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Tuesday, March 1, 2016 3:10p.m. Featheringill Hall Room 138 “Boldly Going Where No UV Has Gone Before: Producing UVC inside membrane modules via X-ray radioluminescence for biofouling prevention” DR. EZRA CATES Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Clemson University ABSTRACT High pressure membrane processes are increasingly widespread in water and wastewater treatment operations, particularly with respect to expanding desalination and wastewater reuse sectors worldwide. The greatest challenge to reducing operational costs for reverse osmosis desalination facilities is biofouling caused by attachment and colonization of bacteria in the module feed channels. Many methods for mitigating biofouling in spiral wound membrane modules are known, however, the most effective options still often result in critically fouled modules over time. The Cates Lab is exploring methods for producing germicidal UV radiation inside spiral wound modules to directly inactivate bacteria and potentially provide a more robust method for reducing, or even eliminating biofouling. The technology employs UVC-radioluminescent materials which can be activated externally by irradiation through the module with hard X-rays. Our ongoing work on materials development, bacterial inactivation studies, and membrane radiation damage assessments will be presented. BIOGRAPHY Dr. Cates’ research focuses on the development of advanced materials for environmental technology and public health applications, with an emphasis on optical materials and photocatalysis. He is currently an assistant professor in Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University. His holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech, and additionally performed postdoctoral research at Yale University.