ACS – ACESS Joint Societies Meeting
March 4, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
$10.00 – $25.00
Dr. Sadhan Jana of the University of Akron
VP of Research and Business Engagement and BF Goodrich Professor, SPSE
Separation of PFAS from Water Using Meso- and Macro-porous Materials
5:45 PM Networking
6:30 PM Dinner
7:00 PM Lecture (open to the public)
Dinner Reservations: Buy tickets at the links below: $25 for members/public and $10 for students/Retired/Unemployed. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Abstract: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging class of contaminants that are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and noxious to human health. Among these, the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) molecules are widely found in ground and surface water sources. A novel high surface area, meso- and macro-porous polymer wet gel is used in this work as adsorbent of PFOA molecules from water at environmentally relevant PFOA concentrations (≤ 1 μg/L) and cleanse water to below the U.S. EPA’s 2023 health advisory limit of 4 parts per trillion (ppt). The sigmoidal shape of PFOA adsorption isotherm indicates a two-step adsorption mechanism attributed to strong affinity of PFOA molecules for the polymer surface and molecular aggregation at the solid-liquid interfaces or within the pores of the wet gel. The adsorption kinetics and the effects of wet gel porosity, pore size, and pore volume on removal efficiency are reported. The adsorption kinetics is seen strongly dependent on the pore size and the pore volume.
BIO: Professor Sadhan C. Jana is currently the B.F. Goodrich Endowed Chair and Professor in the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. He is a chemical engineer by training with a Ph.D. degree from Northwestern University. Professor Jana has been teaching at the University of Akron since 1998 and has served as the chair of Polymer Engineering Department for 11 years and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science for 3 years prior to his current administrative role. Professor Jana received National Science Foundation Faculty Early CAREER Award, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Fred E. Schwab Award for outstanding achievements in education, George Stafford Whitby Award for distinguished research and education from the American Chemical Society Rubber Division. He is a Fellow and Honored Service Member of SPE and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Engineering & Science Journal and Executive Editor of all SPE journals – Polymer Engineering & Science, Polymer Composites, Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, and SPE Polymers journals.