EDITORIAL pubs.acs.org/IECR
A Tribute to Enrico Drioli
W
e are very pleased to have had a hand in producing this Special Issue of I&EC Research (I&ECR) honoring our good friend and colleague, Enrico Drioli. It is but a small token of respect and appreciation for all that Enrico has done for the field of membrane science and technology and chemical engineering more broadly. Enrico has been a world ambassador for membranes and their applications. It would be hard to imagine anyone active in this field on any continent that does not know, or know about, Enrico. His imprint has been wide and deep. Enrico graduated in Chemistry from the University of Naples in 1965. He served as a Professor of Chemistry and Electrochemistry at the School of Engineering of the University of Naples during the period of 1968 1982. He saw a unique opportunity for membrane research at a new university founded in 1972 in very southern Italy, viz., the University of Calabria. Enrico served as a Full Professor at the University of Calabria from 1981 through 2011 and was Dean of the School of Engineering during 1982 1985. He established a very active membrane research group and eventually founded, in 1993, the Institute on Membranes and Chemical Reactors of the Italian National Research Council (CNR); in 2001, it became the Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM) of CNR. Enrico served as its Director from 1993 through 2008, and he was named Founding Director of ITM in 2011. Under his leadership, ITM-CNR became, and remains, a leading institution in membrane research with the strategic approach of r 2013 American Chemical Society
understanding fundamental properties and mechanisms of membranes and membrane operations for solving technological problems challenging the knowledge-based sustainable development. In 2012, he was named Emeritus Professor of the University of Calabria. Since 2009, Enrico has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Energy Engineering at Hanyang University as part of the Korean World Class University program. In 2012, he was named distinguished Adjunct Professor, Center of Excellence in Desalination Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is also currently the Coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus Doctorate in Membrane Engineering for the European Commission. Enrico is the author or coauthor of more than 650 scientific papers and 18 patents in the field of membrane science and technology and has coedited 19 books. His research interests have been very broad, including membranes for water purification and for gas separation. He contributed to many aspects related to membrane preparation, membranes in artificial organs, catalytic and biocatalytic membranes, and membrane reactors. Special Issue: Enrico Drioli Festschrift Received: June 5, 2013 Accepted: June 6, 2013 Published: August 07, 2013 10333
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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research He has been particularly interested in the integration of membrane processes and an avid proponent of the concept of process intensification where he has articulated a wide use of membrane technology. He has been a leader in unconventional uses of membranes, e.g, as contactors, crystallizers, distillation, and emulsification. His unique skills, combined with a high degree of passion and enthusiasm, have made him a restless researcher and a tremendous leader with a vision for anticipating trends in science and society. He has been a strong promoter of a knowledge-based economy implemented by membrane engineering long before these terms and concepts became familiar to the scientific community. His leadership in professional societies has been extensive, for example, he cofounded and served as the President of the European Society of Membrane Science and Technology, now the European Membrane Society (EMS), from 1982 until 1998. He was named honorary President of the EMS in 1999. His wide experience and expertise represent an invaluable resource that he is always willing to share. As a result, he is continuously involved in many organizations, panels, working groups, councils, etc. Just to list some: • Chairman of the Working Party on Membranes of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (since 1985) and the section on membrane engineering of the EFCE; • Patron Member of the Indian Membrane Society; • Member of the Interim Board of Governors of the Middle East Desalination Research Center, Oman, Muscat (1994 1996); • Member of the Advisor Board of the UNESCO Center on Membrane Science and Technology at the New South Wales University, Australia; • Member and Moderator of the Research Advisory Council of the Middle East Desalination Research Center, Oman, Muscat (since May 1997); • Member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee of the Grand Water Research Institute at Technion—Israel Institute of Technology (since 2004); • Member of the International Advisory Board of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (since 2007). • Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) for the KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse (WDR) Center (since 2010); • International Adviser of the Mega-Ton Water System project under Japanese Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program) (since 2010); His organization of conferences and workshops has been legendary and perhaps one of the ways Enrico has become one of the most well-known figures around the world in the field of membranes. He organized the Europe Japan conference held in Stresa, Italy, on 1984, in cooperation with Prof. Nakagaki, President of the Membrane Society of Japan. After this event, the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) was founded. When the second Conference Japan Europe was planned, NAMS colleagues were also invited, and in Tokyo, in 1987, the first ICOM took place organized by the three existing membrane societies. Then, the Membrane Society of Korea was born. Nowadays, the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS), NAMS, and EMS host ICOM alternatively, at their respective continents, every third year. After the event in Stresa, ICOM has been held in Europe three times (Heidelberg, Germany (1993), Toulouse, France (2002), and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2011)); in
EDITORIAL
North America three times (Chicago, IL (1990), Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1999), and Honolulu, HI (2008)); in Asia three times (Tokyo, Japan (1987), Yokohama, Japan (1996), and Seoul, Korea (2005)). The next ICOM will be in China (2014). The conferences in Ravello (1988, 1999, 2010), Cetraro (at least once a year since 1996), and worldwide (Taormina, Italy, 2006; Weihai/Harbin, PRC, every year since 2005) have attracted attendees from around the world, because of their technical quality and relevance plus the careful attention to providing a wonderful setting for enjoying food and drink while conversing about science at great length. Enrico has received considerable recognition for his contributions, including the following: • Honorary Professor at the China Northwest University in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China (September 1991). • Doctorate Honoris Causa in Chemistry and Chemical Technology from Russian Academy of Science (February 1992) • International Cooperation Honor Award on September 2005 given by the Membrane Industry Association of China (MIAC) for his special dedication to the International Cooperation between China and Europe in the field of membrane and science technology. • Doctorate Honoris Causa from University Paul Sabatier of Toulouse (France) (July 2009) • Richard Maling Barrer Prize of the European Membrane Society (July 2011) • Honorary Membership of the Czech Society of Chemical Engineering (2012) • Honorary Member of the A. V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (since 1999). • Guest Professor in the Environment and Safety Engineering Department at the Jiangsu Polytechnic University, China (since June 2005) • Member of the International Advisory Board of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (since 2007). Enrico has touched the lives of an incalculable number of people around the world and enriched each of them in both professional and personal ways. We take great pleasure in offering this tribute to our friend, colleague, and mentor. Lidietta Giorno* Director Institute on Membrane Technology, CNR
Donald R. Paul Editor Industrial & Engineering Chemical Research (I&ECR)
’ AUTHOR INFORMATION Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. Notes
Views expressed in this preface are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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