My first day in the US started with a visit in Tucson, AZ where the University of Arizona (UA) is located. Prof. Shane Snyder helped me out to arrange a seminar (& a nice accommodation for my stay!). I would like to thank Shane for his help and warm hospitality during my stay in Tucson. Shane's lab houses quite a few analytical instruments for the analysis of trace organics (the lab looks like a large booth in an analytical instrument exposition) and he has just opened up a new research centre for many water treatment activities. Anyway, during the seminar I gave a presentation focusing on the removal of trace organics by reverse osmosis membranes for potable water reuse, which actually got a strong attention from professors and students working in the department. It is always good to get a feedback from many professional people working in a similar field, particularly from places where water issue is actually happening. After my visit in UA, Shane showed me around Tucson city and we also enjoyed
A sign at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
I spent my second day in Orange County Water District (OCWD), California. They have the world largest water reclamation plant used for indirect potable water reuse. Surprisingly, the inside and outside of the facility doesn't look like 7-8 years old but rather like brand new! The scientist who showed me around explained the reason like that's because of the arid condition (= less subject to rust?). After having lunch at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant, I gave a presentation that is actually quite similar to what I did at UA. While my presentation was about 40-min long only, we had additional one hour to talk about the details of the research findings and ongoing research. I realised that the US is the place where my main research gets most attention! In any case, I met a number of professional scientists and engineers at OCWD and had great discussions. I really appreciate their help and hospitality during my stay.
Reverse osmosis (RO) units.
RO permeate, RO feed, and RO concentrate (from left to right).
Many states in the US like California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas (and maybe many more) are suffering from droughts and unbalanced supply & demand. Though Japan doesn't really have any issues in terms of quantity of water, I am hoping that technologies Japan has can contribute to solve some of the water-related issues happening in the US.
I was too lazy to take photos during this trip but I will try to get as many photos as possible for this blog next time!
