Water pollution expert wins highest faculty award

Chin-Pao (C.P.) Huang, who is known worldwide for his groundbreaking research on water pollution, has been named the 2008 recipient of the Francis Alison Award, the University’s highest faculty honor.

Established by the Board of Trustees in 1978 to recognize the scholarship, professional achievements and dedication of the UD faculty, the award consists of a $10,000 prize and confers membership in the Alison Society.

Huang, the Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, joined the faculty in 1974 and is internationally known for his work in environmental physical chemistry. He is credited with conducting pioneering research not only on the fate, transport and behavior of pollutants in aquatic environments but also on treatment and remediation methods.

Huang’s work has addressed a broad spectrum of treatment approaches, including separation technologies, chemical and catalytic approaches and physical methods for environmental protection. His contributions have gone beyond academic research to include providing technical assistance with the implementation of wastewater treatment systems and the production of training materials for system operators.

Recently, Huang has turned his attention to nanomaterials, in terms of both their eco-toxicity and their potential role in pollution remediation.

“While the research and applications of nanomaterials have grown exponentially in the past decade, understanding of the health and environmental implications of the technology is still in its infancy,” says Tsu-Wei Chou, Pierre S. du Pont Chair of Engineering. “Prof. Huang’s research group is one of the few in the U.S. engaging in a comprehensive study of the potential implications.”

At the same time, Huang is investigating the use of nano-sized titanium dioxide photocatalysts for the control of chemical hazards in water.

The theme uniting all of his work is stewardship of aquatic resources, says P.C. Chiang, Distinguished Professor at National Taiwan University and a longtime collaborator with Huang. Calling Huang “a strong promoter of water reuse,” Chiang adds, “He has campaigned vehemently for replacing the term ‘wastewater’ with ‘used water.’ To him, there is no wastewater, and every drop of ‘used water’ must be recovered for reuse.”

Huang and Samuel P. Myoda, who earned his doctorate under Huang’s advisement in 2001, were recently selected by the Environmental Water Resources Institute to receive the 2008 Wesley W. Horner Award for their development of a sonochemical treatment to remove pathogenic protozoa such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia from wastewater effluent. These microscopic parasites can cause serious outbreaks of intestinal illness when contaminated water is ingested.

“To meet the increasing demand for potable water, it is essential that reuse and reclamation projects be developed and implemented to augment water sources,” Huang says. “The reuse of treated wastewater could provide a significant portion of the demand for clean water if we can successfully deal with microbial and chemical contamination.”

Huang and Myoda developed a process that sends ultrasonic waves through water samples. Preliminary studies to assess the process indicate that it shows promise as an effective disinfection technology.

Huang’s work has been documented in four books, 19 book chapters and more than 180 refereed journal papers, as well as in hundreds of technical reports and presentations. He has hosted dozens of collaborators and international visitors from Brazil, China, Egypt, Korea, Spain and Taiwan, and he has taught many short courses and organized conferences throughout the world.

But winning the Alison Award is about more than just scholarship. Like Francis Alison, Huang is a scholar-schoolmaster, and he has earned a reputation as much for his teaching as for his research.

Since 1974, he has advised 59 master’s degree students and 37 doctoral candidates. Of the latter group, 19 are now teaching at universities throughout the world, and 10 have achieved the rank of full professor.

—Diane S. Kukich, AS ’73, ’84M