The Department of Environmental Sciences and ORIC FCCU organized a talk and networking session on “Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Research and Commercialization Perspective” on March 1, 2023, at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore.
The event started with the welcome address by Dr. Douglas Trimble (Vice Rector FCC) followed by an overview of FCCU and the Department of Environmental Sciences by Dr. Derk Bakker (Chairperson of the Department of Environmental Sciences).
The guest speaker, Prof. Dr Ivo Vankelecom (Head of the Membrane Technology Group) from Faculty of Biosciences Engineering at Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium, delivered a talk on research and commercialization aspects of Membrane Technology and shared highlights of research on membrane technology from his group. The KU Leuven’s Membrane Technology Group is a specialized group with expertise and skills in the combination of knowledge in chemistry, materials science, engineering, and biology to design and produce sustainable membranes for liquid and gas separations for a variety of processes that address current global pollution challenges. Dr. Jonathan Addleton, Rector FCCU gave the closing remarks and joined the participants for the labs visit followed by a discussion session over a cup of tea.
This event intended to be a conversation starter for collaboration between academia, local water industry/companies and the Government departments. FCCU has recently secured research funding for two water related projects from different funding agencies, that will allow Department of Environmental Sciences, FCCU to upgrade the Water Research Lab with a focus on Membrane Technology. This talk and networking session aimed to bridge academic expertise and innovation with the direct stakeholders in this field. After the session participants visited labs of Faculty of Natural Sciences equipped with scientific instruments that are relevant to this field of expertise.
The invited audience for this session was a diverse group from different institutions/organisations/industries, ranging from KU, Belgium, COMSATS Lahore, UET Lahore, Punjab Aab-Pak Authority, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Lahore, Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, WWF-Pakistan, KSB-Pumps and Hydronix.
