PhD candidate Taymee Brandon chooses EEE for a high-quality education with high-quality support

Why EEE? For Taymee Brandon, a Ph.D. candidate in Purdue’s EEE program from Montana, U.S.A., the reasons are clear: high-quality education, research and study flexibility, and the acquisition of essential professional skills.
Students of engineering and sustainability worldwide choose Purdue Environmental and Ecological Engineering. But what drives this choice?
 
For Taymee Brandon, a Ph.D. candidate in Purdue’s EEE program from Montana, U.S.A., the reasons are clear: high-quality education, research and study flexibility, and the acquisition of essential professional skills.
 
Taymee is an Ojibwe woman from Havre, Montana near the Ahsiniiwin (Rocky Boy) Chippewa-Cree Reservation and a member of the Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) community in Belcourt, North Dakota. After receiving her Chemistry, B.S. from the University of Montana in 2016, and her Environmental Engineering, M.S. from Montana Tech in 2019, Taymee arrived at Purdue EEE ready for her next giant leap.
 

Biochar and Aqueous Heavy Metals 

Taymee’s dissertation research centers on modified bulk textile waste-derived biochar and its efficacy in removing aqueous heavy metals from industrial wastewater.

“There are millions of tons of textiles added to U.S. landfills annually. I am researching how to provide an avenue for waste diversion by converting textile waste into adsorbent biochar,” Taymee says.

Biochar, a high-carbon, fine-grained residue derived from organic matter, holds immense environmental promise. According to this article from the Journal of Environmental Management, biochar can remove multiple contaminants like heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, dyes, etc., from aqueous solution, making it highly effective for water treatment. Compared to existing low-cost water treatment methods, biochar technology offers multiple environmental and agronomic benefits.

“By repurposing textile waste into a new material,” Taymee says, “we can simultaneously address landfill challenges and enhance water quality.”

High-Quality Support

Taymee is supported and co-advised in this research by Purdue EEE professors Chad Jafvert and Inez Hua. In 2023, she was awarded the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) Scholarship for her research, and she was accepted into the competitive NextProf Nexus Future Faculty Workshop. These honors are aimed to provide financial, professional, and academic support to the next generation of engineers.

“I am grateful to have this support for my dissertation research,” Taymee says, “The EREF Scholarship affords me the opportunity to connect with EREF staff, companies, and industry professionals, enhancing and furthering my circular economy industrial waste research.”

After her studies at Purdue EEE, Taymee plans to pursue a career in academia and establish a lab focused on aqueous heavy metal recovery using sustainable adsorbents such as biochar. Her goal? Take her Purdue EEE education around the world; repairing damaged aquatic systems while working closely with impacted local and Indigenous communities.

 

Written By: Lacy Gehmlich