CREST-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Investigating Non-Biofouling (NB) Membrane Materials as Forward Osmosis (FO) Membranes to Remediate from Saltwater Intrusion Las Cucharillas

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (CREST-PRF) track within the CREST program supports beginning CREST Center investigators with significant potential and provides them with training and research experiences that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions and establish them in positions of leadership within the scientific community. This CREST-PRF project is aligned with the research focus of the CREST Center for Innovation Research and Education in Environmental Nanotechnology at the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras Campus.

The goal of this research is for the post doctoral fellow to investigate water remediation treatment from salinity intrusion via a desalination method based on novel polymers. The proposed work has the potential to increase understanding about the waters in the Las Cucharillas community.

The proposed work intends to study salinity intrusion into water aquifers through a detailed examination of water remediation treatment from salinity intrusion via a desalination method using novel polymers. A specific aim of the research is to synthesize materials with non-biofouling features that may be used in seawater environments. An environmentally friendly zwitterionic poly(carboxybetainmethacrylate) (PCBMA) based polymer will be studied and characterized.

This utilization of this hydrophilic polymer has the potential to have water purification applications which may prevent organic matter attachment. This proposed method has the potential to preserve the island groundwater sources and associated natural ecosystems. The successful implementation of this project has the potential to yield significant information to advance understanding regarding the use of hydrophilic polymers via emerging polymeric grafting techniques.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.