Prof. Mohamed Gamal El-Din
Ph.D., P.Eng., FCSCE, FASCEProfessor, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Sustainable and Resilient Wastewater Treatment for Reuse
NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment
Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research (UAER) Chair in Wastewater Management Towards Circular Economy
Director of Water Research Centre, University of Alberta
Theme Co-Lead, Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems, Future Energy Systems
Research Chair in Environmental Engineering, Tongji University
Speech Title: Application of Surface Microlenses in Solar-Driven Photolysis and Photocatalytic Degradation of Micropollutants
Abstract: The removal of emerging micropollutants via solar-driven photodegradation processes represents an environmentally sustainable approach for water and wastewater treatment. However, its efficiency is often limited by the low intensity and low photon energy of solar irradiation in aquatic environments. To overcome these limitations, Microlenses (MLs) technology is been proposed as a promising strategy to improve photocatalyst performance by optimizing solar light distribution and increasing light intensity within photochemical reactors. In this study, surface MLs were fabricated on photoreactors of various geometries using a solvent exchange process (SEP)-assisted method to enhance photodegradation efficiency. Two types of MLs systems were investigated: polymer MLs and photocatalytic-functionalized MLs systems. Polymer MLs, including random MLs, ML arrays, and flexible concave MLs, demonstrated enhanced performance in various water matrices, attributed to their light-focusing and redistribution capabilities. Moreover, immobilized photocatalytic-functionalized MLs, Ag/ZnO nanorods, were successfully fabricated on the photoreactor, exhibiting robust photocatalytic activity, good stability, and operational reusability. These features position them as promising candidates for wastewater treatment, by effectively addressing the practical limitations associated with suspended photocatalysts. These MLs-based materials demonstrated efficient photodegradation of organic micropollutants (dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides) and industrial contaminants, including naphthenic acids derived from the oil and gas industry, using a sustainable solar-driven approach with a low-energy, low-carbon, and high-efficiency strategy for water treatment.
Biography: Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on innovative treatment approaches for municipal and industrial wastewater, including oil and gas. Since 2011, he has held an NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment and is also a Theme Lead for the Future Energy Systems (FES) theme on Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems. In 2017, Dr. Gamal El-Din was awarded the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation Award for Innovation in Oil Sands Research. He is a Jinshan Distinguished Professor at Jiangsu University and was awarded the Research Chair in Environmental Engineering at Tongji University in China in 2020. In 2023, he was appointed the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Sustainable and Resilient Wastewater Treatment for Reuse. That same year, he was also named the University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Community-Based Wastewater Management, with a focus on advancing the circular economy. Since May 2023, Dr. Gamal El-Din has served as Director of the Water Research Centre (WRC), and he currently holds the Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research (UAER) Chair in Wastewater Management. In 2024, Dr. Gamal El-Din was awarded the Albert E. Berry Medal by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) for outstanding contributions to the field of environmental engineering in Canada and the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Dr. Gamal El-Din's commitment to education and research is unparalleled. Over the course of two decades, he has supervised a diverse group of 210 graduate students, research assistants, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates. Under his mentorship, these individuals have grown into accomplished professionals who are making significant contributions to their respective fields. Dr. Gamal El-Din is also a prolific researcher, with an extensive body of work that includes 360 peer-reviewed journal papers and 450 conference and workshop presentations, among other publications. His contributions to the field have been widely recognized, as evidenced by his impressive h-index of 75, and over 20,000 citations as per Google Scholar.