Professor
Scientific Director, Community Circle on Scaling Business Innovation for Humanity
Office: CHBE 221
Email: madjid.mohseni@ubc.ca
Website: http://waterlab.chbe.ubc.ca/
Research Summary
Drinking water quality and treatment, Emerging contaminants, Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Advanced oxidation and reduction, UV based water treatment and purification, Ion exchange processes, Electrochemical water treatment processes, Biological drinking water treatment
Education
University of Toronto, 1998, Ph.D.
University of Toronto, 1994, M.A.Sc.
Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, B.Sc.
Research interests + projects
Research in my laboratory focuses on water quality and the application of advanced water treatment processes to improve the quality of drinking water. In particular, I work on the development, evaluation, and implementation of advanced oxidation and reduction processes, adsorptive technologies, and electrochemical processes. Our research involves laboratory scale development and investigation, as well as pilot scale and field evaluation of the technologies under real operating conditions at several partner community sites. We aim to not only advance the science behind the water treatment technologies, but also offer communities and industries more efficient and cost-effective technologies to reduce pollution and protect human health and the environment.
Advanced Oxidation and Reduction Processes
Advanced oxidation / reduction processes involve various combinations of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet (UV), and photocatalytic techniques that are capable of oxidizing and/or reducing a wide range of contaminants including emerging contaminants of concern such as PFAS. My research interests are primarily on the development, design, and evaluation of UV based AOPs (e.g., UV-H2O2, Vacuum UV, or UV-photocatalysis) and ARPs (e.g., VUV/UV-sulfite) that are poised to replace conventional and often less effective treatment technologies. This collaborative research aims to enhance the overall quality of drinking water. Specific objectives involve proper design and analysis of photoreactor configuration, UV or VUV irradiations, and operating parameters, all these being crucial for complete degradation of contaminants and preventing the formation of harmful by-products. Also, we are focusing to understand of the effect water matrix constituents on treatment efficacy and also determine the effect of AOPs/ARPs on finished water quality.
Adsorptive processes
Adsorption and ion exchange are convenient and often economically viable approaches for the removal of micropollutants from drinking water. In particular, anionic ion exchange (IEX) process is a feasible, robust, and effective technology for the removal of natural organic matter (NOM), PFAS and many other micropollutants from water. With its excellent performance and simplicity of operation, IEX has been increasingly considered and implemented in water treatment plants of various sizes (municipal to small communities). My research in this area focuses on development of novel adsorbents and IEX resins, and their evaluations in terms of key design and operational parameters including removal kinetics, long term operation, and regeneration efficacy as well as impact on the quality of finished water. Also, we are working on novel ion exchange reactors/contactors for greater removal of contaminants and more effective regeneration of the resins.
Electrochemical Water Treatment
The electrochemical methods for water treatment exhibit several advantages over more conventional chemical approaches, particularly when applied to small drinking water systems. These include: a) no required chemical supply chain, transport or handling; b) robust systems with minimal service and simple operational requirements; c) compactness and small footprint; d) green technology with low carbon footprint; and e) on-site and on-demand operation with a feedback control system. My research in this area focuses on electrochemical degradation of micropollutants, with particular emphasis on the destruction of PFAS in water and concentrated solutions from regeneration of solid media.
Scholarly and professional activities + affiliations
Clean Energy Research Centre (UBC)
Bioproducts Institute (BPI)
Selected publications
Banayan Esfahani E., Zeidabadi, F. A., Jafarikojour, M.,Mohseni, M. (2024). “Photo-oxidative/reductive Decomposition of PFOA and Its Common Alternatives: Mechanism and Kinetic Modeling”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 61, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105332.
Zeidabadi, F.A., Banayan Esfahani, E., McBeath, S.T., Mohseni, M. (2024). “Managing PFAS exhausted Ion-exchange resins through effective regeneration/electrochemical process”, Water Research. 255, doi 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121529.
Mirzaei, M.,Asgarpour Khansary, M., Mohseni, M. (2024). “Decomposition of PFOA in IEX regeneration wastewater: Comparison of UV/sulfur-based processes, key parameters and submicellar aggregates on degradation kinetics”, Chemical Engineering Journal. 480, doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.147858.
Zimmermann, K., Chen, W., Wright, J., Mohseni, M. (2023). “Design considerations for biological ion exchange drinking water filters: Resin selection, backwash, and regenerations”, AWWA Water Science, 5(5), doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1356.
Masjoudi, M., and Mohseni, M. (2023) “Photolysis of chloramines in vacuum-UV and vacuum-UV/chlorine advanced oxidation processes for removal of 1,4-dioxane: Effect of water matrix, kinetic modeling, and implications for potable reuse” J. of Hazardous Materials, doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131454.
Dixit, F., Munoz, G., Mirzaei, M., Barbeau, B., Liu, J., Duy, S.V., Sauve, S., Kandasubramanian, K., Mohseni, M. (2022) “Removal of Zwitterionic PFAS by MXenes: Comparisons with Anionic, Nonionic, and PFAS-Specific Resins” Environmental Science & Technology, doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c03780.