The research achievements of Professor Heechul Choi of GIST School of Environmental Science and Engineering have been selected for the 2014 list of 100 outstanding national R&D achievements. Since 2006, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning has been announcing 100 outstanding national R&D achievements every year, in order to raise public awareness of national R&D efforts and promote spirits and pride of science and technology researchers. This year’s 100 outstanding achievements were chosen from the over 50,000 national R&D projects conducted in 2013 and funded by the government.

Professor Choi’s team (Water and Nanotechnology Lab) was selected in the list for the development of granular mesoporous nanoparticles for absorptive removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions. The technology can help remove organic macromolecule pollutants that could not be easily removed by conventional absorptive agents such as granular active carbon. It is also effective for the removal of micropollutants, which have recently emerged as a grave environmental issue. Developed independently by Professor Choi’s team, the new source technology is expected to greatly enhance the applicability of nanomaterials to environmental cleaning scenes, as well as creating high ripple effects in various other fields of engineering. The research results have recently been published as major papers in Journal of Hazardous Materials and Chemical Engineering Journal.

Professor Choi’s team also received in June 2014 an environmental technology of the year award, given to 50 technologies for excellent research and business results in 2013, from Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute under the Ministry of Environment. With 18 patent applications and registrations in Korea, China, the United States, and PTO (Patent Cooperation Treaty), Professor Choi’s team has secured world-class source technologies and is pushing for technology transfer to companies in relevant fields.