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October 29, 2025 — Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

NJIT Professor Wen Zhang, Director of the Laboratory of Nanotechnology in Sustainable Environment and Agriculture (NiSEA), delivered an invited seminar at Rutgers University titled “Nanobubbles and Their Environmental and Agricultural Applications.” The presentation offered a comprehensive overview of Dr. Zhang’s pioneering research portfolio at the intersection of nanotechnology, water treatment, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Zhang began by introducing the multidisciplinary research directions of his group, which span:

• Nanotechnology-enabled materials and processes for sustainable pollution mitigation and resource recovery;
• Electrochemical membrane and membrane-free systems for treating recalcitrant pollutants and recovering valuable resources (e.g., nitrogen and chlorine species);
• Smart agricultural irrigation and food disinfection technologies to mitigate climate change impacts; and
• Microplastics and colloidal particle research, investigating their aging, interfacial reactivity, and interactions with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in dynamic aquatic environments.

He highlighted the group’s innovative use of reactive electrochemical membranes and electromagnetic-assisted treatment processes for pollutant degradation, as well as their studies on microplastics’ environmental fate and colloidal behavior in estuarine systems, supported by agencies such as NSF, US EPA, NOAA, and NJDEP.

Transitioning to the main focus of his presentation, Dr. Zhang shared NJIT’s cutting-edge research on nanobubble technology, emphasizing membrane-based nanobubble generation and the interfacial and colloidal mechanisms that govern bubble formation, dissolution, and stability. His group’s studies—published in Langmuir, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, and Science of the Total Environment—demonstrate how parameters like membrane hydrophobicity, pore size, and flow conditions determine nanobubble concentration and gas transfer efficiency.

In the environmental domain, Dr. Zhang presented novel applications of oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and ozone (O₃) nanobubbles for pollution control and soil remediation. His group has demonstrated that nanobubbles can enhance the degradation and removal of PFAS, hydrocarbons, and algal toxins, while offering a green, low-energy alternative to conventional chemical or thermal treatment methods. Nanobubbles also act as reactive microdomains that improve oxidation, adsorption, and pollutant detachment at contaminated interfaces.

In agriculture, Dr. Zhang shared field and laboratory results showing how nanobubble-enriched irrigation water can enhance soil oxygenation, nutrient mobilization, and microbial activity in the rhizosphere. Experiments with oxygen and nitrogen nanobubbles revealed improved plant growth, nutrient uptake, and root development, as well as significant yield increases and fertilizer savings on demonstration farms in New Jersey. His team’s research further connects nanobubble effects to enhanced enzymatic activity, hormone regulation, and beneficial microbial community shifts that foster healthier plant systems.

Dr. Zhang’s presentation aligns with his leadership role in organizing the 2026 International Nanobubble Conference, to be held at NJIT, Newark, New Jersey (August 19–21, 2026). The event will convene global experts to advance scientific understanding and real-world adoption of nanobubble technologies.

“The Forum underscores how science and application can converge to solve urgent environmental challenges,” said Dr. Zhang. “As we prepare for the 2026 Nanobubble Conference at NJIT, we aim to continue this global dialogue and translate fundamental discoveries into scalable, sustainable solutions for water, agriculture, and energy systems.”

For more information on Dr. Zhang’s research and the upcoming conference, visit https://nanobubble2026.com or www.wenresearch.com.

Los Angeles, CA, October 2025 — Dr. Wen Zhang, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), was an invited speaker and panelist at the Global Nanobubble Forum 2025 organized by Moleaer, a world leader in nanobubble technology innovation. Hosted by Moleaer, the Global Nanobubble Forum 2025 featured keynotes from industry leaders such as Nick Dyner (CEO, Moleaer) and Snehal Desai (Chief Innovation Officer, Xylem), as well as technical sessions on lake restoration, wastewater innovation, and ozone nanobubbles for food safety. The event reinforced the pivotal role of nanobubble technologies in building a resilient, water-secure future.

The Forum, held on October 15–16 in Los Angeles, brought together leading researchers, industry pioneers, and technology developers to explore how nanobubbles are transforming industries from wastewater and surface water management to agriculture, aquaculture, and food safety.

