Grant: Industrial Research Chairs

This NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Advanced and Emerging Technologies for Drinking WaterTreatment is to be held by Robert Andrews (Senior Chairholder) and Ron Hofmann (Associate Chairholder) ofthe Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto. The research focuses on several important areasfor the municipal drinking water sector: (i) new methods for addressing the infestation of mussels at plantintakes or within treatment infrastructure, (ii) improvements to the use of granular activated carbon to removemicrocontaminants such as taste- and odour-causing substances, (iii) an exploration of an alternative advancedoxidation process using ultraviolet light together with chlorine, (iv) better methods to control biofiltration andto improve its performance, (v) identifying strategies to reduce fouling of ultrafiltration membranes, and (vi)using fluoresence techniques for organic matter characterization to lead to better water treatment.The research program involves the participation of 8 industrial collaborators, most of whom are municipalutilities that provide drinking water to over 5 million Canadians. This work will help to promote safer andmore appealing drinking water for the public, at a lower cost and with greater process control.