We are proud to have Prof Hokyong Shon (UTS) to share with us his intensive experience in membrane application in nutrients recovery. His talk's topic is Membrane-Based Processes For Nutrient Recovery For A Circular Economy.  If you missed the webinar, click HERE to listen.

Special thanks to Prof Rong Wang from NTU, Singapore to deliver an informative and inspirational talk on the topic "Revisit forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membrane technologies – where we are now? . If you missed the webinar, click HERE to listen.

Dr George Chen from the University of Melbourne has shared with the audience his research outcome and application of membrane technology on the organic acid recovery. The topic of his talk is "Organic acid recovery using membrane technology". If you missed the webinar, click HERE to listen.

Thanks to Dr Filicia Wicaksana for sharing her experience and research outcomes on the topic "Membrane Fouling: Challenges and Mitigation". The talk was so informative and also has inspired the audience. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to listen.

Dr Zongli Xie has shared her research outcomes on the mixed matrix membranes with in the talk titled "Nanomaterials Enhanced Mixed Matrix Membranes for Efficient Separation of Aqueous Mixtures". If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Congratulations to Prof Xiwang ZHANG (Director of ARC- EESEP), Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of ARC- EESEP), A/Prof Matthew Hill (CI of ARC- EESEP), Dr Anita Hill (SAC of ARC- EESEP, CSIRO), Prof Benny Freeman (SAC of ARC- EESEP, The University of Texas at Austin), Dr Huacheng Zhang (RMIT University), Dr Jun Lu (Chemical Engineering), and Dr Xingya Li (Chemical Engineering for shortlisted finalist for 2021 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology. The Team has developed a controlled filtration technology that can separate lithium from other unwanted impurities with remarkable precision, heralding a new era in sustainable battery production.

Dr Jing Guan (Chief Scientist of OriginWater Technology Co., Ltd.,) shared the application of membrane technology in wastewater treatment and reuse in the industry. Novel technology has brought great success in wastewater treatment especially in China. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Another great success by Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub and Professor from Monash Univesity), awarded the ARC Future Fellowship 2021 "Epitaxial Stacking of Nanoporous Nanosheets for Next-generation Membranes". This project aims to develop high-precision selective membranes which are urgently needed in Australian key industries for solute-solute separation by constructing vertically-aligned and chemically-tailorable nanochannels using two-dimensional porous nanosheets as building blocks. 

Prof Faisal Hai from UOW has shared his journey in working with membrane bioreactor in waste water treatment. His talk titled "Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and I: The Voyage Continues" has greatly benefited the audience. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Prof Ho Kyong Shon, CI of the hub and Professor from UTS successfully bid for new ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE). This Hub aims to transform the wastewater industry with an unprecedented, city-scale circular economy of nutrients based on urine separation and processing at building level, to produce safe and effective liquid fertilisers. 

Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub and Professor from Monash Univesity) has secured an ARC Linkage Project "Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water" together with Water Research Australia and GrapheneX Pty Ltd. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. 

Prof. Xing Yang from KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (SIM²) has delivered a talk about the "Designing membrane distillation processes for energy-efficient resource recovery: through the lens of process intensification". If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

A great talk was delivered by A/Prof Wenjing (Angela) Zhang from Technical University of Denmark titled "Functional material and membrane design for water technology". If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Prof. Lu Shao from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) China has delivered a talk on a topic "Fabricating Advanced Membranes for Molecular Separations".  Prof Shao has reported a promising membrane in the carbon separation process. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

An informative webinar has been delivered by Assoc. Prof. Prof. Collin Scholes from The University of Melbourne about the application of membrane in the gas separation. Assoc. Prof.  Scholes and his team has successfully applied the laboratory research outcome to the industry. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Mr Sebastian Andreassen, Co-founder & CCO from Cembrane, Denmark has delivered a great talk about the use of SiC ceramic membranes for water- & wastewater treatment. He has shared the application of the membrane technology in the industry water and wastewater treatment plant. . If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

A talk titled "Novel separations technology applications for waste reduction and resource recovery in the foods industry" was delivered by Prof Mikel Duke (Victoria University). The talk has provided the audience the new separation methods in reducing waste and recovering the resources. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Professor Tao He (the Editor of Desalination and the head of the Lab for Membrane Material and Separation Technology at Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences) has delivered a great talk titled "Sustainable Membrane Extraction for Li Isotope Enrichment and Li Recovery: Development of Robust Solvent/Acid Resistant Membrane Based on Semicrystalline Polymers".  If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

The project that working with water authority Victoria has brought significant & promising outcomes. Dr Zhuyuan Zhang has presented the research outcomes to Dr Dharma Dharmabalan (previously TasWater), Dr Li Gao (South East Water) and Mr Joel Segal (South East Water). The future planning of the project has also discussed in the meeting.

After 1 year of lock down due to COVID 19 pandemic, finally the steering committee could meet up to review the hub's activities in 2020 and plan for the direction of the hub in the future. Despite all the restrictions in 2020, the hub has achieved significant outcomes.

Dr Amir Razmjou from UTS presented a great webinar on the topic of "Emerging Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies for zero-carbon Li mining" in conjunction with the  MSA Award Event. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Dr Joshi has delivered a very informative and great talk about the Applications of Graphene Oxide. The Q&A session was very dynamic where lots of the audience joined the conversation. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Emeritus Professor Hans G. L. Coster has kicked off the Scientific & Industry Webinar Series for 2021. His talk titled "Biofouling in RO Membranes: An In-situ Monitoring Technique" provides the information and techniques for non-destructive technique to monitor the bio-fouling on the membrane. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

An informative talk was delivered by Prof Menachem Elimelech titled "Next Generation Desalination Membranes: Where Are We Now?". The webinar has attracted about 100 audience dialled in to listen to this great talk. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Congratulation to A/Prof Matthew Hill GAICD (CI of the Hub), who received a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to materials development for industry, and the Australian Defence Force. A/Professor Hill is an internationally recognised expert in the design, synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials, and his service to the scientific community, both nationally and internationally, and the to the improvement of Australian’s Defence capability, is recognised with this award.

