Elimelech Receives 2015 Eni Award

Menachem Elimelech, the Roberto Goizueta Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, received the 2015 Eni Award for his innovative work in water treatment.

At the ceremony at the Quirinal Palace in Rome this month, Elimelech received the "Protection of the Environment Prize." Among those in attendance were the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, Eni Chairwoman Emma Marcegaglia, and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi. Eni, the Italian energy company, created the Eni Awards in 2007 to promote better use of energy sources and inspire new generations of researchers.

When the award was announced earlier this year, the committee cited Elimelech as "one of the leading researchers in the world, as well as a point of reference in the field of water quality engineering and membrane technology for water desalination and reuse."

Elimelech's highly interdisciplinary research involves nanotechnology, materials science, membrane science and engineering, microbiology, and colloid and interface science.

The founder of Yale's Environmental Engineering program in 1998, Elimelech has made numerous important contributions to the field of membrane-based processe. The Eni Awards committee specifically cited his work in forward osmosis, a process that uses low-grade heat as its energy source. Elimelech's work with this has introduced such improvements making the process of membrane-based water desalination more environmentally sound and reducing energy costs for purifying water.