Thermofluids and Nanoengineering for Grand Challenges within Water, Air and Energy

Abstract Humanity is facing growing challenges from pollution, water scarcity, and climate change. Membrane separations are typically the most effective and energy efficient separation approaches, but membranes need new capabilities to address complex and challenging separations.

Thermodynamic systems analysis can identify which treatment may most benefit from new materials or fully rethinking separation approaches. New processes developed by applying new fields and forces to membranes can transform their capabilities.

To remediate pollutants, membranes with specialized selectivity between ions can enhance high-salinity desalination and catalytic membrane processes. Catalytic processes can also enable the first self-pumping membrane processes, where pores generate their own electric field to drive fluid flow.

Membranes can also be designed to be enhanced by acoustic fields, to tackle challenging separations like removing virus-containing bioaerosols. And crucially, membranes need incredible selectivity to replace in efficient thermal processes for separating dilute components, like removing water vapor from the air.

This talk will explain mechanisms, materials, and innovations to transform selective processes key for sustainability and human health. About the Speaker David Warsinger is an Associate Professor at Purdue, whose research uses thermofluids and materials science for improving the performance and capabilities of sustainable membrane technologies, especially desalination.

He did his PhD with Prof. John Lienhard and PostDoc at Yale with Prof’s Menachem Elimelech and Jaehong Kim. He has over 150 scientific contributions, comprising journal papers, conference papers, patents, and book chapters.

He has won 11 international awards for young scientists and receives over 1500 citations per year. 11 of his lab members have secured faculty jobs. He has gotten competitive awards for mentoring, teaching, outreach, entrepreneurship, and research.

He is also involved with commercializing his research through startup companies and industrial grants. Host: Professor Leonardo Chamorro