A/Prof Matthew Hill has shared the new method to stop the membrane physical aging and also the role and challenges of membranes in batteries on the Scientific & Industry Webinar Series. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

The hub is very proud to have Prof Ranil Wickramasinghe from Membrane Science, Engineering and Technology (MAST), University of Arkansas to share about the Membrane based bioseparations: validating virus clearance in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals with the hub community. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Dr Mike Dixon Dr Mike Dixon (CEO & Founder of Synauta Inc) has delivered a great talk on Optimizing RO Energy and Chemical Consumption with Machine Learning: Saving up to 20% opex costs. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Congratulation to Prof Hokyong Shon (CI of the hub) being recognized this year as the Research Leader in the field of Water Supply and Treatment in Australia! This is a major recognition for his solid and consistently high-quality contribution in the field.

Congratulations to Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director) and the team from the ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation (EESep) and Oxfam Australia, who have been nominated in the IChemE Global Awards 2020 in the Water Award Category for their work on the “Solar-driven Micro-desalination Technology” project.

Prof Stephen Gray (Victoria University) has delivered an informative talk about "Membrane Integrity and for Reliable Water Reuse".  He shared with the audience the integrity issues for the membrane performance during service, possible approach to improve the integrity performance  of membranes and on-line membrane integrity monitoring for high pressure membranes.  If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.  

A great publication by the Hub Chief Investigators, Prof Stephen Gray, Prof Graeme Millar and Prof Hokyong Shon and the team reported a permeable graphene membrane operating in harsh conditions with no observable degradation on the Carbon.

A great talk delivered by Mr Bruce Biltoft & Mr Gerin James from DuPont Water Solutions titled "UF To MBR, The Evolution Of Advanced WW Re-use". Both of them shared the practical uses of membrane in the  water recycle / reuse plants in America, China, Singapore and Australia. In order to achieve smaller footprint, membrane bio-reactor (MBR) is used to replace the settling and filtration processes in the water treatment plant. Furthermore, they also showed that MBR has reduced energy significantly  in the operation stage. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.  

A thorough review on downsizing MOF methods published on NPG Asia Materials by A/Prof Ludovic Dumee and his team. This collection of downsizing routes allows one to tailor features of MOFs, such as the morphology, size distribution, and pore accessibility, for a particular application. This review provides an outlook on the enhanced performance of downsized MOFs along with their potential use for both existing and novel applications in a variety of disciplines, such as medical, energy, and agricultural research.

A/Prof Shobha Muthukumaran and her team has reported "Evaluation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) loading in the PVA/titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film coating on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane for the removal of textile dyes" on the Chemosphere.

Dr Dharmabalan has given a presentation about "The role of Membranes in drinking and recycle water management Post COVID-19" from the perspective of industry player. He has more than 30 years experience working with water industry and he led the team in TasWater to deliver a program named "24 Glasses in 24 Months". In his presentation, he shared with the audiences about the evolution of water services, water safety from the historical perspectives, water challenges over centuries, technologies adaption to overcome the problems, the role of membranes in water industry in post COVID-19 era and the needs of reviewing the risk management plans. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

A/Prof Ludovic Dumee and his team has published their great work "Flexible and reusable carbon nano-fibre membranes for airborne contaminants capture" on the Science of the Total Environment where it exhibits excellent air filtration performance for bio-aerosols treatment.

Interviewed by ABC News, Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of ARC- EESEP) shared his team's success to make brackish water and seawater clean and drinkable in less than 30 minutes - using sunlight and absorbent materials.

Brilliant research done by the research team led by Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of ARC- EESEP). Desalination using MOF material with the power of sunlight, a cheaper and more energy-efficient separation process.

Prof Huanting Wang from Monash University has delivered a great and inspired talk in the Scientific & Industry Webinar  Series  titled Nanochannel membranes for fast water evaporation and proton transport. Two kinds of membranes, which are graphene membrane and ZIP-8 membranes, demonstrated fast water evaporation and proton conduction. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

The Scientific & Industry Webinar Series is co-organised by the hub, MCMI and MSA, Our first webinar was delivered by Dr Ludovic Dumee from Deakin University. His presentation topic is "Perspectives on the development of membrane catalytic reactors – key process and materials bottlenecks". Specially thanks to Dr Dumee for the great and informative presentation and also sharing his experience which has benefited to the ECRs & students. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

The second webinar for the Water Innovation Webinar Series on Challenges and solutions for resilient regional water supply has been successfully held. Specially thanks to our distinguished speakers, Ms Jacqueline Frizenschaf (WaterRA), Mr Raj Mahendrarajah (Coliban Water), Dr Dharma Dharmabalan (Dharmabalan Advisory), Ms Eleanor Jackson (Oxfam Monash Partnership), Mr Jimi Peters (Oxfam Australia), Dr Yue Liu (Monash University), Dr Farzaneh Mahmoudi (Monash University) and Mr Jim Fear (SEQ Water) for their informative and great presentations. The challenges and possible solutions for the regional water solutions were discussed in the webinar. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Professor Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub) has received a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship for his work in nanoporous materials and composite membranes - research that supports innovations in renewable energy, mining and clean water. Congratulations!

Another great webinar co-organised together with MCMI and MSA, we are proud to have 6 speakers joining us to share and discuss on the membrane technologies in the food industry.  A dynamic of attendees from the academic and industry has joined the webinar and great conversation has occurred. Special thanks to our speakers: Prof Sandra Kentish (The University of Melbourne), Mr Stephen Pease (DuPont Water Solutions), Prof Huanting Wang (Monash University), Mr Filip Janakievski (CSIRO’s Food Innovation Centre), Dr Ruohui Lin (Monash University) and Dr Qinfu Hou (Monash University). If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

Great job from the hub CI, A/Prof Matthew Hill GAICD team. A device to capture carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, with super low costs.

The hub is proud to work together with Water Research Australia (WaterRA) in organising the Water Innovation Webinar Series: Challenges and Opportunities of Water Industry in the Emerging Hydrogen Economy. Thanks to our distinguished speakers, Dr Diane Kraal (Monash University), Dr Rob Whait (South Australia University), Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of ARC-EESep, Monash University), Dr Stacey Hamilton (Water Corporation) and Mr John Poon (Jacob) for delivering very inspiring and informative talks in the webinar. The webinar has attracted more than 100 participants from all over the world from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, India, Tunisia, Iran and Kazakhstan to join the webinar. If you missed the webinar, click HERE to watch.

