ROBUST, REGENERATED, ANTI-FOULING LIGIN-CELLULOSE BIOCOMPOSITE ADSORPTIVE MEMBRANE WITH MULTIPLE HEAVY METAL REMOVAL

Sustainable supply of food, energy and water (FEW) was recently identified as a Grand Challenge by the National Academy of Engineering. To address this challenge, it is critical to adopt the circular economy concept by transferring renewable waste and byproducts generated in agricultural and food systems into tangible and economically viable wastewater treatment products. Wastewater recovery could provide renewable FEW feedstock, but in order to guarantee the quality and safety, toxic heavy metals must be removed before reuse. Here, we propose to develop a bio-based adsorptive composite membrane (ACM) derived from renewable agricultural biological materials (cellulose & lignin) to selectively remove heavy metals from wastewater without introducing additional chemicals.If successful, we will deliver a suite of novel, bio-based ACMs for high-performance FEW recovery. Further, the design process will be optimized for cost and performance to facilitate commercialization and secure our FEW resources for the future.