Grantee Research Project Results
NiTreat: Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water
EPA Grant Number: SU836770Title: NiTreat: Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water
Investigators: Jassby, David
Institution: University of California - Riverside
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017
Project Amount: $14,308
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2016) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Description:
Reduce nitrate contamination from drinking water by developing a prototype electrochemical packed bed granular activated carbon (GAC) reactor that relies on the electrochemical transformation of nitrate on the surface of GAC in a packed-bed system.
Objective:
The NiTreat team’s objective is to reduce nitrate contamination from drinking water by developing an electrochemical packed bed granular activated carbon (GAC) reactor. The continual increase of nitrate concentrations in drinking water has been linked to certain types of cancers, thyroid disorders and blue-baby syndrome. The filtration prototype has the potential to generate safer drinking water for communities impacted by high levels of nitrates in their drinking water. The long-term goal of the NiTreat team is to develop a flexible and scalable treatment technology with the potential for both water treatment facilities as well as small-scale point of use applications.
Approach:
The team proposes a cost-effective filtration prototype that relies on the electrochemical transformation of nitrate on the surface of GAC in a packed bed system. This novel design has the potential to minimize the cost and waste streams associated with current treatment technologies, such as ion exchange. The development of this filtration prototype will include of optimizing the nitrate removal process, understanding the potential cost of the treatment, and the design and construction of an operational treatment unit.
Expected Results:
By the end of the project period, the team is expected to have constructed a low-cost operational filtration prototype capable of significantly reducing nitrate concentrations in drinking water. The team will perform a cost-analysis data after optimizing different system parameters, as well as a sustainability analysis for the long term performance of the system.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Nitrate, Electrochemical Transformation, Activated CarbonProgress and Final Reports:
The 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.