An outstanding research works by the Hub Director (Xiwang ZHANG) and the co-workers to develop the ultrathin water-stable metal-organic framework membranes for ion separation.

The team led by the Hub Deputy Director, Prof Huanting Wang delivered an outstanding research work which develop the metal–organic framework (MOF)/polymer heterogeneous nanochannels which opens a novel approach to regulate ion permeability and selectivity of artificial ion channels.

Hub CI Professor Graeme Millar from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Prof Millar has considerable experience in industry, having worked for 10 years in a start-up company which developed catalysts and sorbents for water/wastewater treatment. He has successfully commercialised two technologies; one of these technologies involved the design of a new zeolite material, which had exceptional capacity for ammonium ions; the second technology was a silver catalyst employed in the global formaldehyde industry.

Hub CI Simon Smart is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. He is also part of the senior leadership team of the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation and Director of the Functional Interfacial Materials and Membranes Laboratory (FIM2Lab) at The University of Queensland. 

ARC Energy-Efficient Research Hub works closely with CSL Behring and brought up this meeting to spark the opportunity to transform the biotechnology industry by academic researches. We are privileged to have the prestige researchers from multiple disciplines (Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Chemistry, Biotechnology and Mechanical Engineering) to attend and share their insightful research outcomes in purpose to solve some technical problems in CSL Behring. The meeting was attended by Dr Hung Pham (R&D PPD Manager, CSL Behring), Dr Germano Coppola (Executive Director, CSL Behring), Prof Mark Banazak Holl (Head of Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University), Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of ARC-EESep, Monash University), Prof San Thang AC (School of Chemistry, Moanash University), Dr Xing Yang (Deakin University), Prof Bayden Wood (Director for the Centre of Biospectosocpy, Monash University), Dr Phillip Herauld (Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University), Dr Victor Cardaso (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University), Dr Andrea Merenda (Deakin University), Dr Ludovic Dumee (Deakin University), Prof Lingxue Kong (Deakin University), Dr Qinfu Hou (Monash University), Prof Rosainne Guijt (Deakin University), Prof Todor Vasiljevic (Victoria University), Dr Wang Zhao (Monash University) and Dr Soo Leong (Hub Manager of ARC-EESep, Monash University).

A/Prof Matthew Hill (CI of the Hub) received the Solomon Award for developing ‘magic crystals’ with dozens of applications from cleaning gases and liquids to mining and drug production. Associate Professor Hill's team at CSIRO (Australia’s national science agency) and Monash University has partnered with US company EnergyX to commercialise a new production process that uses MOFs to create lithium. Matthew received the inaugural David and Valerie Solomon Award, presented by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) on Friday, November 29, at an event in Melbourne. David Solomon was the principal inventor of Australia’s plastic banknotes, and has developed a range of new technologies used widely in the plastics and polymers industries. A/Prof Hill will receive $15,000 and 12 months mentoring from a senior entrepreneur/industry Fellow of the Academy, with $5000 travel expenses to enhance this mentoring experience. 

The organising committee would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to all volunteers, Mr Jian Hu, Dr Meipeng Jian, Mr Shi Yuan, Dr Yaoxin Hu, Ms Yue Liu, Dr Wang Zhao, Dr Xiaofang Chen, Dr Emily Wang, Dr Xiangkang Zeng, Ms Xiaoyi Hu, Ms Rujing Hou, Mr Yun Xia, Mr Yang Li, Mr Hamidreza Mahdavi, Ms Leena Melag, Mr Yuan Kang and Dr Bhuvana Shanbhag. They have contributed their efforts and time without expecting any returns and worked together to make the conference so successful. They have demonstrated their commitments and excellence works from the planning, preparation, airport pickup, registration, design and on the conference day duties. Again, the organisers would like to thank them and wish them all the best in their research.

The organising committee of the iEESEP2019 has invited all the Plenary, Keynote and Invited Speakers, the distinguished guests, the CIs and PIs of the hub and the volunteers to an appreciation dinner at the Man Mo @WTC. Prof Xiwang Zhang (Co-chair of iEESEP2019 & Director of ARC-EESep) has expressed his appreciation to all which have contributed their time and efforts to make the conference so successful. He wishes to see more collaboration and new ideas as a results of this conference.

A lot of achievements and outcomes have been delivered by the ARC-EESep Research Team. The hub has a total of 20 active and on-going projects. All of the projects have great outcomes and collaboration with the industry partners. They have truly transformed the industry by innovative research for the past 2 years. This year, the hub has established 2 new awards which are The Hub Best Poster Presentation Award and The Hub Excellence Project Award. Each of the project has submitted a poster which clearly demonstrate the project nature and more importantly display the significant outcomes especially the impacts to the industry. On the other hand, the excellence award was given to the team who has delivered excellence job. The excellence awards were awarded to the team which has demonstrated great commitment, high impact to the industry partners and excellence outcome especially on the return of investment. The awards were given away during the iEESEP2019 Conference Dinner at SeaLife Aquarium Melbourne on 28 Nov 2019. The winners of the awards are listed below.

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The Hub Poster Presentation Award

1st Prize: Project IH17.3 - Victoria University & Activated Water Technologies

Prof Mikel Duke, Mr Bahay Ozcakmak, Dr Xing Yang, Mr Johnson Luo & Dr Peter Sanciolo

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2nd Prize: Project IH17.5 - Monash University
Dr He Lizhong & Dr Bhuvana Kamath Shanbhag

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3rd Prize: Project 17.9 - Monash University & Jiangsu Easthigh Environmental Holdings Co. Ltd.
Prof Xiwang ZHANG & Dr Meipeng Jian

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The Hub Excellence Award

1st Prize: Project IH17.7 - The University of Queensland and Arrow Energy
A/Prof Simon Smart, Mr Christopher Williams, Dr Julius Motuzas, Ms Charmaine Lamiel and Ms Yue Yuan

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2nd Prize: Project IH17.2 - Monash University & 2D Water
Prof Huanting Wang, Dr Nicholas (Ze-Xian) Low & Dr Zhouyou(Emily) Wang

3rd Prize: Project IH17.3 - Victoria University & Activated Water Technologies
Prof Mikel Duke, Mr Bahay Ozcakmak, Dr Xing Yang, Mr Johnson Luo & Dr Peter Sanciolo

