Water

Water (Membrane)

Membrane technology is a modern and efficient method for water treatment. It uses semi-permeable membranes to separate impurities from water, allowing only clean water to pass through. This technology is widely applied in drinking water production, wastewater treatment, and seawater desalination. There are several types of membrane filtration—microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis—each designed to remove specific contaminants, from suspended particles and bacteria to dissolved salts and chemicals. Membrane systems offer significant advantages: they produce high-quality water, require fewer chemicals, and are easily scalable to meet various treatment needs. At Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), membrane fibre technology is currently used to efficiently treat water from Tasik UniSZA, demonstrating its practical benefits.With ongoing advancements in membrane materials and system design, this technology is becoming more cost-effective and sustainable. As global water scarcity grows, membrane-based treatment is a vital solution for ensuring clean and reliable water supplies.

 

Water (Oil spill)

Oil spill research focuses on understanding the behavior, impact, and mitigation of petroleum released into the environment, aiming to protect ecosystems and improve emergency response. It involves interdisciplinary studies in marine science, chemistry, engineering, data analytics, and environmental toxicology. Researchers conduct controlled field experiments, mesocosm studies, laboratory analyses, and computer simulations to investigate oil weathering processes such as spreading, evaporation and biodegradation. Critical topics include the ecological effects of oil and dispersants on marine and coastal life, the development and evaluation of cleanup technologies, and the modeling of oil transport under different environmental conditions. Data analytics plays a key role in processing large datasets from sensors, satellite imagery, experiments, and simulations to detect patterns, predict type and spill behavior, optimize response strategies, and assess environmental recovery. Oil spill research also advances remote sensing technologies for early detection and real-time monitoring, while informing policies and contingency planning to minimize future spill risks. Despite controlled settings, replicating the complexity of natural environments remains a major challenge, highlighting the need for continuous innovation, advanced analytics, and interdisciplinary collaboration.