Colloidal and interfacial separation processes factor heavily in key industrial applications, but they are energy- and water-intensive. Making these processes more efficient requires advancing our understanding of basic colloidal and interfacial phenomena. This work explores recent advances in separation methods, including those based on liquids, membranes, adsorption, ion exchange, microbiology, agricultural byproducts, and electrochemistry.

Multidisciplinary Advances in Efficient Separation Processes explores new developments in wastewater treatment, managing micropollutants and microplastics, extraction of rare-earth elements and heavy metals, water desalination, and oil spill remediation. These methods are increasingly important for addressing challenges in providing potable water supplies, recovering and recycling valuable metals and minerals, and pollution prevention and mitigation.

Irina Chernyshova's profile page

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Irina Chernyshova holds a joint position as a Professor in the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, and a staff scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, New York. She graduated from Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, and held an Associate Professor position at Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia. Her research aims to innovate separation and electrocatalytic technologies based on a better understanding of the colloid and surface science and electrochemistry of the underlying interfacial processes. She is the author of Handbook of Infrared Spectroscopy of Ultrathin Films, six book chapters, and more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Sathish Ponnurangam is Assistant Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary. He has a joint appointment with the Centre for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE). He received his doctoral degree from Columbia University working on the surface and interfacial chemistry of engineered nanoparticles. His current research program focuses on (electro)catalysis for reduction reactions (CO2, N2), surface modification and interfacial chemistry (mineral extraction processes), and electrochemical water treatment methods.

Qingxia Liu's research is primarily concerned with how surface and intermolecular forces affect the dispersion and agglomeration of high solid slurries in various industrial processes such as froth flotation, filtration, dewatering, oil sands extraction, and tailing treatment, as well as construction and building materials. He began his career in China, completing his MSc and PhD in Mineral Engineering at the China University of Mines, then came to Canada in 1993 to begin work on a PhD at McGill University in Montreal. Since then, he has worked for Teck-Cominco Research and USG. He joined the University of Alberta faculty in 2009.