Grantee Research Project Results
2018 Progress Report: Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems (WINSSS)
EPA Grant Number: R835602Center: Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems
Center Director: Reckhow, David A.
Title: Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems (WINSSS)
Investigators: Reckhow, David A. , Lawler, Desmond , Kinney, Kerry A. , Speitel, Gerald E. , Boyer, Treavor H. , Dvorak, Bruce I. , Kirisits, Mary Jo , Butler, Caitlin S. , Ray, Chittaranjan , Park, Chul , Brown, Jess , Tobiason, John , Katz, Lynn , Saleh, Navid , Shenoy, Prashant , Zhang, Qiong , Lai, Rebecca , Wilson, Steven
Current Investigators: Reckhow, David A. , Lawler, Desmond , Kinney, Kerry A. , Speitel, Gerald E. , Katz, Lynn , Kirisits, Mary Jo , Ray, Chittaranjan , Tobiason, John , Boyer, Treavor H. , Zhang, Qiong , Butler, Caitlin S. , Park, Chul , Shenoy, Prashant , Saleh, Navid , Dvorak, Bruce I. , Wilson, Steven , Brown, Jess , Lai, Rebecca
Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst , University of Florida , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , Carollo Engineers , University of Nebraska at Lincoln , University of South Florida , The University of Texas at Austin
Current Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst , The University of Texas at Austin , University of Florida , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , University of Nebraska at Lincoln , University of South Florida , Carollo Engineers
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2017 (Extended to July 31, 2019)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2017 through July 31,2018
Project Amount: $4,100,000
RFA: National Centers for Innovation in Small Drinking Water Systems (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Drinking Water , Water
Objective:
The Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems (WINSSS) brings together a national team of experts to transform drinking water treatment for small water systems (SWS) to meet the urgent need for state-of-the-art innovation, development, demonstration, and implementation of treatment, information, and process technologies in part by leveraging existing relationships with industry through the Massachusetts Water Cluster. Specifically, WINSSS will facilitate a clear pathway for innovation implementation by creating the following outputs: (i) novel approaches to treating grouped contaminants such as organic carbon, trace organics, disinfection by-products, and nitrogenous compounds, (ii) pilot demonstration of promising technologies previously developed under EPA’s STAR program and other programs which will address the contaminants above as well as metals such as As, Fe, Mn, and Cr, and other inorganics such as F and sulfide, (iii) standardized testing requirements for multiple states, (iv) tools to simplify system operations such as an asset management app and a distributed sensing and monitoring notification system, (v) an extensive outreach system including a website, newsletter, workshops and presentations, webinars and educational modules, and (vi) a technology analysis database for determining a technology's suitability for implementation in small systems considering energy, sustainability, robustness, human health, and human, regulatory and system acceptance.
Progress Summary:
Progress during the 2017-2018 project period was limited to a few projects in accordance with the WINSS no-cost extension. Most of the work focused on a few mature technologies that are either: (1) already in use by small systems but can benefit from refinements; (2) ready for piloting, state approval and implementation by small systems, or (3) holding great promise but still requiring more lab development.
In the former category are two projects: multi-objective coagulation; and natural filtration. The coagulation studies have shown that this well-established process can be effective in controlling some key inorganic contaminants (e.g., fluoride, arsenic, chromium) while not adversely affecting removal of turbidity, NOM or resulting in excess residual of iron or aluminum. Knowledge from this work can help guide small systems in applying aluminum or iron coagulants for the purpose of meeting multiple water quality objectives. Field data collected from systems using river bank filtration (RBF) have demonstrated RBF’s ability to remove disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors. This information is needed to help small systems decide if RBF is a feasible alternative for achieving compliance with DBP regulations.
In the second category is ferrate oxidation, a possible replacement for more complicated and expensive oxidation and disinfection systems (e.g., ozone and advanced oxidation processes). Prior to the current year, ferrate was studied extensively in the lab, including tests with small continuous-flow treatment systems. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has now agreed to consider adoption of this technology, if it can be demonstrated at larger pilot scale. Plans are underway to seek funding to conduct this demonstration.
The last category includes one technology that has been under development by the WINSSS investigators, coupled ED and RO/NF; as well as four that were supported under the WINSSS Emerging Technologies Program: ion exchange for nitrogen control; denitrification using iron and sulfur minerals, electrocoagulation & electrooxidation, and reactive electrochemical membranes. All five of these have exhibited good performance and offer advantages over competing technologies. Each has shown sufficient promise to justify additional lab testing, with the objective of establishing conditions for continuous-flow pilot scale testing. Each is also especially well adapted for use in small systems.
