March 2024 Technical Noon Webinar

Zoom (Registration is Required - Click on ORANGE button above to register)

Membrane Separations for Challenging Feed Streams

Allyson McGaughey

University of New Mexico

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

ABSTRACT: 

Advanced membrane separation processes are critical to achieve a sustainable, circular water economy – enabling recovery of water and other critical resources from challenging, high-concentration streams. However, pressure-driven membrane processes have been limited by fouling, scaling, and high-pressure operation. In this seminar, I report a systematic study of wetting in membrane distillation, a separation process that is uniquely promising for high-salinity and high-concentration streams. In membrane distillation, high membrane wetting resistance is critical to present process failure. I introduce recent progress in developing mechanistic understanding of relationships between wetting and membrane properties, towards the development of robust membranes. Finally, I discuss future research directions in developing membrane processes for water and resource recovery from challenging streams.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPY:

Allyson L. McGaughey joined the University of New Mexico in January 2024 as an Assistant Professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on advanced separation processes and materials to enable sustainable water reuse, resource recovery, and environmental remediation. Prior to joining UNM, she was a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Southern California and her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington.

REGISTRATION:

Membership in AWWA or WEF is not required. Registration is limited to the first 100 participants. All attendees must pre-register for this webinar by Tuesday evening, 3/19/2024 at 5:00 p.m.  Water and wastewater operators will be asked for NM Operator Certification number on the online registration form.

UPCOMING EVENT:

There will be no webinar in April in lieu of the NM Water Workshop to be held on April 4 & 5. Details & registration can be found at https://www.rmsawwa.org/page/NMWW. On the evening of May 15, we will have an in-person seminar & social function at the Rio Bravo Brewing Company. Our speaker will be Dagmar Llewellyn with the US Bureau of Reclamation. She will give us her perspective on water issues in NM based on her lengthy and accomplished career as a hydrologist and researcher on water topics in NM and the southwest. An announcement will be forthcoming. In the meantime save the date.