Emerging Contaminants Research LAB (ECRL)
at New Jersey Institute of Technology
News and UPDATES
April 2024 -
Our project in collaboration with Dr. William Pennock's group at NJIT was selected for funding by the Bureau of Reclamation Desalination and Water Purification Research Program! "Enhanced Coagulation for the Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances using Hydrophobic Ion Pairing Approach" - https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/4803
Dr. Venkatesan was invited to present his research at the Department of Environmental & Sustainable Engineering at SUNY Albany on "Sequestration and destructive treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)"
March 2024 -
Dr. Venkatesan was invited to present his research and moderate a session at the Center for PFAS and Cancer (CPAC) Joint Virtual Symposium, Georgetown University: "Challenges in the treatment of short-chain PFAS"
Dr. Venkatesan was invited to present his research at the Levich Institute, City College of New York (CUNY) on "Sequestration and destructive treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)"
Dr. Venkatesan was invited to present at the Department of Biological Sciences, Seton Hall University on "Occurrence and mitigation of 1,4-dioxane in the Long Island water cycle "
February 2024 -
Congratulations to our team led by Dr. Sudheera Yaparatne for winning the I-Corps Northeast Hub Regional program mini grant for the project: "Innovative Pre-treatment for Enhanced PFAS Remediation with Granular Activated Carbon"
December 2023 -
Congratulations to Kaushik Londhe for successfully defending his PhD dissertation!
August 2023 -
Arjun Research Lab moved to New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and we have a new name now - Emerging Contaminants Research Lab (ECRL)
April 2023 -
Congratulations to PhD candidate Kaushik Londhe for securing the second prize in the 3-minute thesis competition (3MT): "Can radiation solve our drinking water problem?": https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/your-lifes-work-in-180-seconds-the-3mt-challenge/
February 2023 -
Dr. Venkatesan speaks about emerging contaminants in drinking water and associated challenges in New York State in this 6-part video series organized by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzrPnAZ6tFUWnkXHrnq6WVfT3-iKflpwz
February 2023 -
Dr. Venkatesan was quoted in a Newsday article "Airplane wastewater testing could help track COVID, other diseases, CDC says: https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/wastewater-testing-airplanes-cdc-v7bgbja8
January 2023 -
Congratulations to graduate student Kaushik Londhe for receiving an honorable mention in the ACS Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student Award!
December 2022 -
Dr. Venkatesan's project was selected for funding from the Bureau of Reclamation Desalination and Water Purification Research Pitch to Pilot program: "Enhancing the Removal of Hydrophilic Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) by Granular Activated Carbon using Hydrophobic Ion-pairing as Pre-treatment": https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/4381
August 2022 -
Chemical decapitation renders PFAS harmless: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemical-decapitation-renders-pfas-harmless/4016119.article
July 2022 -
Our proposal in collaboration with Dr. Onur Apul (University of Maine, Orono) and Dr. Navid Saleh (University of Texas at Austin) was selected for funding by the Environmental Research & Education Foundation: "PFAS Release from Spent Granular Activate Carbons in Solid Waste Management Facilities"
Dr. Venkatesan was quoted in a National Geographic article on wastewater-based epidemiology: "One of the best tools for predicting COVID-19 outbreaks? Sewage": https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/one-of-the-best-tools-for-predicting-covid-19-outbreaks-sewage
May 2022 -
The human health observatory in our sewers: https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-human-health-observatory-in-our-sewers/4015461.article
Dr. Venkatesan presented at the "Global PFAS Testing Symposium": https://webinar.sepscience.com/form/global-pfas-testing-virtual-symposium-advances-in-testing-occurrence
April 2022 -
Congratulations Kaushik Londhe! Graduate student Kaushik received a honorable mention for his poster presentation titled "Application of electron beam for the degradation of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water" at the Civil Engineering's first Graduate Student Research Symposium poster competition.
March 2022 -
Novel Treatments for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS)-Impacted Matrices: https://www.serdp-estcp.org/News-and-Events/Blog/Novel-Treatments-for-Per-and-Polyfluoroalkyl-Substance-PFAS-Impacted-Matrices
February 2022 -
Stony Brook Students and Faculty Pioneer International Virtual Exchange: https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/stony-brook-students-and-faculty-pioneer-international-virtual-exchange/
January 2022 -
Worldwide wastewater analysis reveals rise of designer drugs during lockdowns: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/worldwide-wastewater-analysis-reveals-rise-of-designer-drugs-during-lockdowns/4015118.article
December 2021 -
Dr. Venkatesan was invited by the NYS Department of Health to present at the Drinking Water Quality Council Meeting on PFAS treatability (17:30): https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?func=VOFF&id=nysdoh&date=2021-12-22&seq=1
December 2021 -
Dr. Venkatesan's proposal was funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) to study the remediation of PFAS-contaminated water and soil!
"Extraction and Removal of PFAS from Impacted Water and Soil using Air Bubbles": https://www.serdp-estcp.org/Program-Areas/Environmental-Restoration/Contaminated-Groundwater/ER22-3438
July 2021 -
Dr. Venkatesan's proposal was funded by the National Science Foundation to study PFAS treatment!
"ERASE-PFAS: Understanding the surface-active properties of PFAS for enhanced removal by bubbling-assisted water treatment processes": https://news.stonybrook.edu/facultystaff/ccwts-nsf-supported-research-will-improve-drinking-water-quality-environmental-health/
May 2021 -
Dr. Venkatesan served as a panelist at the New York State Water and Wastewater Virtual Legislative Forum to discuss and answer questions regarding emerging contaminants such as PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.
