for catalysts and photoactive materials with very high kinetics, regenerable and excited with solar and blue light. In particular, we need to look at potential disinfection byproducts to avoid unintended consequences of producing toxic contaminants. Next-generation materials for water purification are needed for multifunctional filters capable of removing a wide range of contaminates to emerging water standards. New materials for rain-water harvesting, including active biological materials, should safely store water without adding potent toxic chemicals, such as biocides. Issues of water transport through materials are critical to being able to efficiently filter water with low back pressure and minimum energy expenditure. New materials for analyzing water and testing modalities are needed that can quantify contaminants in source waters rapidly and accurately continuously over time for biological and inorganic contamination at very low levels in the presence of potable constituents. Finally, residual reduction and elimination treatments for brine and sludge produced in desalination and reuse, as well as toxic concentrates, is a critical issue preventing adoption in many parts of the world. Systems that permit large reductions in residuals face major materials challenges that need solutions.

The following topics will be the focus of the symposium:

• Material needs for creating new water supplies
• Water-material interactions, including cells, viruses, and heavy metals
• Catalysts and photoactive materials for disinfection
• Materials for water purification and multifunctional filters
• Materials for rain-water harvesting, including active biological materials
• Water transport through materials at low pressure with minimum energy
• New materials and modalities for quantifying contaminants in source waters
• Residual treatment to reduce waste from desalination and reuse

Invited speakers and panelists (tentative) include:

Erick Roberto Bandala (UDLA-P), Benito Corona Vasquez (UDLA-P), Yi Lu (Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA), Miguel Angel Mendez Rojas (UDLA-P), Michael Plewa (Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA), Jose Luis Sanchez Salas (UDLA-P), and Joanna L. Shisler (Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA).

Symposium Organizers

Mark A. Shannon University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, Micro-Nano-Mechanical Systems Laboratory, 2130 MEL MC-244, 1206 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 Tel 217-244-1545, Fax 217-333-1942 Email: mshannon@illinois.edu Eric A. Mintz Clark Atlanta University, 223 James P. Brawley Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30314 Tel 404-880-6886, Fax 404-880-6890 Email: emintz@cau.edu

Maria M. Fidalgo de Cortalezzi Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Av. Madero 399, 1106 Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel 5411-6393-4800 x-5821 Email: mfidalgo@itba.edu.ar Jose Rene Rangel Mendez IPICyT, División de Ciencias Ambientales, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4a. Sección, C.P. 78216, San Luis Potosí, México Tel 52-444-834-2000 x-2025, Fax 52-444-834-2010 Email: rene@ipicyt.edu.mx

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