January 13, 2023
2 mins read

Indian-American student bags US environmental fellowship

Harsh Patel, a Phd student at University of Michigan, received the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and United States Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology…reports Asian Lite News

An Indian-American student has received a $11,750 fellowship to support the advancement of membrane technology research in water, wastewater or water reuse industries.

Harsh Patel, a Phd student at University of Michigan, received the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and United States Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology.

“I am extremely pleased to have received this honor,” Patel said in a University of Michigan statement.

“Especially knowing that successful work in this area will have direct implications on global problems like water scarcity as well as technologies needed to implement the research at a larger scale.

Patel’s work investigates establishing novel next-generation ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) capable of selectively removing targeted ions from aqueous solutions like seawater, groundwater and brines, to meet the rising water and energy demands.

The results of this research will allow the discovery of design parameters to synthesize desirable IEMs for various ion separation applications which are critical for industrial applications such as lithium extraction, water softening and nitrate recovery.

IEMs are polymeric materials that possess charged functional groups on the polymer backbone and can facilitate the transport of counter-ions across the membrane, while effectively rejecting co-ions.

Current commercial IEMs have been implemented for water treatment and desalination technologies such as electrodialysis and capacitive deionization, both of which focus on counter-ion and co-ion separation.

“Most commercial IEMs cannot efficiently discriminate between different counterions,” Patel said, adding, “which hinders the effective isolation of lithium or nitrate as the solutions containing these two species possess other monovalent and divalent ions in high concentrations”.

In February, Patel will attend the 2023 Membrane Technology Conference and Exposition to share his research through a podium presentation or poster in Knoxville.

Patel received his BS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021. He is currently a Chemical Engineering PhD student and graduate research assistant in University of Michigan’s Kamcev Lab — a research group that aims to develop next-generation polymeric materials for water treatment and energy generation and storage applications.

Each year, four AMTA and Reclamation Fellowships are given to graduate students pursuing a full-time Master’s degree or Ph D conducting research in innovations for water treatment in membrane-related research at a university or college in the United States.

ALSO READ: Spike in Afghanistan attacks due to growing Chinese footprint: Report

Previous Story

2nd ODI: Calm Rahul guides India to hard-fought win over Lanka

Next Story

Lanka to downsize army

Latest from -Top News

Jaishankar Hints at Tariff Deal with US

Jaishankar explained that the ongoing trade tensions largely stem from the inability of both sides to reach a common ground on several issues….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on

Rajnath Singh Heads to Australia for Key Defence Talks

The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of establishment of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership…reports Asian Lite News Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Australia from

California Takes Trump to Court

Trump claimed that the deployment of federalized troops was necessary because the city of Portland was under siege…reports Asian Lite News California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state will sue the Trump

Hamas Heads to Egypt for Gaza Talks

The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan…reports Asian Lite News A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Modi thanks world leaders for R-Day wishes

Modi also thanked Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda for his wishes…reports

Indian-American Jayapal Urges Gaza Ceasefire

When asked if she thought that Hamas would be willing