Public Research Seminar by Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub, HKUST(GZ) - Systems for environmental risk reduction of emerging pollutants
Emerging pollutants in water, such as endocrine disruptors, persistent organic pollutants, antibiotics and other substances have high toxicity or ecological risks. These pollutants are also recalcitrant and thus cannot be effectively removed by conventional water treatment technologies. The residual emerging pollutants will affect human health and the ecological environment, thus attracting global attentions. Proposing efficient and safe theories and technologies to control and reduce environmental risks of emerging pollutants are at the frontiers and of great importance in the field of water treatment and has important practical significance for ensuring public health and protecting ecological environment. This report mainly consists of three sections: Mechanisms of the efficient photon to radical transformation for emerging pollutant degradation in optical near-fields, mechanisms of enhanced radical production and emerging pollutant degradation by photocatalytic chlorine activation processes, and methods used to control byproduct formation risks in the radical-involved advanced oxidation processes. These studies help to propose new theories and technologies of the environmental risk reduction system for new pollutants and expand the understanding of the risk control associated with by-products when degrading new pollutants.
Selected publications：
1. Song, Yinghao; Ling, Li; Westerhoff, Paul; Shang, Chii; Evanescent waves modulate energy efficiency of photocatalysis within TiO2 coated optical fibers illuminated using LEDs, Nature Communications, 2021, 12: 4101
2. Ling, Li; Tugaoen, Heather; Brame, Jonathon; Sinha, Shahnawaz; Li, Chuanhao; Schoepf, Jared; Hristovski, Kiril; Kim, Jae-Hong; Shang, Chii; Westerhoff, Paul; Coupling Light Emitting Diodes with Photocatalyst-Coated Optical Fibers Improves Quantum Yield of Pollutant Oxidation, Environmental Science & Technology, 2017, 51(22): 13319-13326.
3. Ling, Li; Zhang, Dapeng; Fan, Chihhao; Shang, Chii; A Fe(II)/citrate/UV/PMS process for carbamazepine degradation at a very low Fe(II)/PMS ratio and neutral pH: The mechanisms, Water Research, 2017, 124: 446-453.
4. Ling, Li; Li, Zhaobing; Fang, Jingyun; Shang, Chii; Controlling bromate formation in the Co(II)/peroxymonosulfate process by ammonia, chlorine-ammonia and ammonia-chlorine pretreatment strategies, Water Research, 2018, 139: 220-227.
5. Ling, Li; Deng, Zhuo; Fang, Jingyun; Shang, Chii; Bromate control during ozonation by ammonia-chlorine and chlorine-ammonia pretreatment: Roles of bromine-containing haloamines, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2020, 389: 123447.
Dr. Li LING is the associate professor in Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Environment and Ecology in Beijing Normal University. He received his bachelor, master and PhD degrees from HKUST in 2012, 2014 and 2018, and served as postdoc and research assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering HKUST from 2018 till 2022. Dr. Ling served as PI and Co-PI for 7 HKRGC, HKITC and HKUST projects from 2018 to 2022. His research direction includes novel photocatalytic reactions and reactor design, radical involved redox reactions and mechanisms, mechanisms of the byproduct formation and their control strategies in water treatment processes. He published 28 journal papers with a citation of over 800 and an H-index of 16. He applied over 10 patents and 5 of them were licensed out.