The Molecular Transport and Separations Lab focuses on finding sustainable solutions to the world’s water and energy crisis using advanced membranes as the platform. Membrane-based separation processes offer significant (up to a factor of 10) energy and cost savings vs. conventional thermal processes, as exemplified by the large-scale success of reverse osmosis membranes for desalination worldwide. The ultimate goal of our research is to develop scalable membrane materials as the next generation tools for challenging liquid and gas-phase separations.

In the area of liquid separations, beyond seawater and wastewater desalination, we are also interested in non-conventional applications like produced water treatment and biofuel purification to name a few. In case of gas separation, we are working to develop advanced membranes which would be suitable to address important challenges like natural gas upgrading, carbon capture and hydrocarbon separation. We strive to understand, analyze and solve the core fundamental challenges of membrane material development and processing for such intricate separations.