In his invited presentation, “Nanobubbles and Their Environmental and Agricultural Applications,” Dr. Zhang showcased cutting-edge research from NJIT on membrane-based nanobubble generation, interfacial processes, and colloidal behavior that underpin applications in pollution mitigation, soil remediation, and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Zhang highlighted novel uses of oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and ozone (O₃) nanobubbles for soil and sediment cleanup, particularly for removing PFAS and oil contaminants. His team’s research demonstrates how nanobubbles act as adsorption and reaction sites to detach pollutants and improve mass transfer efficiency, offering a green, low-energy approach to restoring contaminated sites. In the agricultural domain, Dr. Zhang shared findings showing that nanobubble-enriched irrigation water can enhance soil nutrient release, stimulate root electrochemical activity, and promote plant growth by improving oxygen delivery and rhizosphere microbial balance. These results illustrate the potential of nanobubbles as a sustainable technology for improving crop health and soil productivity.

Panel Contribution: Debunking Myths, Defining Science

Dr. Zhang also joined Moleaer’s scientific leadership and academic experts in the lively panel “Myth or Game-Changer”, which challenged misconceptions surrounding nanobubble technology. Alongside Dr. James Earthman (UC Irvine) and Moleaer’s R&D leaders, he discussed how rigorous scientific studies—spanning bubble stability, surface charge dynamics, and pollutant interaction mechanisms—are essential to validate nanobubble performance across sectors. His contributions emphasized the need for interdisciplinary research and standardized testing, aligning with ongoing international efforts under ISO/TC 281 to formalize nanobubble terminology and measurement methods.

Bridging Research and Global Collaboration

This Global Nanobubble Forum served as a vital platform for fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and government. Moleaer’s initiative aligns closely with Dr. Zhang’s leadership in organizing the 2026 International Nanobubble Conference, to be held at NJIT, Newark, New Jersey (August 19–21, 2026) — an event that will build on the momentum of the Forum to advance global understanding and real-world adoption of nanobubble technology (https://nanobubble2026.com). “The Forum underscores how science and application can converge to solve urgent environmental challenges,” said Dr. Zhang. “As we prepare for the 2026 Nanobubble Conference at NJIT, we aim to continue this global dialogue and translate fundamental discoveries into scalable, sustainable solutions for water, agriculture, and energy systems.”

We are pleased to share that our recent study, “Comparative Study of CO₂ Nanobubbles and Macrobubbles: Effects on Water Chemistry, Microalgal Growth, and Carbon Utilization”, has been published in Water Research.

Our findings provide new insights into sustainable CO₂ management through algal biotechnology and underscore the broader role of nanobubble technology in global CO₂ reduction.

Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.124714

This research was partially supported by EPA Region 2 P2 research agreement (#NP-96259122-0) and the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (Award #: FE-0032188).

Congratulations to first author Lili Li and the entire research team for this achievement!

This Monday, on 09/29/2025, our group had the pleasure of attending a stimulating seminar by Dr. Ngai Yin Yip, La Von Duddleson Krumb Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, hosted by the Otto H. York Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at NJIT.

We are grateful to Dr. Yip for visiting NJIT, engaging with our students and researchers, and sharing his vision for advancing separation science at the water-energy nexus.

Events like this remind us of the importance of cross-institutional dialogue in accelerating innovation for sustainable water solutions.

We are thrilled to welcome two Ph.D. students, Sowmya Atukuri and Yining Zhang, to our Environmental Engineering Ph.D. program at NJIT!

Sowmya, originally from India, had a Bachelor’s in Horticulture from Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University. She recently obtained her master’s degree in environmental science from the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at NJIT. During her master’s program study, she also followed Dr. Wen Zhang to work on nanobubble technology and finished a master’s thesis that was defended in May 2025. Now, Sowmya is continuing to pursue her Ph.D. in Dr. Zhang’s group and will work on research in electric-field-driven oil-water separation with funding support from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, which will integrate microfluidics, QCM, and other techniques for sustainable nanobubble-based oil removal processes from impaired water removal.