The iEESEP2019 was concluded by the Closing Ceremony Remarks by Dr Dharma Dharmabalan (Industry Advisory Committee Member of ARC-EESep). Dr Dharmabalan expressed his gratitude to the organising committee and especially to the volunteers who has contributed their efforts and time to ensure the success of the conference. Prof Hokyong Shon (President of MSA) has announced the 10th International Membrane Science and Technology Conference (IMSTEC2020) will be held on 2 - 5 Feb 2020 at UTS. A few awards were given away during the ceremony and the winners were:

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MDPI Best Oral Presentation

1st Prize - Dr Yaoxin Hu (Monash University)

2nd Prize - Dr Xiaoxiao Song (Zhejiang University of Technology)

3rd Prize - Dr Jue Hou (CSIRO)

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Travel Grants by MSA

Dr Farzaneh Mahmoudi (RMIT)

Dr Jia Ding (UTS)

The second day of the iEESEP2019 was packed with inspirational talks. Prof Ana Deletic (UNSW) and Prof Rong Wang (Nanyang Technological University) have delivered their plenary talks at the early of the day. The rooms was filled with about 150 researchers and industry key players to learn the latest findings in the area of membrane technologies and sustainable urban water systems. The delegates was privileged to listen to another 14 keynote talks and 18 invited talks which provide more rooms for further collaborations and discussions. The second day conference was ended with a closing ceremony

The first day conference was ended with the gala dinner at Sea Life Aquarium Melbourne. The guests were joyful to have dinners with the mind blowing view of Yarra River and Coral Atoll with tropical fish. We are privileged to have Prof Aibing Yu (Pro Vice-Chancellor and President - Suzhou Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University) to deliver the welcome remarks to our guests at the beginning of the gala dinner. A few awards were given away during the dinners including the 3M Short Talk Best Overall Awards, 3M Short Talk People's Choice Awards, Hub Best Poster Awards and Hub Excellence Awards.

There are more than 30 posters were presented during iEESEP2019. The judging session for the MDPI Best Poster presentation was held on the first day afternoon of the conference. Special thanks to Dr Lizhong He (Monash University), A/Prof Simon Smart (The University of Queensland) and Prof Long Nghiem (UTS) for their efforts and time to judge and evaluate for the posters. The organiser has given away 3 awards for the MDPI Best Poster Presentation and 3 awards for the People's Choice Poster Presentation which was selected by all the delegates through app. The winners of the awards are:

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MDPI Best Poster Presentation
1st Prize - Miss Yue Liu (Monash University)

2nd Prize - Dr Jinxing Ma (UNSW)

3rd Prize - Mr Yun Xia (Monash University)

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People's Choice Poster Presentation

1st Prize - Mr Yuan Kang (Monash University)

2nd Prize - Mr Roberto Katigbak (Deakin University)

3rd Prize - Mr Milad Lagnaei (Deakin University)

The exciting 2nd International Conference on Energy-Efficient Separation (iEESEP2019) was begin with Opening Ceremony on 28 Nov 2019 morning. We are grateful that our conference was open by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of Monash University, Prof Elizabeth Croft. Our distinguished guests, Prof Ana Deletic (Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), UNSW), Prof Jiuhui Qu (Tshinghua University, Fellow of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Foreign Fellow of American National Academy of Engineering), Prof Rong Wang (Director of Singapore Membrane Technology Center, Nanyang Technological University), Prof Benny Freeman (William J. (Bill) Murray, Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering in University of Texas at Austin), Prof Sandra Kentish (Head of the School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne), Prof Ranil Wickramasinghe (Director of Membrane, Science, Engineering and Technology Center (MAST), University of Arkansas) and Prof. Hokyong Shon (The president of the Membrane Society Australasia)  have made it a terrific conference.

The 2nd International Conference on Energy-Efficient Separation (iEESEP2019) was opened with the Welcome Reception at Pan Pacific Melbourne on 27 Nov 2019 evening. We are privileged to have about 140 delegates attended and celebrate together with us during the Welcome Reception. It was a good moment for the delegates to know each other and catch up with old co-workers and friends at this wonderful moment. Laughter and chatting was continue until about 8.00 pm at night and prepare for the next day opening ceremony for iEESEP2019.

In conjunction with iEESEP2019, 3M Short Talk was held for the postgraduate students to present their research project with only 1 slide for only 3 minutes was given. We are happy that there are a total of 23 PhD students have participated this event. There are a total of 6 awards were given away and the winners are:

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3M Short Talk: Best Overall Awards

1st Prize - Mr Lei Zheng (UTS)

2nd Prize - Ms Priyanka Kumari (Deakin University)

3rd Prize - Mr Xingya Li (Monash University)

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3M Short Talk: People's Choice Awards

1st Prize - Ms Ruosang Qiu (Monash University)

2nd Prize - Mr Ruoxin Wang (Monash University)

3rd Prize - Ms Shasha Liu (Monash University)

The first ARC-EESep Research Hub meeting with the members of Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), Industry Advisory Committee (IAC), Chief Investigators (CI) from academics and Partner Investigators (PI) from industry was held on 27 Nov 2019 at 4.30 - 6.00 pm at Pan Pacific Melbourne. The discussion was so fruitful and it was focused on how to transform the academic research findings into industry application. Thanks to Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub), Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub), Dr Dharma Dharmabalan (IAC member), Prof Tamarapu Sridhar (SAC member), Prof Benny Freeman (SAC member), Prof Jiuhui Qu (SAC member), Dr Keith Murphy (SAC member), Dr Hung Pham (IAC member), Dr Nicholas Low (IAC member), Prof Mikel Duke (CI), Prof Lingxue Kong (CI), Prof Long Nghiem (CI), Prof Hokyong Shon (CI), A/Prof Matthew Hill (CI) and Dr Soo Leong (Hub Manager).

We are grateful to have Dr Catherine Rees (Melbourne Water), Prof Long Nghiem (UTS), Dr Rebecca Yee (Biofuel Innovations) and Dr Adam Brotchie (Monash University) to share their experience on their career path after receiving their PhD degree. The workshop was attended by more than 50 postgraduate students and post-doctorate researchers on 27 Nov 2019 (1.30 - 3.30 pm) at Pan Pacific Melbourne in conjunction with iEESEP2019.

