Childs Ronald F. Childs Professor B.Sc. For an overview of membrane research at McMaster see Membrane Research and Technology at McMaster . Research Thrust Separations are big business. Whether it is the recovery of a metal from an ore, the production of pulp and paper, the isolation of a product from a chemical synthesis, the purification of water for drinking or its treatment after use, all of these involve a separation as the critical step.
Separations are typically costly.
This growth comes not only from the technological, cost, and environmental advantages offered by membrane based separation systems but also from rapid advances in the design and fabrication of membranes themselves. The key strength we bring as chemists to this field is in the development of new types of membranes . Our success in this area is evident from the number of companies we are working with and the current transfer of the technology we have developed to the corporate sector. Currently we are working on two major new types of membranes. The former area is now well developed but continues to have a range of interesting chemical problems.