Yining, originally from China, had a bachelor’s in pharmacy from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. He obtained his master’s in biotechnology management and entrepreneurship from Yeshiva University this May. He has over three years of laboratory experience, including biocompatibility testing, mammalian cell culture, and analytical methods. This 2025 summer, he worked as an intern in Dr. Zhang’s group and contributed to projects on nanobubble technology and plant growth assessment. More excitingly, he will lead his Ph.D. research in fundamental sciences and applications of nanobubbles and hydrogels for sustainable agriculture under funding support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, Award #: 2024-67021-42716), focusing on improving irrigation efficiency, nutrient delivery, and plant-water interactions.

This study evaluated the use of nanobubble-enabled foam fractionation for the removal of Microcystis aeruginosa and three microcystin congeners (MC-LR, MC-RR, MC-YR). Foam was generated using air nanobubbles combined with surfactants—cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and chitosan—to enhance foamability and stability. Among the tested surfactants, CTAB exhibited the highest foamability, yielding improved removal performance. Removal of microcystins was influenced by both the presence of microalgae and surfactant conditions. MC-RR showed higher removal in the absence of microalgae (43.2 ± 1.5% to 56.8 ± 2.0%) compared to when algae was present (27.0 ± 5.6% to 28.3 ± 3.3%), suggesting competition during foam separation. Among the three congeners, the most hydrophobic MC-LR exhibited the highest foam affinity, with a removal efficiency of 77.4 ± 9.2%. Test results from real lake water suggests that background contaminants in lake water compete with target pollutants for adsorption onto foam bubbles, decreasing system efficiency at lower surfactant doses. These findings provide new insights into integrating nanobubble-enhanced foam fractionation into water treatment systems for mitigating harmful algal blooms (HABs) and microcystins.

Grateful for the support from a subaward of the NOAA Prevention, Control and Mitigation of HABs (PCMHAB) award (NA22NOS4780172) to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies (UMCES) through the US HAB Control Technologies Incubator (US HAB-CTI), a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UMCES and Mote Marine Laboratory. Authors would like to thank the project mentors Allen, Taylor Armstrong, Liz Longstreet and Kevin Claridge.

After more than a year of dedicated effort, Dr. Wen Zhang’s research team successfully delivered the first industrial-grade ozone nanobubble generator, developed in collaboration with Purenano Tech. The recipient, Geogreen—a pioneering urban indoor farm in New Jersey—received the system on August 1, 2025. Dr. Zhang and his Ph.D. student, Yihan Zhang, worked alongside Geogreen’s founder, Desmond Hayes, to install the unit at the farm’s laboratory, where it will be tested for reclaimed water disinfection and surface cleaning. This initiative is supported by funding from the EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Program (NP-96259122-0) and the CSTI program.

Conversion of ozone gas into nanobubbles in water may address current ozonation challenges.¹ For example, the low buoyancy and high surface-to-volume ratio of ozone nanobubbles permit greater transfer efficiency and retention time of ozone into water and thus enable long-lasting disinfection power.² Previous studies reported that ozone nanobubbles increased the dissolved O₃ concentration and mass transfer coefficient by 1.7 and 4.7 times respectively, compared to ozone microbubbles (the bubble diameter less than 1 µm).^{1, 3} Moreover, ozone nanobubble has a half-life that is 23 times longer than O₃ microbubbles and can generate higher concentrations of hydroxide radicals (•OH) than regular ozonation.^3-5 Particularly, some previous studies reported that ozone nanobubbles water is more effective in reducing algal toxins and inactivating pathogens in synthetic and real waters.^{6, 7} Thus, ozone nanobubbles have the potential to enhance water disinfection through the improved ozone solubility, elevated oxidation capacity, and enhanced interactions with chemical and biological contaminants.

References

1.           Atkinson, A. J.;  Apul, O. G.;  Schneider, O.;  Garcia-Segura, S.; Westerhoff, P., Nanobubble Technologies Offer Opportunities To Improve Water Treatment. Acc Chem Res 2019, 52 (5), 1196-1205.

2.           Fan, W.;  An, W.;  Huo, M.;  Xiao, D.;  Lyu, T.; Cui, J., An integrated approach using ozone nanobubble and cyclodextrin inclusion complexation to enhance the removal of micropollutants. Water Research 2021, 196, 117039.

