Natural Resources and Waste

Our research utilizes materials innovation to develop simple, economical, and energy efficient environmental remediation technology. Tailoring surface- and defect structures in solid materials to understand structure-property relationships allows for the design and synthesis of technological materials having desirable properties for environmental remediation and greener chemical processes. Current projects related to development of reusable hybrid organic-inorganic sorbents for effective removal of heavy metals in polluted water, reusable (or easily regenerated) catalysts for rapid removal of organic pollutants from wastewater and volatile organic compounds in air under ambient conditions, and low-cost catalysts derived from biomass waste.