Faradaic electrochemically-mediated processes for micropollutant remediation

法拉第电化学介导的微污染物修复过程

基本信息

批准号：
1931941
负责人：
Xiao Su
金额：
$ 33万
依托单位：
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-09-01 至 2022-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1931941&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Faradaic electrochemically mediated processes micropollutant

项目摘要

Micropollutants are chemical compounds that can cause harm to human and aquatic health, and due to their stability, they are persistent in the environment. A few examples of such compounds include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and many chemicals present in household products. Micropollutants are often found in water at very small concentrations, which makes them difficult to remove via conventional water treatment processes. Electrochemical treatment is a method that potentially can remove micropollutants more effectively and without generating waste. However, there are two major barriers preventing this technology from being deployed more widely. First has been the lack of selectivity for this method in capturing and removing micropollutants. Second is that electrochemical treatment typically requires high energy inputs. The objective of this research project is to develop more selective electrochemically-driven micropollutant removal systems that have lower associated energy costs. As part of this project the research team will undertake educational outreach at a Chicago K-8 charter school and develop tools for the formative assessment of middle schooler's understanding of relevant scientific knowledge. In addition, the researchers will incorporate electrochemical water treatment cases into a new undergraduate elective course to train the next generation of water treatment professionals. These educational aims will be closely aligned to the research carried out in the proposal to leverage intellectual merit and broader societal impacts. The results of this project will increase STEM engagement and better prepare the next generation of leaders to improve our nation's water security. The objective of this research project is to develop an electrochemically-mediated system that selectively removes micropollutants at low overpotentials. The removal of micropollutants from water is an ongoing challenge due to their high chemical stability and persistence in the environment. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms and chemical pathways of the electrochemical degradation of micropollutants remain largely unexplored. The proposed system is based on functionalized Faradaic electrodes that have high ion selectivity and fast electron-transfer properties within the aqueous stability window. During this project the researchers will explore the effectiveness of Faradaic (redox-active) electrodes for the removal and conversion of selected micropollutants and will use transformation product analysis to elucidate mechanisms for ion-selectivity and electrochemical degradation. The researchers also will develop a continuous flow system and parametric model to enable a comparative technoeconomic analysis of the process. Micropollutants to be studied include heavy metal oxyanions, pharmaceutical and nitrosamine precursors, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The outcomes of this research are expected to lead to new insights into the role of Faradaic processes for micropollutant degradation and potentially lead to a practical treatment technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

微污染物是化合物，可能对人类和水生健康造成伤害，由于其稳定性，它们在环境中持续存在。此类化合物的一些例子包括药物，农药和家用产品中存在的许多化学物质。微污染物通常在非常浓度的水中发现，这使得它们难以通过常规的水处理过程去除。电化学处理是一种可能可以更有效地去除微污染物而不会产生废物的方法。但是，有两个主要的障碍，阻止该技术被更广泛地部署。首先是对这种方法缺乏捕获和去除微污染物的选择性。其次是电化学处理通常需要高能量输入。该研究项目的目的是开发具有较低相关能源成本的更具选择性的电化学驱动的微污染物去除系统。作为该项目的一部分，研究团队将在芝加哥K-8特许学校进行教育外展，并开发工具，以对中学生对相关科学知识的理解进行形成评估。此外，研究人员将将电化学水处理案例纳入新的本科选修课程中，以培训下一代水处理专业人员。这些教育目标将与提案中的研究中的研究密切一致，以利用知识分子优点和更广泛的社会影响。该项目的结果将增加STEM参与度，并更好地为下一代领导人做好准备，以改善国家的水安全。该研究项目的目的是开发一种电化学介导的系统，该系统有选择地去除低电势下的微污染物。由于其在环境中的高化学稳定性和持久性，因此从水中清除微污染物是一项持续的挑战。此外，微污染物电化学降解的基本机制和化学途径在很大程度上尚未探索。所提出的系统基于功能化的法拉达电极，在水性稳定窗口内具有高离子选择性和快速电子转移特性。在该项目期间，研究人员将探索法拉达（氧化还原活性）电极对所选微污染物的去除和转化的有效性，并将使用转化产品分析来阐明机制，以实现离子选择性和电化学降解。研究人员还将开发一个连续的流系统和参数模型，以实现对过程的比较技术经济分析。待研究的微污染物包括重金属氧，药物和亚硝基胺前体，以及孔和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）。预计这项研究的结果将导致对Faradaic流程在微污染物下降的作用的新见解，并有可能导致实用的治疗技术。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的审查标准来通过评估来支持的。