Prof. Bart VAN DER BRUGGEN from Department of Chemical Engineering at KU Leuven was invited to attend “International Expert Forum” hosted by Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences on October 15. Prof. VAN DER BRUGGEN is a world-renowned expert in the membrane field. He serves as the Chairman of European Membrane Society, the Chief Editor of Separation and Purification Technology, and the Executive Editor of Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology.  

Prof. VAN DER BRUGGEN delivered a lecture titled “Electrodriven Membrane Processes: Approaches and Challenges Ahead”. The lecture was hosted by Prof. ZHANG Yang, Group Leader of Waste Valorization and Water Reuse Group of QIBEBT.  

At the beginning of the lecture, Prof. VAN DER BRUGGEN gave some insights into the current development status of membrane and membrane technologies, especially the electrodriven membrane processes. Afterwards, the current and potential applications of electrodriven membrane processes in water treatment, energy generation and food industries were reviewed. In the end, he summarized the challenges for electromembrane processes to overcome.   

Prof. VAN DER BRUGGEN visited the Waste Valorization and Water Reuse Group and shared his experiences and perspectives on research and technologies, which laid good foundation for potential collaboration between KU Leuven and QIBEBT in near future. Prof. SHEN Jiangnan from Zhejiang University of Technology also joined the visit. 

“International Expert Forum” was launched by QIBEBT from 2013 with the aim to strengthen the academic communication with well-known international scientists and improve the research and innovation expertise via international cooperation.