Other work during this current project period was directed at establishing a testing site for new technologies appropriate for small systems. This included finishing work on a pilot plant trailer, called the mobile water innovation laboratory (MWIL). This was developed to test small system technologies, at a scale that could lead to acceptance by state regulatory agencies (typically 5-10 gallons per minute; gpm). In addition, the first phase of a fixed-location piloting facility, called the WET (Water Energy Testing) Center, was completed and brought into operation. The WET Center is capable of supporting a broader range of pilot systems with flows up to 50 gpm. Together these two piloting facilities offer a unique opportunity for testing of laboratory-based treatment technologies, and getting rapid approval of those technologies by US regulatory agencies.
Fig 1: Treatment Technology Summary: River Bed Filtration
Problem or Contaminant(s) addressed | Use of natural filtration of a surface water to remove contaminants, including natural organic matter that can result in DBP formation, to result in a higher quality water. |
Size of Plant Applicability | Natural filtration is a treatment technology that has been used for communities of various sizes to fully treat or pre-treat the surface water before supply. River bank filtration is ideal for small communities that are located near a surface water. |
Comparison to competing technologies | Competing technologies for surface water treatment include coagulation followed by conventional treatment (sedimentation, filtration) to remove NOM in the water. |
Operator level Required (1 to 5) | RBF systems offer the potential to minimize the additional water treatment required beyond disinfection, potentially lowering the required operator level to 1 or 2. In some cases additional treatment including filtration and iron and manganese removal may still be required. |
Problems with intermittent operation | RBF is a good process for intermittent operation based on the relative simplicity to the above ground system operation. |
Residuals Management. | No residuals produced by RBF. |
Energy Use | Electricity for the pumping will be dependent upon the well characteristics. In many cases, the electricity use will be less than a conventional water treatment plant because all unit operations in a conventional treatment plant may not be needed in RBF. |
Cost Comparison | Requires electric power and maintenance, but less labor, chemical, and residual costs as compared to a conventional treatment system. |
Health Benefits | Reducing disinfection byproducts such as THMs and haloacetic acids (HAAs) leads to less chance of carcinogenic substances in the water |
Monitoring Required | Monitoring of regulated chemicals and microbial indicators in the river water and bank filtrate is required recommended. |
Regulatory Issues | None expected. Typically determining if a water is under the influence of a surface water will be required. |
Future Activities:
The current plan is to conduct on-site 3-season pilot testing of ferrate at one small groundwater system and one medium-sized surface water system in eastern Massachusetts. At least 2 weeks of running data will be collected for each season at each location. When completed, a report will be filed with the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Once approval is granted MA, data will be shared with other states with the ultimate goal of gaining approval across the US.
References:
Jiang, Y., J.E. Goodwill, J.E. Tobiason and D.A. Reckhow (2015) Effect of Different Solutes, Natural Organic Matter, and Particulate Fe (III) on Fe (VI) Decomposition in Aqueous Solution, Environmental Science & Technology 49:5:2841-2848.
Goodwill, J.; Jiang, Y.; Reckhow, D.A.; Gikonyo, J.; and Tobiason, J.E., (2015) “Characterization of Particles from Ferrate Pre-oxidation” Environmental Science & Technology 49:8:4955-4962
Goodwill, J.; Jiang, Y.; Reckhow, D.A.; Gikonyo, J.; and Tobiason, J.E., (2016) “Laboratory assessment of ferrate for drinking water treatment” Journal AWWA, 108:3:80.
Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. (2016) Impacts of ferrate oxidation on natural organic matter and disinfection byproduct precursors. Water Research. 96:114-25.
Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. Bromide oxidation by ferrate(VI): The formation of active bromine and bromate. (2016) Water Research. 96:188-97
Goodwill JE, Mai XY, Jiang YJ, Reckhow DA, Tobiason JE. (2016) Oxidation of manganese(II) with ferrate: Stoichiometry, kinetics, products and impact of organic carbon. Chemosphere. 2016;159:457-64.
Jiang, Y., J.E. Goodwill, J.E. Tobiason and D.A. Reckhow (2016) “Impacts of Ferrate Treatment on Natural Organic Matter, Disinfection Byproducts, and Bromide”, Chapter 18 (pp.151-160) in Disinfection By-products in Drinking Water, K Clive Thompson, Simon Gillespie, Emma Goslan, editors. , Royal Society of Chemistry, ISBN: 978-1-78262-088-4.
Jiang, Y., J.E. Goodwill, J.E. Tobiason and D.A. Reckhow (2016) “Comparison of the Effects of Ferrate, Ozone, and Permanganate Pre-Oxidation on Disinfection Byproduct Formation from Chlorination,” in Ferrites and Ferrates: Chemistry and Applications in Sustainable Energy and Environmental Remediation, ACS Symposium Series 1238: American Chemical Society; 2016. p. 421-37.
