Seokjong Byun’s paper entitled “Method for monitoring chloride levels in steam condensate in thermal power plants using reverse osmosis membranes and an ion selective electrode” is accepted for publication in Separation Science and Technology. Current methods for monitoring chloride in steam condensate in thermal power plants cannot measure the recommended target level (2 ppb) or are […]...
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Coronell Research Group
Water and Energy
Dr. Coronell is awarded the Duke Energy Faculty Fellowship. This fellowship supports one faculty member per year interested in assembling teams to pursue interdisciplinary funding opportunities on energy topics. The fellowship is administered by The Institute for the Environment (IE) at the University of North Carolina, and the funds are provided by the Duke Energy […]...
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Alex Gorzalski is the 2017 doctoral recipient of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Larson Aquatic Research Support (LARS) Scholarship, and a recipient of a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship. NDSEG Fellowships are offered to individuals who have demonstrated the ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. The […]...
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Jingbo Wang’s paper entitled “Partitioning of alkali metal salts and boric acid from aqueous phase into the polyamide active layers of reverse osmosis membranes” is accepted for publication in Environmental Science & Technology. We developed a benchtop method to determine solute partition coefficients into the polyamide active layers of RO membranes. The method uses a quartz […]...
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Ryan Kingsbury’s paper entitled “Osmotic ballasts enhance faradaic efficiency in closed-loop, membrane-based energy systems” is accepted for publication in Environmental Science & Technology. We tested whether the energy efficiency in a closed-loop concentration battery based on reverse electrodialysis (RED) could be increased through addition of neutral, non-permeating solutes (i.e., “osmotic ballasts”) to the dilute compa...
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Kasia Grzebyk is one of four national recipients of an American Membrane Technology Association-US Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology. The research funded is for work that innovates water treatment in membrane related research and results in the advancement of membrane technologies in the water, wastewater, or water reuse industries. Congratulations, Kasia!...
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Alex Gorzalski’s paper entitled “Elemental composition of membrane foulant layers using EDS, XPS, and RBS” is published in the Journal of Membrane Science. We used EDS, XPS, and RBS to characterize the foulant layers of nanofiltration membranes. We studied two different types of membranes fouled by two different water sources in two different stages of […]...
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A paper in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Suzuki entitled “Relationship between performance deterioration of a polyamide reverse osmosis membrane used in a seawater desalination plant and changes in its phyisochemical properties” is published in Water Research. In this paper we studied the relationship between membrane performance changes in a seawater desalination plant and […]...
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Jingbo Wang receives a Certificate of Merit for her presentation during the 2016 Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Division of Environmental Chemistry. Her presentation was entitled “Partitioning of inorganic contaminants into the polyamide active layers of thin-film composite membranes for water purification”. Congratulations, Jingbo!...
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Welcome to the Coronell Research Group
The Coronell Research Group studies membrane-based processes for water purification and energy production and storage, and sorption processes for the removal of contaminants from water. We study technologies with applications in municipal, industrial, and household systems. A brief description of our research focus areas with specific examples of topics of interest in each area is provided in the Research section.
Our principal investigator, Dr. Orlando Coronell, teaches courses related to water treatment including Physical/Chemical Processes for Water Purification (ENVR 756); Chemical Equilibria of Natural Waters (ENVR 419); Environmental Processes, Exposure, and Risk Assessment (ENVR 500, co-taught); and Science and Technology of Membranes for Water Purification (ENVR 890-002). A full list of the courses taught by Dr. Coronell along with their descriptions and syllabi can be found in the Teaching section.
At the Coronell Research Group, we strive to bring our research and the broader topics of water and energy to pre-college settings. We do this through educational activities at middle and high schools and through the preparation of educational materials that can be used by pre-college teachers and students. An overview of these educational activities and electronic versions of the educational materials we prepare can be found in the Outreach section. For a complete list of publications, presentations and news from our group, please visit the appropriate tab in the menu bar at the top of this page.
Fall 2022 Group (Top to Bottom): Haley Macdonald, DJ Guillory, Holly Haflich, Riley Vickers, Christian Chung, Graham Parker, Nick Chew, Wei Zhang, Orlando Coronell.
Our funding sources
Our work would not be possible without the support of our present and past funding sources • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) • National Science Foundation (NSF)-Chemical and Biological Separations Program • NSF-Grant Opportunities for Academic Liason with Industry (GOALI) Program • NSF-Environmental Engineering Program • North Carolina Collaboratory • Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) • Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) • Energy Power Research Institute (EPRI) • Ixom Watercare (formerly Orica Watercare) • Duke Energy Foundation • UNC System Research Opportunities Initiative (ROI) Program • UNC Creativity Hubs Program • Gillings Innovations Labs Program • UNC Institute for Convergent Science (ICS) • UNC-IBM Junior Faculty Development Award • Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Program • University of North Carolina Research Council (URC) Small Grants Program • Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC
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