Where: Bldg. 9 # 4221
Description
The production and use of nanomaterials in commercial products is rapidly outpacing the development of knowledge and appropriate regulations to mitigate potential risks associated with their release to the environment. Therefore, it is important to understand how engineered nanoparticles with high probability of environmental release behave and interact with microorganisms, which form the basis of all known ecosystems and provide many critical environmental services. On the other hand, many nanomaterials also hold a significant potential to develop new capabilities to alleviate past and future environmental challenges, including a growing need for safer and more efficient water disinfection and microbial control. This presentation will consider the antibacterial properties and mechanisms of common nanomaterials within the context of environmental implications and applications, including novel approaches for biofouling control. Research needs to steward ecologically responsible nanotechnology will be discussed. Opportunities for water treatment will be illustrated by considering the application of functionalized fullerenes to enhance viral inactivation in UV and solar disinfection systems, as well as in antimicrobial surface coatings, quorum-sensing interrupting elements, and the use of silver nanoparticles to enhance biofouling resistance in water filtration membranes. http://www.alvarez.rice.edu
Pedro J.J.Alvarez
Dr. Pedro J. J. Alvarez is the George R. Brown Professor of Engineering and the chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. He previously taught at the University of Iowa, where he also served as Associate Director for the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing and as Honorary Consul for Nicaragua. Dr. Alvarez received the B. Eng. Degree in Civil Engineering from McGill University and MS and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. Prof. Alvarez’s research focuses on environmental sustainability through bioremediation of contaminated aquifers, fate and transport of toxic chemicals, water footprint of biofuels, microbial-plant interactions, water treatment and reuse, and environmental implications and applications of nanotechnology. Dr. Alvarez is the 2012 Clarke Prize Recipient, a Diplomat of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and a Fellow of AAAS, ASCE, IWA, WEF and the Leopold Leadership Foundation. Past honors include President of AEESP, the Malcolm Pirnie-AEESP Frontiers in Research Award, the WEF McKee Medal for Groundwater Protection, the SERDP cleanup project of the year award, the Button of the City of Valencia, the Collegiate Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Iowa; the Alejo Zuloaga Medal from the Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela; a Career Award from the National Science Foundation; a Rackham Fellowship, and various best paper awards with his students. Dr. Alvarez currently serves on the EPA’s Science Advisory Board and the editorial board of Environmental Science and Technology. Additionally, he serves as honorary professor at Nankai and Kunming Universities in China and as adjunct professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis, Brazil.
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