Xiao Su, Ph.D.

Xiao Su, Ph.D.

Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Expertise: chemical manufacturingchemical manufacturingchemical recyclingchemical recyclingClean WaterClean WaterDesalinationDesalinationEnergyEnergyEnvironmentEnvironmentRedoxRedoxWater PurificationWater Purification

Xiao Su is a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusettes Institute of Technology in 2017, and his B.A. from the University of Waterloo in 2011.


Professor Su is a chemical engineer whose interdisciplinary research program encompasses energy and environmental processes, water treatment and purification, chemical and biological manufacturing, and advanced materials synthesis. He has developed greener methods to manufacture, use and recycle chemicals, and his recent work on electrodialysis-based water purification addresses the energy and water crises simultaneously.


Lab website: https://xiaosugroup.web.illinois.edu/ 


Honors and awards:


    

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    2023: AIChE Separations FRI/John G. Kunesh Award
    

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    2023: ACS Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Colloids & Surfactant Science
    

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    2023: School of Chemical Sciences Teaching Award
    

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    2022: Center for Advanced Study, Fellow
    

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    2021: International Society of Electrochemistry Elsevier Prize for Green Electrochemistry
    

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    2020: ACS Victor K. LaMer Award
    

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    2020: RCSA Scialog Fellow
    

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Title

Cited By

Year

Renewable solar energy can help purify water, the environment


21-Jul-2023 03:05:21 PM EDT

Don't wait, desalinate: new water purification system cuts cost, energy expenses

A water purification system created by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology separates salt and unnecessary particles with an electrified version of dialysis. Successfully applied to wastewater, the method saves money and saps 90% less energy than its counterparts.
26-Jun-2023 11:45:34 AM EDT

“We need a way to purify drinking water that’s low-energy, inexpensive, and useful for the communities that need it the most. I see our solution as a platform to tackle both the energy and water crises.”

- Don’t wait, desalinate: the electrified future of clean water

“Water scarcity is a global problem, and it’s not going to change in a day. But we are taking a step toward a solution that is feasible and capable of being scaled up.”

- Don’t wait, desalinate: the electrified future of clean water

“We have the right polymer, we have the right membrane, and we have the right conditions. The science is there, so the next step is paving a way for deploying these devices for real-world water treatment. I believe the time is right for that, and I’m excited to see it happen.”

- Don’t wait, desalinate: the electrified future of clean water

“The goal of this study was to use as little energy as possible to remove nitrate from agricultural runoff before it hits our waterways, and transform it back to a fertilizer or sell it as a chemical feedstock. Our technology can thus have an impact on waste treatment, sustainable chemical production and advance decarbonization. We are hoping to bring greater circularity into the nitrogen cycle.”

- Study demonstrates energy-efficient conversion of nitrate pollutants into ammonia

"Eventually we’d like to see an entirely zero-waste, high-energy efficiency chemical manufacturing process.”

- Redox, reuse, recycle: novel process extends life cycle of valuable catalysts

“Our technology can enable new reactions to be done that are otherwise too costly. So hopefully we can open up new, greener ways of making things that are not even possible today.”

- Redox, reuse, recycle: novel process extends life cycle of valuable catalysts

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