3.           Yang, X.;  Chen, L.;  Oshita, S.;  Fan, W.; Liu, S., Mechanism for Enhancing the Ozonation Process of Micro- And Nanobubbles: Bubble Behavior and Interface Reaction. ACS ES&T Water 2023.

4.           Arrojo, S.;  Nerin, C.; Benito, Y., Application of salicylic acid dosimetry to evaluate hydrodynamic cavitation as an advanced oxidation process. Ultrasonics Sonochem 2007, 14 (3), 343-349.

5.           Soyluoglu, M.;  Kim, D.; Karanfil, T., Characteristics and Stability of Ozone Nanobubbles in Freshwater Conditions. Environmental Science & Technology 2023, 57 (51), 21898-21907.

6.           Jhunkeaw, C.;  Khongcharoen, N.;  Rungrueng, N.;  Sangpo, P.;  Panphut, W.;  Thapinta, A.;  Senapin, S.;  St-Hilaire, S.; Dong, H. T., Ozone nanobubble treatment in freshwater effectively reduced pathogenic fish bacteria and is safe for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Aquaculture 2021, 534, 736286.

7.           He, H.;  Zheng, L.;  Li, Y.; Song, W., Research on the feasibility of spraying micro/nano bubble ozonated water for airborne disease prevention. Ozone: Sci & Eng 2015, 37 (1), 78-84.

Dr. Wen Zhang and his research team from NJIT presented three impactful posters at the 2025 USDA QUAD-AI ENGAGE Workshop, held at Georgia Tech. The team highlighted cutting-edge applications of nanobubble technology for sustainable agriculture and food safety.

• Dr. Shan Xue demonstrated how irrigation with nanobubble-enriched water significantly boosts crop growth—reducing the grow cycle by up to 30% and increasing plant yield by as much as 80% over one year. This technology also improved soil structure and nutrient uptake while reducing biofilm formation in irrigation systems.
• Dr. Nguyen Nhat Thu Le explored the microbiological impacts of nanobubbles on tomato rhizosphere. Her study revealed that oxygen and nitrogen nanobubbles reshaped the microbial community, enhancing beneficial bacteria linked to nutrient cycling and plant resistance—ultimately promoting healthier and more robust tomato growth.
• Dr. Wen Zhang presented results from an EPA-funded project on ozone nanobubbles for food disinfection. His work showed that ozone nanobubbles outperform traditional sanitizers by achieving more effective pathogen reduction with fewer harmful residues, offering a safer and more sustainable approach to cleaning produce and equipment.

This event underscored the growing synergy between AI, nanotechnology, and sustainable agriculture—and the NJIT team’s commitment to driving innovation across these domains.

Dr. Zhang felt a deep sense of nostalgia and pride as he revisited Yongsheng Chen’s Laboratory at Georgia Tech—his academic home during his Ph.D. years. Standing once again in the lab where countless hours of research and discovery shaped his early scientific career brought back vivid memories. Seeing his name still listed on the lab contact sheet was a touching reminder of his enduring connection to the lab and its legacy.

My postdoc, Dr. Jiahui Hu and my Ph.D. student (Guangyu Zhu) spent over 1 years on this critical review paper, “Interfacial Heating in Membrane Distillation: Advances, Optimization Strategies, and Industrial Applications for Desalination”, which is finally published in Environmental Science & Technology.

This paper highlights the potential of interfacial heating (IH) membrane distillation (MD) as an advanced desalination technology capable of efficiently producing freshwater from seawater and brine. Unlike conventional MD, IH-MD delivers localized heat at the membrane-saline water interface, enhancing vapor flux and reducing heat loss. Despite significant progress, a unified understanding of IH-MD system performance is still lacking, and practical challenges such as membrane wetting, scaling, fouling, and corrosion—resulting from the incorporation of heating materials—hinder industrial application.

The review critically examines four major IH-MD approaches: photothermal, Joule, conduction, and induction heating. Photothermal heating offers sustainability and improved energy efficiency but is constrained by sunlight availability and material stability, while electrothermal methods ensure steady interfacial flux at the cost of higher energy consumption and potential material degradation.

