Dan Zhao

Dan Zhao is a Researcher in the Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he develops advanced membrane technologies and catalytic processes for environmental sustainability. His work directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goals for clean water and responsible consumption through innovations in wastewater treatment and plastic waste management.

Education:

• PhD in Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2023. Dissertation: "Electrospun nanofiber membranes as supports for enzyme immobilization and its application in wastewater treatment".

Research Interests: Dr. Zhao specializes in wastewater treatment using electrospun nanofiber membranes and ceramic membranes, with significant contributions to microplastic removal from industrial streams and catalytic upcycling of plastic waste. His fingerprint analysis shows 100% activity in Wastewater Treatment, 80% in Nanofiber and Cyclodextrin applications, and 60% in Ceramic Membrane development, demonstrating interdisciplinary integration of chemical engineering and materials science to address emerging pollutants.

Publication Trends: His 2023-2025 publications reveal a strategic focus on membrane-based solutions for industrial wastewater challenges and plastic valorization. Key innovations include enzyme-immobilized ceramic nanofibers for pollutant transformation, photocatalytic PVC upcycling using carbon-nanodot/MOF composites, and hospital laundry wastewater treatment systems. These works consistently bridge fundamental materials science with practical environmental applications.

Grants and Projects:

• Active: "Sustainable Industrial Laundry Wastewater Treatment by Advanced Membrane Technologies" (2023-2027) - Project Participant developing solutions for Bisperbjerg Hospital's microplastic challenges.
• Completed: PhD project "Enzyme-Immobilized Electrospun Nanofiber Designs" (2019-2023) supervised by Prof. Wei Zhang and Dr. Claus Hélix-Nielsen.

Collaborative Framework: Based at DTU's Water Technology & Processes group, Dr. Zhao collaborates with hospital partners (Bisperbjerg), DTU faculty (Hartmann, Hélix-Nielsen), and international researchers. His work leverages DTU's membrane fabrication facilities and hospital wastewater streams to advance scalable environmental technologies, with future focus on industrial implementation of plastic recycling catalysts.