Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Timko Awarded NSF Funds

Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Timko recently earned an NSF Award for GOALI:  Understanding the anomalous adsorption capacity of hydrothermal char.  As events in Flint, Michigan and elsewhere have shown, removal of heavy metals from drinking water remains a pressing technological problem in the U.S. and globally.  Hydrothermal char is a carbon-based material that can be produced at low-cost from many different waste feeds, including agricultural and food wastes.  Hydrothermal char has demonstrated remarkable capacity for heavy metal removal; however, the source of its capacity has not yet been explained.  In this GOALI award, Professor Timko’s group is partnering with Cabot Corporation to study hydrothermal char for effective use in drinking water purification.