Air Quality and Waste Upcycle Research Lab
The Air Quality Management/Air Pollution Control Program is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental program encompassing Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and the Institute of Environmental Health in the College of Medicine. The program began in 1967 in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by the late Professors John Pattison and Charles Gruber. Over the years the program has graduated more than 400 Master's students and 70 Ph.D. students, and has developed an international reputation for quality research and training. The current faculty in the program is Dr. Mingming Lu, and the lab's capabilities have also expanded to include waste upcycle.
The laboratory is located in Mantei Center 791, and has the following capabilities:
The lab has various air sampling devices, including pumps and passive samplers. In collaboration with the Environmental Analysis Center, Dr. Lu's lab has the capacity to do compositional analysis of environmental contaminants, such as diesel particulate matter, tire derived fuels, diesel fuels, and other organic compounds.
The lab also has wet chemistry benches for sample preparation, and other wet chemistry operations, such as free fatty acid titration.
Method 5 sampling train which can be modified to measure PFAS from stacks, and a miniatured multi-impinger PFAS collection system.
A high temperature tube furnace that can heat up to 1100 degrees Celsius. Projects conducted included PFAS combustion, chemical recovery of waste materials, pollutant decomposition studies.
A low temperature vertical furnace for making designer biochars which can be functionalized for targeted pollutant removal. The lab also has various pre and post treatment capabilities.
The Air Quality and Waste Upcycle Laboratory is open to student/thesis dissertation research projects with approval of the faculty member responsible for the laboratory. Collaboration with external partners is also welcomed. It has also been used in various courses Dr. Lu teaches.
Dr. Lu's research focus is on sustainable energy solutions that address concerns related with air quality, climate change, and energy production. Please consult with Dr. Lu for a description of current research activities.
Faculty