A Membrane Workshop was successfully co-organised by ARC-EESep and WaterRA on 27 Nov 2019 (9.00 am - 2.00 pm). There were more than 50 participants have attended the workshop. Specially thank to Dr Dharma Dharmabalan (Water Practitioner, Victoria & Tasmania), Prof Stephen Gray (Victoria University), Mr Bradley Rhodes (Veolia), Ms Linda Nappa (Veolia), Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of ARC-EESep, Monash University), Prof Rong Wang (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Mr Daneil Bonini (SA Water), Mr Duncan Middleton (SEQ) and Prof Benny Freeman (The University of Texas at Austin, USA). The workshop has dicussed about the membrane operations as research solutions for industry challenges. The industry challenges and solution ideas have been brainstormed during the round table discussions and may bring forward the collaboration opportunity between the industry and academia.

We are glad to announce that Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of ARC- EESEP) is appointed as Associate Editor for I&EC Research. Prof Wang brings expertise in nanoporous materials, membranes, separations, catalysis, and fuel cells. He is the first editor appointment to be based in Australia to make the editors team of I&EC Research now on four continents. Professor Wang has published over 300 research articles, several of which have earned “highly cited” status for being in the top 1% in their field. He was also recognized with an Excellence in Review award from I&EC Research in 2019.

Congratulations to Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the ARC-EESep Hub) for his well-deserved success. He has been awarded the 2019 R.K Murphy Medal by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) at the Chemeca 2019 Awards of Excellence in Sydney. Professor Wang was honoured by the Institute’s Industrial Chemistry Division for his outstanding career achievements in chemical engineering, with his nomination agreed upon unanimously by the selection committee.Professor Wang’s research expertise covers areas such as nanomaterials and membranes, green chemical technology, gas separation, wastewater treatment and water desalination, electrocatalysis and fuel cells. He has made significant contributions to advancing membrane science and technology, with his research group pioneering the development of several new membranes, four of which have recently been licensed for commercial development and deployment.

ARC-EESep organised the 2nd Australia Workshop on Membrane Technologies for Biomedical Application on 29 August 2019 at 9.00 am - 3.30 pm at New Horizons, Monash University, Clayton. Dr Hung Pham (R&D Manager, CSL Behring), Dr Germano Coppola (Executive Director, CSL Behring), Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of ARC-EESep, Monash University), Dr Lina Zhao (Monash University), Prof Lingxue Kong (Deakin University), Dr Ludovic Dumee (Deakin University), Andrea Merenda (Deakin University), Dr Xing Yang (Deakin University), Dr Xinchu Zhao (Deakin University) and Prof Huanting Wang (Monash University) attended and presented their insight ideas on transforming the separation process in biomedical industry by using membrane technologies.

Congratulations to Mr Christopher Williams (PI, Arrow Energy) and A/Prof Simon Smart (CI, The University of Queensland) are successfully securing the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Round 7. This project is the second phase of the collaboration project supported by ARC-EESep. The first phase of the project has great success and the impacts to the oil and gas industry is huge as well as to the society. This great news was announced by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, the Hon Karen Andrews MP and the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon Matt Canavan on 9th of August 2019.

A major announcement has been made by  Parkway Mineral for the collaboration project between Activated Water Technologies (AWT) and Victoria University on aMES technology on brine processing. This project is lead by Prof Mikel Duke and Mr Bahay Ozcakmak, the team comprised of Dr Peter Sanciolo, Dr Xing Yang and Mr Jiean Luo, has delivered remarkable impacts to the industry. The aMES application rationale includes: a) potential to rapidly develop a more capital efficient and sustainable potash production operation compared to conventional development pathways; b) the aMES pathway potentially eliminates the requirement for flotation, process steam, gas pipeline and a freshwater bore field, which collectively represent major costs in the traditional potash production flowsheet; c) potential to recover magnesium salts as a by-product. The team is exploring to extend aMES technology to other projects and in a range of other application. 

It's our pleasure to visit Prof Graeme Millar from QUT on 1 August 2019. He has showed us his facilities and laboratories. His works are astonishing and the impacts to the zeolite industry are exceptional. He is leading a large team comprising of about 50 students and researchers have achieved outstanding research which beneficial to both academics and industry.

ARC-EESep has visited UQ research team on 1 August 2019. The team has delivered a magnificent  research works and the impacts of the works has greatly help the industry to save significant number of lost. Their works has help the oil and gas industry to remove water vapour from their products and the results is exceed the expected value. Congratulations to the team lead by UQ and Arrow Energy, Prof Joe da Costa, A/Prof Simon Smart, Mr Christopher Williams, Dr Julius Montuzas, , Ms Charmaine Lamiel and Ms Yue Yuan.

A fabulous work by A/Prof Matthew Hill and The Broad Spectrum Respiratory Canister Team has been recognised and nominated as a finalist in the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in  safe guarding Australia.This collaborative project with CSIRO, Defence Science and Technology Group and Spectrum Innovation Pty Ltd has led to the development of new respirator canister technology that can protect military personnel from weaponised toxic chemical gases and vapours. This offers a step change from existing technology, which sometimes provides minimal protection, giving soldiers a greater chance to safely complete their mission. Click HERE to read the announcement from Australian Museum.

The Australian has reported a great work delivered by Monash research team led by Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub) today. The team has found a new way to remove salt from water in a very economic way. Evaporation of water from a black disc driven by sunlight and the steam is captured in a transparent dome on the top of the system. The new system is more effective than other solar-powered desalination system because it does not require any other energy input. The salt crystal can be collected outside the disc which does not reduce the process efficiency. This work is published in the prestigious journal, Energy & Environmental Science. Click HERE to access to the journal paper.

A team of researchers led by Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the hub) works together with OXFAM to develop a small-scale desalination and water purification system. This compact prototype uses reverse osmosis powered with solar energy to produce clean water. The OMP Water Purification Prototype with solar driven, compact, portable and low cost will be a solution to clean water for the remote areas with lack of adequate and safe water.  Click HERE to read more.

