UC professor receives Sustainable Water Award

Less than 3 percent of the earth's water is fresh, and even less of that is accessible to humans. With a growing global population, managing and sustaining this fraction of water over the next century will be a challenge.

University of Cincinnati Professor of Environmental Engineering Dionysios Dionysiou, Ph.D., has dedicated his career to tackling this challenge, specializing in the treatment of water and wastewater. His work recently earned him the Royal Society of Chemistry's prestigious Sustainable Water Award.

"I am very happy and honored to receive this award," Dionysiou said. "Water is vital for life and as an environmental engineer specializing in water quality. I feel it is my duty to explore sustainable methods to produce enough good quality water."

By developing concepts in advanced oxidation processes and creating nanomaterials, Dionysiou has made significant progress in the breakdown and removal of toxins and other contaminants from water. Dionysiou's work includes applications for treatment of surface water, groundwater and industrial wastewater. He even studies application for water reuse.

The Sustainable Water Award is given "for contributions of chemical sciences to equitable water supply." Dionysiou will receive a medal, certificate and 2,000 pounds and will embark on a United Kingdom lecture tour.

In addition to working with water treatment processes, Dionysiou applies his research to pollution prevention as well as water supply issues. The UK lecture tour will give Dionysiou the opportunity to present parts of these research topics to a wider audience.

Dionysiou's research has real impacts on the world around us. This innovative and influential work is a reflection of UC's strategic direction, Next Lives Here. 

Robert Parker, Ph.D., chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said, "Each [award winner] has done their bit to advance excellence in the chemical sciences to improve the lives of people around the world now and in the future."

Dionysiou's original and influential research will drive the future of water sustainability. The UC College of Engineering and Applied Science and the successful collaborations in the local community and abroad has helped make this possible.

"I would like to thank the University of Cincinnati for the tremendous support over the years," said Dionysiou, "as well as the many colleagues in the city of Cincinnati and around the world who provided opportunities to build a community towards water sustainability, environmental improvements and protection of human health."