Ludovic F. Dumée
Title: Decarbonizing the desalination industry – potential of 2D nanomaterial enabled separation solutions
First and last name: Ludovic F. Dumée
Affiliation: Khalifa University, Research and Innovation Center on 2D Nanomaterials, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Short Biography:
Dr. Ludo DUMEE is an assistant Professor and materials engineer at Khalifa University interested in the development and application of advanced separation materials, primarily focused on the development of responsive and gated membrane catalytic reactors. His research interests lay in the understanding of nanoscale interactions between contaminants and surfaces as well as the design of reactive and stimuli-responsive materials in the water, gas and healthcare applications. In Australia, where he led a team at the Institute for Frontier Materials within Deakin University for over 6 years, his team was interested in the engineering and combinatorial inclusion of carbon allotropes and ceramics nano-coatings across metal and polymeric materials to control the texture and reactivity of separation materials at the nanoscale. He currently works at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and is the “Decarbonization” Theme lead within the RIC2D flagship center, as well as the Atmospheric Water Generation Platform dedicated to the development of non-conventional development and testing of alternative water production technologies. Curious in nature, he focuses his efforts on the development of innovative solutions and materials to tackle challenges arising from emerging micro-pollutants in water, and gases to support smart management of resources and resource recovery strategies. He currently investigates routes to support decarbonization efforts through advanced materials design and process re-development to not only reduce emissions but better manage them.
Abstract:
The water sector has a major duty to support global efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and help to slow climate change. Water and wastewater infrastructure represented in 2021 2-3% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, similar to that estimated for the global shipping industry. The water industry, a sector idealized as critical to sustainability, going beyond the sole scope of water bodies management and protection as well as providing reliable clean water services, must be lead the way to support effective decarbonization and sustain the formidable growth that the sector will undergo over the next 15 years. Desalination particularly is nowadays a routine water production strategy in water-stressed countries and strategies to reduce energy, chemicals and materials requirements are required to support the development of a truly circular water economy. Routes to support such efforts include (i) process optimization and smart water management to adjust production to water quality and customers requirements, (ii) innovative workflow and materials selection to improve the efficiency of currently utilised technologies, (iii) adaptative approaches to resource recovery schemes enabling valorisation of brines towards low-discharge levels, and (iv) integration of renewable energy schemes to ensure direct footprint reduction. The role of innovative materials will be critical to reduce the need for chemicals for pre/post treatments, the volumes of discharges and the energy requirements of existing systems. 2D nanomaterials have a potential to support such transition, and this talk, after highlighting current avenues being investigated to make the water industry more sustainable will present recent innovations that may support such net-zero water revolution.