Link to the recording of the legislative forum: https://vimeo.com/547690362
February 2021 -
Our Center recently held a press event to highlight new research findings on 1,4-dioxane contamination and the use of low-cost nitrogen removing biofilter (NRB) for onsite wastewater treatment.
Link to the press event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktrjhph6SRs&feature=youtu.be
Media coverage
Newsday - Study: Low Cost Water Filtration Could Reduce Likely Human Carcinogen
WSHU - Long Island Clean Water Center Hopes Biofilters are the Answer to Remove Harmful Chemical in Water
Innovateli - https://www.innovateli.com/clean-water-center-eyes-natural-anti-pollutant-shield/
December 2020 -
Graduate student Kaushik Londhe presented his very first scientific poster at the 2020 SERDP & ESTCP Symposium on "Application of electron beam for the degradation of 1,4-dioxane and perfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6_GbaMPzzQ&list=TLPQMDMxMjIwMjBA4aFYDfn4hw&index=3
October 2020 -
Drs. Venkatesan and Gobler from the Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University are exploring the use of wastewater-based epidemiology to track the prevalence of ongoing COVID-19 in Long Island, NY communities:
April 2020 -
A special issue collection of peer-reviewed articles on the current state of biosolids, co-edited by Dr. Venkatesan, is now available in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/current-opinion-in-environmental-science-and-health/vol/14/suppl/C
March 2020 -
Dr. Venkatesan's webinar in collaboration with Agilent Technologies on "Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Water: Challenges and Mitigating Strategies in Detection and Treatment" is available at http://www.chromatographyonline.com/lcgc_w/mitigating_strategies
October 2019 -
Dr. Venkatesan was interviewed for an article in the Royal Society in Chemistry magazine: "Chemistry World", on how wastewater analysis could be used as a novel tool to understand population demographics: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/sewage-sampling-reveals-how-rich-and-poor-live/4010406.article
Dr. Venkatesan was interviewed about water quality issues in Long Island, NY: "Water Authority Exploring Second Contamination Suit, Lawyer Says": https://greatneckrecord.com/water-authority-exploring-second-contamination-suit-lawyer-says/
September 2019 - Turning the Tide - National Septic Week: Dr. Venkatesan served as a panelist in the event to talk and answer questions about contaminants of emerging concern: "challenges going forward – what we know and what we still don’t know"
July 2019 - Dr. Venkatesan's proposal was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's 2019 Accelerator Stewardship Program!
"Application of electron beam technology to decompose persistent emerging drinking water contaminants: poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane"
July 2019 - Dr. Venkatesan was interviewed about Long Island water quality and emerging contaminants by Anton Media Group - "Long Island’s Water Problem" (in three parts):
https://longislandweekly.com/long-islands-water-problem-part-one/
https://longislandweekly.com/long-islands-water-problem-part-two/
https://longislandweekly.com/long-islands-water-problem-part-three/
May 2019 - Dr. Venkatesan was recently interviewed about concerns related to perfluorochemicals by The Southampton Press - "Fire Foams Move Away From PFOS/PFOA, But Questions Linger":
February 2019 - Our research on 1,4-dioxane at the NYS Center for Clean Water Technology was highlighted by PBS NewsHour Weekend (6:45 min).
November 2018 - Dr. Venkatesan's research publication in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology journal was featured in the front cover of the journal issue. Article Abstract: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2018/ew/c8ew00478a
August 2018 - Dr. Venkatesan was invited by the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation to give a talk about perflurochemical contamination in Long Island drinking water - "Perfluorochemicals (PFCs): Background and Available Treatment Technologies." The Creeks, East Hampton, NY.
June 2018 - Dr. Venkatesan's co-authored publication in Journal of American Water Works Association was featured in the front cover of the journal issue. Article Abstract: https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/awwa.1049
November 2017 -
Science Policy Forum: Long Island Drinking Water. Dr. Venkatesan served as a panelist to discuss water quality issues in Long Island, NY.
Ongoing collaborations to address drinking water issues in Long Island, NY:
May 2016 - Dr. Venkatesan's research was featured in Environmental Health Perspectives journal: Arnold C. 2016. Pipe dreams: tapping into the health information in our sewers. Environ Health Perspect 124:A86–A91; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.124-A86
July, 2015 - Dr. Venkatesan's research was covered in the Florida Specifier: newsletter. "Study: Phosphate recovery at wastewater treatment plants could supplement mining operations."
May 2015 - Feature article by American Society of Agronomy covering Dr. Venkatesan's research - "A model approach for sustainable phosphorus recovery from wastewater": https://www.agronomy.org/science-news/model-approach-sustainable-phosphorus-recovery-wastewater
April, 2014 - ACS Chemical & Engineering News features Dr. Venkatesan's work: "Treated sewage solids contain troubling nitrosamines." http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/04/Treated-Sewage-Solids-Contain-Troubling.html
February, 2014 - Dr. Venkatesan's work was featured in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Environmental Factor: "Wastewater treatment offers a view into environmental chemicals’ risks." http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2014/2/science-wastewater/index.htm
January, 2014 - Dr. Venkatesan's work covered in ASU News: "Sludge as new sentinel for human health risks." https://asunews.asu.edu/20140116-chemicals-sludge-research
August, 2012 - Dr. Venkatesan's work covered in ASU News: "Antimicrobials from personal care products found in rivers, lakes." https://asunews.asu.edu/20120816_antimicrobials_riverslakes