Assistant Professor in Civil & Environmental Engineering.  His research interests are in the development and application of membrane and biotechnology for water purification, wastewater treatment, water reuse and alternative energy production from wastes. His current sources of funding include municipalities, state agencies, non-profit organizations and USF. The Tampa Bay area is one of the most active regions in the world in terms of technologies and infrastructure for alternative water supplies, which includes reuse of wastewater and desalination of seawater and brackish groundwater.

REU students will assist a PhD student with the development and testing of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) - a sustainable treatment system for the recovery of resources (water, energy and nutrients) from wastewater. In an effort to optimize the operation of the AnMBR, the REU student will evaluate ultrafiltration (UF) membrane filtration performance and fouling propensity under different operating conditions. Experiments may include the analysis of membrane foulants using advanced instrumentation (e.g., scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy) at the USF Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Research Center. The REU student will also perform a number of laboratory tests and operate a data acquisition system to monitor and characterize the bioreactor.

The second project will involve a local water treatment facility ( Dunedin, FL) which utilizing reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for groundwater treatment. The REU will be part of a team of students on a long-term study to optimize plant performance and develop novel methods for reducing biofouling in RO membranes. The student will learn to operate laboratory- and pilot-scale membrane test cells, characterize membrane performance, test water quality parameters like assimilable organic carbon (AOC), and assist in membrane autopsy.

More information: Dr. Yeh's website