Academician Bruce E. Rittmann of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Visits the College and Delivers Lecture

April 17, 2026–Professor Bruce E. Rittmann, member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University, and Honorary Professor of CESE, visited and delivered a "Tongji Environmental Advanced Lecture" entitled "Recovering Valuable Metals from Mine and Ore-processing Wastewaters." In the lecture, Prof. Rittmann systematically introduced the basic principles and technical framework of the hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), which uses hydrogen (H₂) as the electron donor. He explained how the bubble-less hydrogen delivery of the MBfR provides precisely controllable reducing power to microorganisms, enabling the targeted reduction of precious metal ions such as platinum and gold into nanoparticles. The lecture profoundly illustrated the sustainable development concept of synergizing pollution control with high-value resource recovery, and widened the academic horizons of students and faculty in the field of environmental biotechnology.