Mission

•Mechanistic study of Advanced Oxidation Processes –AOP (i.e. electrochemical, TiO2 photo-assisted, ultrasound, photo-Fenton…)
•Development of synergistic coupling between different AOP for the degradation of chemical and microbiological pollutants in water and air.
•Coupling of AOP and biological systems for industrial waste-waters treatment
•Design, preparation, chemical characterization, activity evaluation and mechanistic description of (nano) materials with (photo)catalytic activity pour environmental applications
•Development of supported self-cleaning and self-disinfecting (photo) actives materials
•Cooperation projects with colleagues from Latin America and Africa. (Agro) industrial waste-waters treatment and household water disinfection by simple and non-expensive helio- photocatalytic processes. Supervision of PH D and trainees from these countries

Biography

Prof. C. Pulgarin is Chemist from Lausanne University, Master in environmental chemistry from Geneva University, Ph D in synthesis bio-inspired of natural substances from Neuchâtel University. During his education he carried out several industrial trainings.
Since March 1989, he has been working at the EPFL where he is leader of the Advanced Oxidation Processes Group (GPAO) active in the development chemical, photochemical, electrochemical, ultrasonic… processes, their coupling between them and with biological systems to degrade chemical and microbiological pollutants in water and air. He has an H index of 40 and he is the world most cited author in 1) TiO2 photo-assisted bacterial inactivation in water and 2) Coupling of photochemical and biological processes for pollutant degradation. He has been involved in ten African, South American and European international research projects. He has been Swiss representative in COST program 540.