Doctoral students, Ariel Atkinson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Erin Partlan of Clemson University, have received the 2014 Fellowship for Membrane Technology award from the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) for research in membrane fouling.
This two-year, US$ 10,000 a year fellowship supports research that meets NWRI’s objectives in water quality, public health and the environment and AMTA’s aims to promote membrane technology.
Third-year doctoral student Atkinson is looking into a novel anti-biofouling membrane that could improve water quality and cut treatment costs. Her graduate advisor is assistant professor Orlando Coronell.
Partlan is a first-year student researching the use of dissolved carbon dioxide in preventing and and removing foulants from reverse osmosis membranes. The technology could reduce treatment plant costs because carbon dioxide could be more readily recovered from water than conventional chemical cleaners. Her graduate advisor is assistant professor David Ladner.