Environmental Chemistry & Technology | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Sustainable Water Supply • Water Chemistry & Treatment Technology
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Research
Research
My research interests center on sustainable water supply, potable reuse of wastewater, and efficient water treatment design.
Water Scarcity Issues.
Water scarcity has been a global issue due to climate change, population growth, and increasing industrial demand. A recently published United Nations Water Resource Development Report highlights water scarcity in Taiwan, Australia, West America, and Mid-west and north-east Asia.1 For example, the U.S. Drought Monitor map in the past years has consistently marked areas in both western (including California, Oregon, and Washington) and central America (e.g., Texas) as either in ‘Exceptional drought’ or ‘Extreme drought’. In Taiwan, sporadic rainfall and sedimentation issues in water reservoirs significantly impair the sustainability of the water supply. While new water supplies are urgently needed, wastewater reclamation for indirect potable reuse (IPR) or direct potable reuse (DPR) is a promising solution, given that it is 100%-200% more energy-efficient and cost-effective than freshwater importation or seawater desalination.
Image sources: The Economist, YouTube
Turning wastewater into a valuable water resource.
Micropollutant removal and pathogen inactivation are the keys to successfully turning wastewater into a valuable water resource. However, like the chlorine dilemma (see article), the trade-offs among the operating costs, the efficacy of pathogens inactivation/micropollutant removal, and the formation of transformation byproducts necessitate that we prioritize which groups of micropollutants to control and develop treatment technologies. My research is aiming to better understanding the evolution of emerging micropollutants in reclaimed water and explore innovative treatment methods, based on fundamental principles of chemistry and physics.
Recent research focuses - LED-UV-based Advanced Oxidation Processes
LED-UV-based AOPs can outperform the status-quo, LPUV-based AOPs, in terms of energy efficiency and treatment efficiency of micropollutants. LED-UV lamps have a long-life span, high durability, are mercury-free, and are polychromatic.
The performance of AOP processes on the removal of micropollutants may be greatly enhanced with proper oxidant alternatives. For example, UV/free chlorine or UV/monochloramine generate chlorine radicals that are highly reactive toward a certain number of micropollutants. The use of catalysts during UV/oxidant AOPs could potentially increase the rate of radical production. Moreover, halogenated DBPs are likely more reactive toward hydrated electrons than the hydroxyl radical. Switching from hydrogen peroxide to sulfite (SO32-) generates hydrated electrons, e-(aq), which may be beneficial for the removal of halogenated compounds due to the high reaction rate constants.
Research grants
Research grants
1. High performance LED-UV based advanced oxidation processes: Development and mechanistic study MOST, TAIWAN (2019.08 - 2022.07)
2. Development of micropollutant toxicity index and the control strategies MOST, TAIWAN (2020.08~2023.07)
Contact:
Institute of Environmental Engineering, NYCU
1001 University Rd., East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan 30010
Email: yhchuang@nycu.edu.tw
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