Research
Sustainability in the Desert
From Mineral Recovery to Reusable Water
The University of Arizona is a top research and development institution in a semi-arid desert where mining is a major industry. That makes UA chemical and environmental engineering a go-to for studies in areas such as reusable water, renewable energy and waste cleanup.
Perhaps most importantly, CHEE researchers are known for far surpassing expectations, and getting results.
- Researchers not only are cleaning up mine tailings – they are also developing bio-refinery technology to recover valuable materials from mine waste.
- CHEE engineers are not just designing water treatment systems for the masses – they’re also delivering low-cost, solar-powered groundwater filtration to remote communities.
- Researchers didn’t stop with sensors to keep molten salts from corroding pipes – they continued with high-temperature molten salts for copper extraction from ore and energy recovery from metal refining.
- UA chemical and environmental experts aren’t just figuring out how to turn plants into rubber, resin, polysaccharide and biofuels – they’re doing it using wastewater and desert shrubs.
Mission: Knowledge for Arizona and the World
Focus Areas
CHEE – with annual research expenditures of $5 million – conducts research in these primary areas:
- Water Treatment and Reuse
- Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry
- Electrochemical Processes
- Nanotechnology
- Bioremediation
- Applied Quantum Chemistry
- Renewable Energy
For a snapshot of the UA CHEE faculty research areas, check out this flyer:
Project Highlights
Research Centers and Facilities
CHEE faculty are leaders in the following centers:
- Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE)
- Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies (AIRES)
- BIO5 Institute
- Center for Environmentally Sustainable Mining
- Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Institute for Energy Solutions (IES)
- Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions Center
- Water & Energy Sustainable Technology Center
- Water Resources Research Center
See UA College of Engineering-affiliated Research Centers and Institutes.
Featured Videos
Sustainability with Guayule
CHEE chair Kim Ogden and David Dierig of Bridgestone/USDA discuss the potential of guayule as a sustainable source for rubber in tires
Sustainable Energy
Erin Ratcliff and Adam Printz
Science in Seconds
Armin Sorooshian
Sustaining Tribal Communities
Vicky Karanikola and Kim Ogden
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