Strategies to enhance system performance and durability are discussed, including hybrid heating methods, optimized module designs, tailored membrane properties, and refined operating conditions. The review also evaluates the economic feasibility of IH-MD technologies for industrial deployment. While IH-MD faces challenges in material stability, system complexity, and scalability, its potential to mitigate thermal polarization, reduce energy demand, and integrate with renewable energy sources positions it as a transformative solution for sustainable desalination and water treatment.

This review aims to bridge the gap between scientific advances and real-world applications, offering insights to guide future research and commercialization of IH-MD technologies. We are grateful for the support from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Award R22AC00433) and all co-authors for sharing their expertise and critical evaluations to this paper.

First author: Jiahui Hu
Corresponding author: Wen Zhang

Co-author: Guangyu Zhu, Avner Ronen, David Jassby, Qilin Li, Peng Wang, Wenbin Wang
Link to the paper: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c01447

#sustainable water, #energy efficiency, #durability, #membrane distillation, #interfacial heating

Our group had a highly productive and memorable time at the 2025 Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Research and Education Conference. We are grateful to the organizers, symposium chairs, and fellow participants for creating such an engaging and collaborative environment. From scientific discussions to social mixers, every moment contributed to a rewarding experience—highlighted by reconnecting with old colleagues and forming new collaborations over oysters, cocktails, and vibrant poster sessions.

📢 Oral Presentations

We were proud to share our latest research through three oral presentations:

1. Yihan Zhang – Nanobubble-Based Foam Fractionation Removal of Algae and Algogenic Pollutants
2. Guangyu Zhu – Anti-Scaling and Anti-Wetting Omniphobic FAS/PANI/Fe₃O₄-Coated PTFE Membrane for Induction-Heating Membrane Distillation in Hyperbrine Treatment
3. Wen Zhang – Nanobubble-Enriched Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture: Enhancing Water and Nutrient Delivery to Boost Plant Growth

🧪 Poster Presentations

Eight of our group members presented exciting findings across diverse environmental and materials science topics:

• Jiahe Zhang – Ammonia Recovery from Wastewater Using Integrated Tunable Electrochemical Systems
• Yihan Zhang – Nanobubble-Enabled Foam Fractionation: Characterization and Application for PFAS Removal in Complex Water Matrices (RO Retentate and Landfill Leachate)
• Sowmya Atukuri – Colloidal Behavior of Nanobubbles Under Mechanical and Centrifugal Stress for Environmental Applications
• Hui Mu – Oyster Shells as Sustainable Promoters for Methane Production from Starch Wastewater: Feasibility, Mechanism, and Implications
• Haodong Jia – Oxygen Vacancy-Rich Copper-Based Layered Catalysts for Efficient Phenolic Pollutant Degradation via Peroxymonosulfate Activation Under High Salinity
• Wencong Xing – Photoaged Microplastic-Derived DOM Promotes Hg(II) Reduction Under Dark Conditions
• Jingru Wei – Colloidal Behavior of Nanobubbles and Applications in Oil Dispersion and Soil Remediation
• Lai Wei – Simultaneous Adsorption of Orthophosphate and Phosphonate by Zirconium-Modified Biotite: Implications for Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Treatment

🙏 Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank the following funding agencies and programs for supporting our research and student participation:

• NOAA Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of HABs (PCMHAB) Award (NA22NOS4780172) via UMCES and US HAB-CTI
• EPA P3 (Grant Numbers: 83945101, 84001901, SU84014901, SU841126, SU-84086601-0)
• EPA Region 2 P2 (#NP-96259122-0)
• U.S. Department of the Interior – Bureau of Reclamation (R19AC00107)
• ACS Petroleum Research Fund (PRF #68417-ND9)
• USDA NIFA AFRI Projects [2018-07549] and [2023-10308]
• NSF/BSF Collaborative Project (Award #2215387)
• 2024 NJIT Technology Innovation Translation and Acceleration (TITA) Seed Grant Program

We return from AEESP energized and inspired to continue advancing research at the intersection of environmental engineering, nanotechnology, and sustainable systems.