Water Security
Transform the Water Cycle
Approximately 57% of the population in the Kingdom is currently connected to a wastewater treatment facility, and less than 50% of the treated water is reused. It is a national objective to treat and reuse 100 percent of wastewater by 2030.
Advanced Materials for Water Treatment
The challenge of the 21st century has been recognized as the provision of clean and potable water in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. In this context, the contamination of surface and ground water sources by a wide range of organic and pathogenic contaminants is a significant barrier to overcoming this difficulty. Work in this field focuses on the simple synthesis of metallic, ceramic, and composite nanoparticles, which are afterward used for degradation of organic dyes, inactivation of microbes, etc. The tailored materials are also used with ultraviolet light (photocatalysis) to boost their disinfection capabilities.
Passive Solar Stillfor Water Desalination
- Processes of desalination that utilize renewable energy are preferable than energy-intensive methods. Small-scale, self-sufficient passive solar stills are a realistic solution for water- and energy-scarce places.
- The performance of a solar still is affected by both uncontrolled environmental parameters and manipulable parameters.
- Controlling manipulating parameters such as evaporation area of the basin, tilt angle and temperature of condensation surface, thermal gain of the feedwater by thermal storage, and heat transmission utilizing fins/conductive material can produce highly productive passive solar stills.
- Utilization of sunlight concentrators by refraction, incorporation of conductive nanoparticles with thermal storage, and multi-staging are emerging trends to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of passive solar stills.
Wastewater Treatment
The lack of clean water poses a significant difficulty for the 21st century, necessitating the usage of contaminated waters as potable water sources. While there has been significant public interest in saltwater desalination, utilities are far more focused on the less energy-intensive recycling of municipal wastewaters. The subject of this research is the chemical safety of potable reuse waters. Potable reuse trains have traditionally utilized reverse osmosis (RO) as a physical separation method, followed by an advanced oxidation process (AOP) based on the synthesis of hydroxyl radical by UV photolysis of hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2 AOP). Due to the inefficiency of the UV/H2O2 AOP, we are studying alternatives, such as the UV photolysis of chlorine (UV/HOCl AOP) and the electrochemical activation of H2O2. In other research, we are assessing the treatment of RO concentrate (the stream of waste products rejected by RO membranes) prior to its release into delicate ecosystems. Finally, there is interest in alternatives to the energy-intensive RO process. Developing a technique to compare the chemical safety of potable reuse waters generated by RO or RO-free potable reuse trains to conventional drinking water is the focus of our effort. Our research blends laboratory- and pilot-scale evaluations with full-scale validation.
Water &Environment
Focuses on important issues at the intersection of public health and the environment, with a focus on reducing the threat posed by waterborne pathogens by making our engineering infrastructure more effective, affordable, and environmentally friendly. Some areas of research include how to stop pathogens from spreading, how to use molecular techniques to find pathogens, how to improve treatment processes, how to reuse water, and how to solve problems with safe drinking water and sanitation in the developing world.
Oil& Water Separation
The unregulated discharge of enormous amounts of oily wastewater from a range of businesses and generated water from oil refineries poses a significant threat to the environment and wastes valuable water resources. Recently, oil-water separation utilizing tailored membranes with superwetting surface characteristics has captured the interest of scientists and researchers throughout the globe. Our group at DWT specializes in the fabrication of superhydrophobic/superoleophilic (or vice versa) microporous membranes utilizing easy synthesis techniques such as dip- and spray-coating, layer by layer assembly, and nanoparticle deposition. The membranes are then evaluated utilizing a variety of advanced techniques, including FESEM, XPS, FTIR, and CA goniometery, in order to examine the changes in surface morphology, chemistry, and wettability. The separation effectiveness of membranes for different types of oils and organics from water is then determined using laboratory-scale apparatuses that are custom-built.
Funded Research Projects
Impact Projects
- M. H. Abdel-Aziz, Synthesis and characterization of sludge-polymer hybrid adsorbents for industrial wastewater treatment, Funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (2013)
- M. H. Abdel-Aziz, Electrochemical degradation of organic dyes from wastewater: Operating parameters optimization, reactor design, and scale-up, Funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (2017), Grant No. (829-305-D1438).
- Studying the performance of PVDF membrane in water purification using MD technique, funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (2015), Grant number: 455-829-1435.
- Novel graphene-based 3D Nano-architectures electrodes for water treatment, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (2016), Grant number (G-422-829-37)
Highly Efficient
Development of highly efficient and cost-effective techniques for various applications in chemical engineering by adopting a process intensification (PI) approach using techniques such as oscillatory motion, gas sparging, and turbulence promoters (active and inert)
Wastewater Treatment
Application of green technologies based on the electrochemical techniques for wastewater treatment (removal of heavy metals and organic materials) such as electrocoagulation, anodic oxidation, and galvanic cementation
Nanotechnology
Fabrication of new materials and composites for various applications such as solar cells, nanotechnology, photovoltaic, water treatment and desalination.
Desalination
Impact Science
Innovative humidification – dehumidification (H-D) system, consisting of two primary components, a humidifier, and a condenser, was designed and built, together with its various accessories, to generate desalinated water from seawater simply and cost-effectively
Reactor
Impact Design
Mass and heat transfer behavior of oscillating helical coils in relation to heterogeneous reactor design.