Productive and Inspiring Experience at AEESP 2025

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.