Pioneering research led by Brown and Caldwell Senior Environmental Engineer Andrew Safulko has been distinguished with a 2022 Best Paper Award by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) at the 2022 AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference.
In a collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines and Dupont Water Solutions, Closed-circuit high-pressure membrane systems for the separation of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances studies the PFAS rejection performance of four commercially available membranes, spanning the characteristic separation range between loose nanofiltration and tight reverse osmosis.
The technical paper evaluates the removal of perfluoroalkyl acids in a full-scale closed-circuit desalination pilot module operating at 97% recovery.
Furthermore, AWWA and AMTA awarded Membrane Treatment Best Paper to Managing and treating PFAS in membrane concentrates, a research paper for which Andrew was a co-author with a host of industry leaders.
Previously published in AWWA Water Science, the paper analyzes established and emerging management approaches for PFAS-impacted high-pressure membrane concentrates.
“I am thrilled that both sets of authors’ hard work and technical excellence have been recognized by these awards. Meaningful collaboration between academia and industry enables the environmental engineering community to leverage applied science and peer-reviewed research to positively influence and shape the emerging contaminant landscape for the betterment of our communities.”
Brown and Caldwell Senior Environmental Engineer Andrew Safulko
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