Great to meet with Prof Michael Tsapatsis from Johns Hopkins University. He has delivered a informative and inspired seminar to the researchers and PhD students today at E7 Lecture Theatre, Engineering Building, Monash University. Prof Tsapatsis shared his  30 years of research experience in studying metal-organic framework (MOF). If you missed the talk, click HERE to listen online.

The members of the Hub have achieved a world-first breakthrough in establishing an unprecedented new method to filter contaminants from ground water and industry wastewater, to produce safe and clean water in the developing world. Led by Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub) and Dr Huacheng Zhang in collaboration with Dr Anita Hill (SAC member of the Hub), A/Prof Matthew Hill (CI of the  Hub) and Prof Benny Freeman (IAC member of the hub), the team developed a MOF with precisely tuned pores of size and chemistry to be compatible with the selected anion. Full report can be found in Nature Communication today.

Australia Workshop on Membrane Technologies for Biomedical Applications was co-organised by ARC-EESep and CSL Behring Australia on 7 June 2019 in Novotel Geelong. Dr Hung Pham (CSL Behring Australia) and Dr Joe Bertolini (CSL Behring Australia), Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub), Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub), Prof Lingxue Kong (Deakin), Prof Wei Duan (Deakin), Dr Ludovic Dumee (Deakin), Mr Andrew Rau (Deakin) and Dr Yoni Sharon (Monash)  have delivered their insights about the membrane technologies for biomedical applications.

Karen Rouse and Kathy Northcott from WaterRA visited the hub on 3 June 2019. They join a tour led by Prof Xiwang Zhang, the Director of the Hub, to the Hub's laboratories in Green Chemical Futures building and Chemical Engineering building. Following the laboratories tour, an informative discussion was held between WaterRA and EESep Hub to explore the future collaboration opportunities.

A group of delegates from Melbourne Water and South East Water led by Dr Judy Blackbeard visited the hub on 26 April 2019. Our special guests were invited on a tour to the Hub's laboratories in Green Chemical Futures building and Chemical Engineering building. Following the laboratories tour, an informative discussion was undertaken with the Hub's director, Prof Xiwang Zhang, examining potential collaboration opportunities.

Prof Peter Budd from the University of Manchester has shared his research findings and insights in the recent developments in polymers of instrinsic microporosity (PIM) on 16 April 2019 (Tuesday) 11.00 - 12.00 pm at Lecture Theatre S13, Monash University.  Prof Budd is co-inventor of the class of high free volume polyer referred to as PIMs, which has utilised under license from the University of Manchester by 3M. If you miss the talk, click HERE to listen to Prof Budd online.

An insightful seminar was given by Dr Dharma Dharmabalan from  TasWater has opened the eyes of the audience to the application and challenges of membrane technology in the water industry. Dr Dhamabalan has worked in the water industry in Australia for in excess of 28 years and is currently serving at TasWater as General Manager, System Performance and Major Projects. His talk "Membrane Technology for Drinking Water Treatment in Australia"  on 1 April 2019 (Monday) 11.00 - 12.00 pm at Lecture Theatre S1, Monash University has inspired the young researchers and one of the audience has commented that the hub should invite more industry  experts to Monash. If you miss the talk, click HERE to listen to Dr Dharmabalan online.

​Another great scientific seminar was delivered by Prof Robert Field from  the University of Oxford.  His talk, titled "Water, Membranes and Water Re-use:  Wither this Triptych?" was attended by more than 40 researchers on 4 Mar 2019 (Monday) 10.30 - 12.00 pm at Lecture Theatre M1, Monash University.  During his talk, he explained the advent of nano-materials change the optimal flux for recycling and re-using water. Furthermore, he also discuss the future modules and future water processes with the audience. If you miss the talk, click HERE to listen to Prof Field online.

The collaboration project of Prof Mikel Duke (Victoria University) and Bahay Ozcakmak (Activated Water Technologies, a subsidiary of Consolidated Potash Corp. (CPC)) has significant impacts on the industry of the production high-purity sulphate of potash samples from Karinga Lakes Potash Project (KLPP). A scaled-up aMES™ pilot plant has been developed and it is a critical step in commercialising this technology. In return on spending a further $2M, the company has the right to earn an additional 25% in the project. CPC acknowledges the support provided by the Australian Government through the EESep Hub and recognises their collaborators, the R&D team at Victoria University’s Institute of Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, led by Professor Mikel Duke.

Congratulations to the winners of 2018 Excellence Researcher Awards! The winners are:

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Early Career Researcher Category:

First Prize: Ms Liyuan Zhang (Monash)

Second Prize: Ms Xiaofang Chen (Monash)

Third Prize: Ms Bhuvana Shanbhag (Monash)

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Postgraduate Researcher Category:

First Prize: Mr Federico Volpin (UTS)

Second Prize: Mr Meipeng Jian (Monash)

Third Prize: Ms Yue Liu (Monash)

Following the scientific seminar by Prof Michael Guiver, the hub was celebrating 2019 New Year at Collaboration Lounge, Level 4 New Horizons. Also in the attendance were Prof Michael Guiver (Tianjin University), Prof Mikel Duke (Victoria University), Prof Ana Deletic (University of New South Wales), Prof Lingxue Kong (Deakin University), Dr Zongli Xie (CSIRO), Prof Huanting Wang (Monash University) and Prof Xiwang Zhang (Monash University). As part of the celebration, we announced the winners of 2018 Excellence Awards.

Prof Michael Guiver from Tianjin University presented a thoughtful talk, titled "Research developments in polymeric membranes for CO2 separations at Tianjin University" in our hub scientific seminar/webinar on 21 Jan 2019 (Monday) 2.00 - 3.30 pm at Lecture Theatre S9, Monash University. The seminar / webinar was attended by 60 guests either physically attending the seminar in Monash or through Zoom Conference Meeting. If you miss the talk, click HERE to listen to Prof Guiver online.

Our Hub Director (Prof Xiwang Zhang) and 2 chief investigators (Prof Huang Wang, A/Prof Matthew Hill) are pleased to have the opportunity to present their research outcomes with Kunshan Industrial Technology Research Institute (KSITRI). KSITRI showed great interest in the product and further collaboration will be negotiated in near future.

