Education background

Ph.D. in Environment Science & Engineering, Jan. 2005, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

B.S. in Environment Engineering, July 2000, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Experience

2019-present Professor, School of Environment, Tsinghua University

2010-2019 Associate Professor, School of Environment, Tsinghua University

2012-2013 Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

2006-2010 Lecturer, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University

2005-2006 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University

Teaching Experience

Lecture, Associate professor, Professor (2006-present), Tsinghua University

40050343 Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Design

40050222 Site Practice for Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering

40050455 Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering

S1510021 Exploration to Scientific Research of Laboratory

00050071 Environmental Production and Sustainable Development

00050151 Water Science and Water Safety

Concurrent Academic

Chair of International working group for CDI & Electrosorption

Member of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences

Member of Japan Society on Water Environment

Member of International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology

Member of International Water Association

Areas of Research Interests/ Research Projects

The primary research interest lies in the development of novel wastewater treatment technologies to recover water, energy, nutrients, and value-added products from wastewater. Previous and current research topics include： 

1. Advanced wastewater treatment for water reuse, including sulfur autotrophic denitrification, denitrification-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation, phosphate adsorption and desalination; 

2. Energy recovery and in-situ utilization, including electricity generation by microbial fuel cells or reverse electrodialysis, microbial desalination cells, and bio-cathode microbial fuel cells for wastewater denitrification; 

3. Nutrient recovery, in particular the adsorption of ammonium, nitrate and phosphate in waste streams using capacitive deionization or ion exchange technologies; 

4. Comprehensive toxicity of water quality, including extracellular electron transport, electroactive biofilm biosensor and early-warning system.

Research Status

1. Recovery of energy and value-added products from wastewater treatment, Outstanding Young Scientist Program of the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2022-2026, PI;

2. Optimizing the Operation of Drainage Systems in Industry Zones, Special Science & Technology Project on Treatment and Control of Water Pollution, 2017-2021, PI;

3. Charge Transfer in Flow Electrode, General Program of NSFC, 2017-2022, PI;

4. Water Pollution Control, Excellent Young Scientist Program of the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2015-2017, PI.

Honors And Awards

MOE Natural Science Award (2019, First-class)

National Scientific and Technological Progress Award (2017, Second-class)

MOE Scientific and Technological Progress Award (2016, First-class)

Outstanding Faculty of the University, Tsinghua University (2014)

Teaching Skill Competition Award (2nd Prize), Tsinghua University (2014)

Outstanding Faculty of the School of Environment, Tsinghua University (2010, 2011)

Award for Teaching Achievement, Tsinghua University (2010)

National-Level Excellent Courses (2009, 2010)

Best Technology Paper on the journal of Environmental Science & Technology (2009) 

Outstanding Young Scholar Award, Chinese Environmental Science Society (2008)

Outstanding Presentation Award, Japan Society on Water Environment (2008)

Excellent Postdoc Award, Tsinghua University (2007)

Academic Achievement

Published 180 SCI-indexed papers (H=46). Selected articles:

1. Yang, Fan; He, Yunfei; Rosentsvit, Leon; Suss, Matthew E.; Zhang, Xiaori; Gao, Tie; Liang, Peng. Flow-electrode capacitive deionization: A review and new perspectives, Water Research, 2021, 200:117222.

2. Ma, Junjun; Zhang, Changyong; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Xudong; Suss, Matthew E.; Huang, Xia; Liang, Peng. Carbon Black Flow Electrode Enhanced Electrochemical Desalination Using Single-Cycle Operation, Environmental Science & Technology, 2020, 54(2): 1177-1185.

3. Yang, Fan; Ma, Junjun; Zhang, Xudong; Huang, Xia; Liang, Peng. Decreased charge transport distance by titanium mesh-membrane assembly for flow-electrode capacitive deionization with high desalination performance, Water Research, 2019, 164: 114904.

4. Liang, Peng; Duan, Rui; Jiang, Yong; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; Qiu, Yong; Huang, Xia. One-year operation of 1000-L modularized microbial fuel cell for municipal wastewater treatment, Water Research, 2018, 141: 1-8.

5. Zuo, Kuichang; Wang, Zhen; Chen, Xi; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; Zuo, Jiaolan; Liang, Peng; Huang, Xia. Self-Driven Desalination and Advanced Treatment of Wastewater in a Modularized Filtration Air Cathode Microbial Desalination Cell, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50(13): 7254-7262.