Journal Articles: 19 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other center views: | All 48 publications | 19 publications in selected types | All 19 journal articles |
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Almassi S, Li Z, Xu W, Pu C, Zeng T, Chaplin B. Simultaneous Adsorption and Electrochemical Reduction of N-Nitrosodimethylamine Using Carbon-Ti4O7 Composite Reactive Electrochemical Membranes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019;53(2):928-937. |
R835602 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Almassi S, Samonte P, Li Z, Xu W, Chaplain B. Mechanistic Investigation of Haloacetic Acid Reduction Using Carbon-Ti4O7 Composite Reactive Electrochemical Membranes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020;54(3):1982-1991. |
R835602 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Dasi E, Cunningham J, Talla E, Ergas S. Autotrophic denitrification supported by sphalerite and oyster shells:Chemical and microbiome analysis. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023;375(128820). |
R835602 (Final) |
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Devi, P., Thakur, A., Lai, R. Y., Saini, S., Jain, R., Kumar, P. Progress in the Materials for Optical Detection of Arsenic in Water.Trends in Analytical Chemistry 2018; 110: 97-115 |
R835602 (2018) |
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Goodwill JE, Jiang Y, Reckhow DA, Gikonyo J, Tobiason JE. Characterization of particles from ferrate preoxidation. Environmental Science & Technology 2015;49(8):4955-4962. |
R835602 (2016) |
Exit |
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Goodwill JE, Jiang Y, Reckhow DA, Tobiason JE. Laboratory assessment of ferrate for drinking water treatment. Journal: American Water Works Association 2016;108(3):E164-E174. |
R835602 (2015) R835602 (2016) R835172 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Goodwill JE, Mai X, Jiang Y, Reckhow DA, Tobiason JE. Oxidation of manganese(II) with ferrate: stoichiometry, kinetics, products and impact of organic carbon. Chemosphere 2016;159:457-464. |
R835602 (2015) R835602 (2016) R835172 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. Effect of different solutes, natural organic matter, and particulate Fe(III) on ferrate(VI) decomposition in aqueous solutions. Environmental Science & Technology 2015;49(5):2841-2848. |
R835602 (2016) R835172 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. Bromide oxidation by ferrate(VI): the formation of active bromine and bromate. Water Research 2016;96:188-197. |
R835602 (2016) R835172 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. Impacts of ferrate oxidation on natural organic matter and disinfection byproduct precursors. Water Research 2016;96:114-125. |
R835602 (2016) R835172 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Li, F., Yu, Z., Han, X., Lai, R. Y. Electrochemical Aptamer-based Sensors for Food and Water Analysis:A Review Analytica Chimica Acta, 2018. |
R835602 (2018) |
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Lofti HR, Zhad Z, Lai RY. Hexavalent Chromium as an Electrocatalyst in DNA Sensing. Analytical Chemistry 2017;89(24):13342-13348. |
R835602 (2018) |
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Lynn W, Heffron J, Mayer B. Electrocoagulation as a Pretreatment for Electroxidation of E. coli. WATER 2019;11(12). |
R835602 (Final) |
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Plazas-Tuttle J, Das D, Sabaraya I, Saleh N. Harnessing the power of microwaves for inactivating Pseudomonas aeruginosa with nanohybrids. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO 2018;5(1):72-82. |
R835602 (Final) |
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Ringenberg, D., Wilson, S., and Dvorak, B. (2017) “State Barriers to Approval of Drinking Water Technologies for Small Systems,” Journal of the American Water Works Association, 109 (8) E343-E352, August, https://doi.org/10.5942/jawwa.2017.109.0096. |
R835602 (2017) R835602 (2018) |
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Ryan D, Maher E, Heffron J, Mayer B, McNamara P. Electrocoagulation-electrooxidation for mitigating trace organic compounds in model drinking water sources. CHEMOSPHERE 2021;273. |
R835602 (Final) |
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Zhang J, Tejada-Martinez AE, Lei H, Zhang Q. Indicators for technological, environmental and economic sustainability of ozone contactors. Water Research 2016;101:606-616. |
R835602 (2015) R835602 (2016) |
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Zhang, J., A. E. Tejada-Martinez, H. Lei, Q. Zhang, 2016. Indicators for technological, environmental and economic sustainability of ozone contactors, Water Research, 101, 606-616. |
R835602 (2017) |
not available |
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Jiang Y, Goodwill JE, Tobiason JE, Reckhow DA. Comparison of the effects of ferrate and ozone pre-oxidation on disinfection byproduct formation potentials. Water Research 2019; 156: 110-124. |
R835602 (2018) |
Exit |
Relevant Websites:
Dave Reckhow – Civil & Environmental Engineering; water quality and treatment
Emily Kumpel – Civil & Environmental Engineering; water for low income communities
Tim Ford – Environmental Health Sciences; waterborne pathogens and community engagement
Anita Milman – Environmental Conservation; water resources and environmental governance
John Tobiason - Civil & Environmental Engineering; water quality and treatment
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.