Dr. ZHAO Yan
Research Assistant Professor (Water and Environmental Engineering)

BEng, Huangshan University, China
MSc, Zhejiang University of Technology, China
PhD, KU Leuven, Belgium

 

Office: COB LG-207E
Phone: +852 39102958
E-mail: yanzhaox@hku.hk
Research Group Website: https://www.membest.hku.hk

 

Teaching Activities

• CIVL1105 Environmental Engineering

 

Research Interests

• Membrane technology;
• Water and wastewater treatment;
• Energy/resource recovery;
• Environmental/chemical engineering;
• Ion separation; Electrodialysis;
• Membrane crystallization;
• Water chemistry

 

Representative Research / Consultancy Projects

• Electric field-assisted ion-brush fluctuation in reinforcement of electro-driven membrane crystallization, RGC/GRF, PI. (2025-2028)
• Electric field-assisted ion control in membrane construction for lithium recovery, RGC/GRF, PI. (2024-2027)
• Electro-driven membrane crystallization for semiconductor industrial wastewater recycling: fluoride and silicon recovery towards a closed-loop process, ITF-Seed, PI. (2026-2027)
• Electro-driven membranes and integrated systems for spent lithium-ion battery recycling: Lithium recovery towards a closed-loop process, ITF-Seed, PI. (2025-2026)
• Electro-driven membrane fabrication for lithium recovery and the study of its separation mechanism, NSFC, PI. (2024-2026)
• In-situ fabrication of iron oxides-based electro-driven membrane for phosphate recovery and the study of its transport mechanism, GD-NSF, PI. (2025-2027)

 

Professional Activities

• Associate Editor (since 2024) for Journal of Environmental Management
• Editorial Board (since 2024) for Advanced Membranes
• Guest Editor (since 2024) for Desalination, Separation and Purification

 

Selected Representative Publications

• Zhao, Y.*; Qiu, Y.; Xia, L.; Zhang, X.; Zheng, S.; Lu, G.; Shang, J.; Dewil, R.; Darling, S. B.; Van der Bruggen, B.*; Tang, C.*, Lithium-ion battery recycling through an integrated electro-membrane crystallization technology. Nature Communications, 2025.
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67678-5.
• Zhao, Y.*; Yan, X.; Xia, L.*, Qiu, Y.; Zheng, S,; Lu, G,; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Shen, J.; Zhang, X.; Yang, X.*, Liu, J. Z.; Dewil, R.; Gao, C.; Van der Bruggen, B.*, Enabling an ultra-efficient lithium-selective construction through electric field-assisted ion control. Science Advances, 2025.
  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adv6646.
• Qiu, Y.; Gao, Y.; Liu, J. R.; Cai, Y.; Mei, Y.; Xia, L.; Ng, H. Y.; Zhao, Y.*; Van der Bruggen, B.; Tang, C.*, In-situ construction of ZIF-embedded hydrogel electro-driven membranes for lithium selectivity. Journal of Membrane Science, 2025.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2025.125043 .
• Qiu, Y.; Xia, L.; Ren, L.-F.*; Wang, C.; Wan, Y.; Zhao, Y.*; Dewil, R.; Van der Bruggen, B.; Shao, J.; Tang, C., Fast-selective electro-driven membrane reactor in fluoride/silica crystallization for microelectronic wastewaters recycling. Water Research, 2025.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.123725.
• Lu, G.; Zhang, H.*; A, H.; Xu, H.; Dewil, R.; Zhao, Y.; Van der Bruggen, B.*, Zheng, S.*, Interfacial supramolecular interactions regulated oligomer networking into robust sub- nanochannels for efficient osmotic energy conversion. Energy & Environmental Science, 2025.
  https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EE03350K.