Professor
Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering - Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Experience

Dr. Peters is Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at UAB, joining the School of Engineering faculty in 2001. Prior to his affiliation with UAB, he served for a year as Vice-President of Technology Development for a small business firm (TechSavants, Inc. located in Wheaton, Illinois). He also served for more than 14 years as Research Area Leader in the Energy Systems Division of Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois, where he coordinated and supervised research activities in the soil and groundwater remediation area, focusing on physical/chemical treatment technologies. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the States of Illinois and Indiana and a certified Hazardous Waste Site Operations Worker. His research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the University Transportation Center for Alabama, the Alabama Water Resources Research Institute, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, UAB Faculty Development Grant Program, and the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers (AESF) Society.

Research Interests

Environmental Engineering, Water and Wastewater Treatment, Physical/Chemical Treatment; Soil and Groundwater Remediation, Sonication/Acoustic Cavitation, Advanced Oxidation Processes, Water Chemistry, Hazardous Waste Treatment, Engineering Hydrogeology, Catalytic Oxidation for Treatment of Exhaust from Mobile Sources, Competitive Adsorption, Treatment of Heavy Metal Wastes.

Current Research

• “Diesel Exhaust Treatment Using Catalysts/Zeolites”, PI; University Transportation Center for Alabama, (1/1/02 – 4/1/04).
• “Use of Sonication/Acoustic Cavitation with Advanced Oxidants to Treat Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Contaminated Surface Waters and Groundwaters”, PI; Alabama Water Resources Research Institute, (3/1/02 – 02/28/03).
• “Treatment of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Runoff Using Straw Coated with Sulfide”, PI; Alabama Water Resources Research Institute, (3/1/02 – 02/28/03).
• “Development of an Integrated Waste Treatment System Involving Sonication Combined with Physical/Chemical Separation for Treatment of Spent Plating Baths”, PI, American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers (AESF) Society, (09/02 – 02/03).
• “Treatment of Ballast Water Using Acoustic Cavitation Techniques Coupled with Advanced Oxidants: Treatability Study Using Different Sonication Frequencies and Dosages of Advanced Oxidants”, PI, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, (01/01/03 – 12/31/03).
• “Acoustic Energy: An Innovative Technology for Stimulating Oil Wells”, UAB PI, U.S. Department of Energy/Small Business Innovation Research Program – Phase II, (01/01/03 – 12/31/03).
• “Global Assessment of Hydrogen-Based Technologies”, co-PI, U.S. Department of Energy, (08/02 – 12/31/04).
• “Removal of Pyrite in Bottom Ash for Use as an Aggregate in Concrete”, PI, UAB Faculty Development Grant Program, (08/02 – 10/03)

Contact:

UAB School of Engineering
Hoehn 218
Phone: 205 934-8434
Fax: 205 934-9855
E-mail: rwpeters@uab.edu