Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Sustainable Sorbents and Monitoring Technologies for Small Groundwater Systems
EPA Grant Number: R835175Title: Sustainable Sorbents and Monitoring Technologies for Small Groundwater Systems
Investigators: Westerhoff, Paul , Hristovski, Kiril D , Dotson, Aaron
Institution: Arizona State University , University of Alaska - Anchorage
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2015
Project Amount: $500,000
RFA: Research and Demonstration of Innovative Drinking Water Treatment Technologies in Small Systems (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Drinking Water , Water
Objective:
Because groundwaters frequently serve as water supplies for many small systems throughout the USA, we focus on inorganic (arsenic, chromium, nitrate, fluoride) and organic chemicals (total organic carbon [TOC] as precursors for disinfection by-products, herbicides) that ubiquitously occur in groundwaters, pose health hazards to residents served by small systems, and/or have recent regulatory significance. Small systems increasingly have to address treatment of multiple pollutants in groundwater and, therefore, we approach this challenge as a simultaneous compliance issue of pollutants in groundwater. The goal is to develop innovative treatment and monitoring technologies for small drinking water treatment systems to remove common groundwater constituents in extreme environments, which then can be applied to other locations. Working in two extreme environments (Arizona and Alaska) with challenging local issues allows our findings to be applied to other locations throughout the USA. The project has three research objectives:
- Develop innovative and sustainable treatment technologies to remove mixtures of inorganic (arsenic, chromium, nitrate, fluoride) and/or organic (TOC, herbicides) pollutants from groundwater;
- Demonstrate lab-scale approaches for testing and comparing innovative treatment technologies for use by small systems; and
- Select and demonstrate simple spectrometric online monitoring systems capable of multi-parameter sensing that can support remote operation and optimization of groundwater sorbent treatment systems.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
- New titanium dioxide based hybrid ion exchange media was synthesized and achieved simultaneous removal of arsenate and nitrate. The team developed innovative thermal treatment conditions to develop these media.
- Techniques to treat both weak base and strong base ion exchange methods were developed. We show that key steps differ in nano-tizing these two different types of resins. We find that an acid rinse is required to re-functionalize tertiary amine functional groups on the weak base anion exchange resin after exposure to a basic solution during creation of iron nanoparticles. We find that oven heating time during titanium nano-composite synthesis may be significantly reduced from that proposed by previous studies without severe impacts to characteristics or pollutant removal capacity.
- Pore surface diffusion models were able to predict performance of hybrid ion exchange media.
- Iron (hydr)oxide and titanium (hydr)oxide nanomaterials embedded within commercially available materials enable the commercial media to remove more than the single pollutant the media was initially designed to remove.
- Point of use treatment systems were developed to remove multiple drinking water contaminants by using White Spruce biochar.
- Gasification and chemical treatment conditions of biochar lead to very different outcomes that influence the ability to be used in drinking water purification systems.
- Life cycle assessment tools were applied and found to rapidly advance innovations in synthesizing new hybrid sorbents.
- Open source data acquisition tools were developed using off-the-shelf technologies that lead to inexpensive but highly useful sensor platforms for centralized (state) agencies to monitor remote, small drinking water systems.
Conclusions:
The key finding from this work was that nanomaterials can be integrated into a variety of sorbents in ways that enable the sorbent to remove multiple inorganic pollutants simultaneously, and prevent release of nanomaterials into finished drinking water. This research has led to broad dissemination of results and preparation of several patent applications to move the technology discoveries into commercialization. Future research needs to explore how to synthesize metal nanomaterials comprised of other metal or metal oxides to remove a broader range of inorganic pollutants through specific interactions. There also is an opportunity to explore new aspect ratios and sustainable sorbent base materials, which can be further enabled through nanotechnology to remove even a broader range of pollutants.
Journal Articles on this Report : 5 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 24 publications | 6 publications in selected types | All 5 journal articles |
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Athanasaki G, Sherrill L, Hristovski KD. The pore surface diffusion model as a tool for rapid screening of novel nanomaterial-enhanced hybrid ion-exchange media. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 2015;1(4):448-456. |
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Chiu C-A, Hristovski KD, Dockery R, Doudrick K, Westerhoff P. Modeling temperature and reaction time impacts on hematite nanoparticle size during forced hydrolysis of ferric chloride. Chemical Engineering Journal 2012;210:357-362. |
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Dale S, Markovski J, Hristovski KD. Modeling packed bed sorbent systems with the Pore Surface Diffusion Model:evidence of facilitated surface diffusion of arsenate in nano-metal (hydr)oxide hybrid ion exchange media. Science of the Total Environment 2016;563:965-970. |
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Gifford M, Liu J, Rittmann BE, Vannela R, Westerhoff P. Phosphorus recovery from microbial biofuel residual using microwave peroxide digestion and anion exchange. Water Research 2015;70:130-137. |
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Gifford M, Hristovski K, Westerhoff P. Ranking traditional and nano-enabled sorbents for simultaneous removal of arsenic and chromium from simulated groundwater. Science of The Total Environment 2017;601-602:1008-1014. |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Drinking water, chemicals, VOC, organics, nitrogen oxides, innovative technology, oxidation, engineering, environmental chemistry, southwest;Relevant Websites:
Sensors: Bridge Mounted Creek Depth & Temperature Sensor Near UAA Engineering Bldg Exit
This website contains semi-real time data of an online water quality monitoring device developed under this project, demonstrating the feasibility of low-cost remote monitoring.
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.