Events

Dr. Lynn Katz, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin, will give a talk entitled "The Role of Water Quality in Emerging Energy Technologies" as part of the Claude R. Hocott Graduate Seminar Series.

Abstract:
It is well known that water is a key resource for energy production, especially in arid regions where there are multiple demands on fresh water supplies.  Many of the challenges faced by emerging technologies such as biofuel production and hydraulic fracking are associated with water availability, wastewater generation and efficient recovery of both water and product.  This presentation will highlight these challenges and focus on the role of technology development to address these issues.  The first case to be discussed is an end-to-end process for recovering oil from algal feedstock with an emphasis on the use, recovery and treatment of water in the system.  The second case will focus on the challenges and opportunities for produced/frac water reuse.

Bio:
Lynn E. Katz is the Bettie Margaret Smith Professor of Engineering and the Director of the Center for Research in Water Resources at the University of Texas in Austin.   Dr. Katz has over twenty-five years of experience examining reaction phenomena in aqueous systems and evaluating the impact of these processes on the fate and transport of organic and inorganic contaminants in the environment.  She has been a P.I. or co-P.I. for more than 40 research projects in this field.  Her research focuses on developing technologies to meet the challenges of the energy/water nexus and providing sustainable water treatment technologies that can be applied to drinking water, unconventional water sources, water reuse, greywater treatment, produced water treatment, brackish and saline water treatment, and conversion of algae to biofuel and bioproducts. Dr. Katz received her B.S.E. from Johns Hopkins University in Environmental Engineering, M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and an M.S. and Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan in Environmental Engineering.