EVALUATING CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN WATER
The Shah lab at Purdue University is focused on evaluating how chemicals transform in complex aqueous phase matrices by using advanced analytical tools to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms of these reactions. Our central mission is to assess how such processes impact drinking water and wastewater quality to improve public health but also to explore how they may impact other environmental and sustainability related challenges faced today. Targeted research areas include disinfection, disinfection by-product formation, environmental photochemistry, and critical materials recovery from aqueous waste streams.
Highlights
Our Research
Posted: 10 June 2026. One current project evaluates the key protochemical reaction mechanisms driving COS and CS2 formation from organic sulfur during sunlight photolysis of natural waters, with important implications to the global sulfur cycle and climate change.
Our Publications
Posted: 10 June 2026. Check out one of our papers published by our recent Ph.D. graduate, Kris Isaacson! His paper evaluated the formation and leaching of organic compounds following thermal degradation of drinking water plastic pipes. His work directly impacts the potential role of plastic pipes in contaminating drinking water during wildfires.
Our Group
Posted: 10 June 2026. Congratulations to Guanchun Wang, a second year Ph.D. student in our group, for giving his first talk at the Spring 2026 ACS conference in Atlanta, GA! His presentation pertained to recovering critical materials from landfill leachate.