Kunshan RNAi Insitute (KSRI) is an innovative driver for bioscience. It is a non-profitable research Institute jointly found by Kunshan Industrial Research Institute and Tsinghua Science Park.​ The institute focuses on transformation of the bio-medicine research in particularly in application of RNAi technologies and drug discovery. Another role of the institute is to promote the bio-medicine companies in China and initiate the incubator projects and explore the bio-technologies research in the region​.

PEIRE Membrane, Yixing China is a membrane manufacturing company and their main product is Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR). Our team has visited their manufacturing plant and followed by a discussion with their technical adviser in exploring the potential of collaboration.

After the China – Australia Energy-Efficient Separation Workshop, the team  was visiting the National Engineering Research Centre for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing, China. Special thanks to Prof Zhaoxiang Zhong and his team for their hospitality.

The China – Australia Energy-Efficient Separation Workshop was successfully held on 25 - 27 November 2018 in Nanjing, China. This workshop was joint-organised with Jiangsu Industry Technology Research Institute (JITRI)  and about 50 representative from China, Australia and Malaysia and both in academic and industry area have participated in this workshop.  A total of 22 technical presentations have been delivered by the 11 researchers from 6 Australia Universities (Monash, UNSW, UTS, Deakin, Curtin & The University of Sydney), 6 delegates from key industry players (Poten Environmental Group,  Scinor Membrane Technology, Yantai Jinzheng Eco-Technology, Rinland Environment Tech, Shenzhenshi Huawei Green Building Material and Dajiang Environment Corporation), 5 representatives from JITRI Specialised Centres. The objective of this workshop is the discuss about the collaboration between China and Australia in developing the energy-efficient separation technology.

Mr Ted Ahn has presented his topic on NanoIR3 and mIRage: A New Generation of Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy for a Nanoscale Material Characterization. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a powerful analysis technique for the identification of chemical species based on characteristic absorption of infrared light associated with molecular functional groups. However, the spatial resolution of traditional IR spectroscopy is limited to ~5 μm due to the wavelength of infrared light. In addition, traditional absorption or transmittance experiments are not well suited to materials containing a high percentage of water. In order to overcome the spatial resolution issue, a new method of generating an infrared spectrum is developed. The sample is exposed to an infrared laser scanned over the wavelengths of interest and the thermal expansion of the material is measured. Two instruments have been commercialized using either an atomic force microscopy (AFM-IR) or a green laser light (mIRage), to measure the thermal expansion. AFM-IR can simultaneously detect an infrared signal with a high spatial resolution (as small as 10 nm) coupled with surface topographical and force information. The mIRage microscope has a larger maximum resolution (< 1 um) but provides much faster data acquisition and removes the requirement to successfully track the surface with an AFM tip. In this talk, the physical principles and basic operation of the AFM-IR and mIRage will be explained. Examples of polymeric and biological materials will be presented to showcase the capabilities of both instruments.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to have Emeritus Professor Joe da Costa to share his valuable 27 years of experience in research & teaching. He has inspired the earlier career researchers to be excelled in this challenging field. Furthermore, he trained our ECR the project management skills and persevered when facing bottle neck in their studies and career. The line graphs that he drew on the white board has clearly shown the motivation level of researchers when pursuing their PhD for 3 years periods and the technology maturity versus industry & academic research. An inspiration, fabulous and beneficial talk from Prof Costa and we wish you all the best in your new phase of your life!

Another great publication by our highly productive CI, Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub), co-author with Prof Xiwang Zhang (Director of the Hub), George Simon (Hub CI), Ranwen Ou, Huacheng Zhang, Jing Wei, Seungju Kim, Li Wan, Nhi Sa Nguyen, Yaoxin Hu in a prestige scientific journal, Advanced Materials, Wiley.  The paper titled "Thermoresponsive Amphoteric Metal–Organic Frameworks for Efficient and Reversible Adsorption of Multiple Salts from Water" has reported a thermoresponsive, amphoteric metal–organic framework (MOF) material that can adsorb multiple salts from saline water at room temperature and effectively release the adsorbed salts into water at elevated temperature (e.g., 80 °C). This work provides a novel, effective strategy for synthesizing new‐generation, environmental‐friendly, and responsive salt adsorption materials for efficient water desalination and purification.

We are glad to have Prof Wojciech Kujawski to give us a lecture on "Physicochemical Properties of Hydrophobized Ceramic Materials (Powders and Membranes)" on 13 August 2018 (Monday) at 10.30 am - 12.00 noon in S11, 16 Rainforest Walk, Clayton Campus, Monash. Prof Kujwaski is a Faculty Member at Faculty of Chemistry, and Head of the Chair of Physical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry of Polymers in Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun. His has extensive experience with over 30 years of experience in education, research, and cooperation with diverse external companies. His main research interest is focused on the fundamental research of membrane separation processes (e.g. pervaporation, membrane distillation, thermopervaporation, ultra- and nanofiltration), membranes in food processing, ionic liquids for task specific processes, ion-exchange membranes, bio-polymers, fossil and bio-fuels, as well as the modification and functionalization of polymeric and ceramic membranes. Listen online.

In celebration of Hub's official launching on 13 July 2018, we gathered our CI, PI and researchers together for a workshop in the afternoon. We are glad to have Professor Long Nghiem (UTS), Dr Stephen Holt (ANSTO), Professor Mikel Duke (Victoria University), Dr Nicholas Low (2D Water) and Dr Simon Smart (UNSW) to give their talks about their experience in the research of energy-efficient separation and what is their roles in University Industry Collaboration (UIC) model. At end of the workshop, the CIs and PIs joined the round table discussion to brainstorm the topics of the activities which will be beneficial to UIC and the expectation outcome from UIC.

We are proud to have Prof Mark Banaszak Holl (Head, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash), Mr Peter Bury (Chemistry Australia), Ms Katie Greenwood (OXFAM), Ms Pam Kerry (South East Water) and Ms Karen Rouse (Water Research Australia) to present their insightful talks during the working lunch after our hub's official launching ceremony.

A tour to visit our Hub's facilities has been conducted prior to the hub's official launch on 13 July 2018. Ms Leanne Harvey (Executive General Manager of the Australian Research Council), Professor Ian Smith (Vice-Provost, Research and Research Infrastructure, Monash),  Professor Elizabeth Croft (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Monash) and Professor Marc Parlange (Provost and Senior Vice-President, Monash) were joined with Professor Xiwang Zhang (Director, ARC Research Hub for Energy-Efficient Separation) to our laboratories in Green Chemical Futures. Thanks to our volunteer team, Mr Meipeng Jian, Ms Wang Zhao and Mr Xingya Li to demonstrate the research area themes  of the hub to the visitors.

Another great milestone was achieved on 13 July 2018 (Friday) by ARC-EESep. Our hub was officially launched by the Hon Craig Laundy MP (The Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation. This wonderful moment was witnessed by Ms Leanne Harvey (Executive General Manager of the Australian Research Council), Professor Ian Smith (Vice-Provost, Research and Research Infrastructure, Monash),  Professor Elizabeth Croft (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Monash), Professor Marc Parlange (Provost and Senior Vice-President, Monash) and Professor Xiwang Zhang (Director, ARC Research Hub for Energy-Efficient Separation) together with about 110 guests from the universities and industry companies. Please click HERE If you would like to watch the recorded video.

Our Hub's first Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting was held on 10 July 2018 (Tuesday) 4.00 - 5.30 pm at Green Chemistry Futures, Monash University. The meeting was chaired by Prof Xiwang Zhang and the attendees of the meeting were Prof Benny D. Freeman, Emeritus Prof Tamarapu Sridhar, Prof Huanting Wang and Dr Anita Hill. The discussion was fruitful and the rich experience of the SAC members in research and management has provided us invaluable guidance to achieve greater success.

Prof Benny D. Freeman has delivered an insightful talk, titled "Advanced Separation Membranes: Historical Development and Future Trends" in our hub scientific seminar/webinar on 10 July 2018 (Tuesday) 2.00 - 3.30 pm at Lecture Theatre S1, Monash University. The seminar / webinar was attended by 82 guests either physically attending the seminar in Monash or through Zoom Conference Meeting. If you miss the talk, click HERE to listen to Prof Freeman online.

Our node directors – Professors Mikel Duke (Victoria), Chuyang Tang (New South Wales), Joe da Costa  (Queensland) and Shaomin Liu (Western Australia) – are an integral part of our organisational structure and our commitment to nurture stakeholder relationships. Each node director manages and coordinates the activities of the Hub nodes in four cities and facilitates engagement with local industries. Professor Duke is focused on the development and implementation of innovative membrane technologies for water, foods and energy applications. His specialisation is in the fundamental development of inorganic materials such as nanotubes, silica, titania, zeolites and polymer composites, as well as in applications of membrane distillation, ceramic membranes and membrane assisted fermentation. Professor da Costa has over 20 years experience in industry, consultancy, academic and government advisory roles in Brazil, England and Australia. He has established an internationally respected program of work, which focuses on pursuing novel technological solutions for the issues facing our contemporary society. Dr Tang’s main research interests include membrane technology, surface and interfacial science, and advanced physical and chemical processes.  He is experienced in membrane characterisation, membrane fouling mitigation, and emerging contaminant removal using reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes.  Professor Liu is based at the Western Australia School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering at Curtin University. His research centres on membrane systems, membrane catalysis and fuel cells. 

An outstanding Scientific Advisory Committee has been established for the ARC-EESep Hub. Tasked with providing advice and guidance on future research and strategic direction, the Committee comprises eight distinguished world-renowned researchers.

Hub Deputy Director Huanting Wang is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Associate Dean (International) of Faculty of Engineering at Monash University. Together with his three postdoctoral fellows and a PhD student, Professor Wang’s Hub research focuses  on  carbon-based membranes for low energy desalination and water purification. His industry collaborators for these projects include  2D Water Pty Ltd and the Baosteel Company. Professor Wang graduated in material science and engineering at the University of Science and Technology of China, and subsequently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and University of California Riverside. In 2004 he was awarded an ARC QEII Fellowship and an ARC Future Fellowship in 2010. He was a member of the ARC Future Fellowship selection advisory committee in 2011, a member of the ARC College of Experts in 2012-2015,  and a Board Member of the Membrane Society of Australasia (2014-2017). He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a Council Member of the Aseania Membrane Society.

The 1st ECR Seminar / Webinar was successfully held on 1 June 2018 (Friday), 11 - 12 noon at Lecture Theatre S12, Monash University. Dr Stefania Piantavigna has share a great talk on her experience in ANSTO and the facilities offered by ANSTO. A total of 40 participants have attended the talk including Mr Stephen Holts (representative from ANSTO), Dr Lizong He (Monash University) and Prof Huanting Wang (Deputy Director of the Hub). If you would like to know more about her talk, click HERE to listen to her talk online.

Our Hub Deputy Director and also main CI - Prof Huanting Wang has published his valuable insight into one of the highly cited scientific journal, Nature Nanotechnology. His paper, titled Nanoporous Membrane: Low-energy desalination, explained the nanoporous fibrous carbon membrane has greater potential for lower energy desalination than the commercial PTFE membrane.

CSIRO Project Leader Associate Professor Matthew Hill (Hub CI) said “Together, we’ll be testing whether advanced materials known as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) can allow submarines to remain submerged longer. MOFs have the largest internal surface area of any known substance, which can be optimised to capture gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).”

Dr Huacheng Zhang, Professor Huanting Wang (ARCEESEP CI) and Associate Professor Zhe Liu and their team in the Faculty of Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in collaboration with Dr Anita Hill (ARCEESEP SAC) of CSIRO and Professor Benny Freeman (ARCEESEP SAC) of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, have recently discovered that MOF membranes can mimic the filtering function, or 'ion selectivity', of organic cell membranes.

IBMM-iEESEP2018 was successfully held  on 23 - 27 Jan 2018. There were more than 150 delegates, from 6 countries attending this conference in Melbourne to exchange innovative ideas and experiences. We also celebrated the establishment of the new ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation. Prof. Marc Parlange, Provost & Senior Vice President of Monash University, has given the welcoming speech at the Opening Ceremony.

Lead by Monash University Department of Chemical Engineering, the team consisting of 33 investigators was awarded over $10M by Australian Research Council, industry partners and participating universities. With huge collaborative effort from Monash University and 12 partner organisations, the new research hub will develop advanced separation materials, innovative products and smart processes to reduce energy consumption of separation processes. Congratulations to all researchers involved!