Grantee Research Project Results
Restoring Public Confidence in Drinking Water Safety - Education, Engagement, and New Sustainable Technology
EPA Grant Number: SV840383Title: Restoring Public Confidence in Drinking Water Safety - Education, Engagement, and New Sustainable Technology
Investigators: Poler, Jordan C
Institution: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Phase: II
Project Period: June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2024
Project Amount: $99,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2022) Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , Drinking Water , Drinking Water, Disinfection Byproducts , Clean Water , Human Health , Water , PFAS Treatment , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources , Green Chemistry
Description:
When a residential customer cannot trust industry or the government to provide clean drinking water to their home, school, or office, they turn to using bottled water. Therefore, a lack of trust and confidence in water quality leads to increased use of plastics. This research will lead to products and services that will restore customer confidence and encourage consumers to stop using bottled water, thereby minimizing the environmental impact from the production and disposal of plastics into our ecosystem. Current drinking water treatment technology is not effective at removing many small molecules and ions that are harmful to human health. The EPA is focused on the removal of many classes of compounds from drinking water and wastewater including disinfection byproduct (DPB) precursors, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, heavy metals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These pervasive substances are related to adverse human health conditions and they are persistent in the environment.
Objective:
This project proposes to develop a green, sustainable and eco-friendly membrane system that removes chemicals that persist following traditional water
treatment. To achieve this, a cellulose nanoscale anion-exchange resin will be developed. Since cellulose nanofibers are abundant and inexpensive, this proposal, if successful, will provide affordable water purification solutions to rural communities that have high concentrations of contaminants found in water systems.
Approach:
The research team proposes to develop new materials that remove these compounds more effectively than current products available in the marketplace. These materials will be synthesized using green sustainable chemistry that conforms to new manufacturing requirements. Moreover, these new materials will be regeneratable and reusable. The purification cartridges can be recycled without loss of functionality. This will eliminate the landfill waste of disposable cartridges and minimize the reentry of sequestered contaminates back into the ecosystem.
Expected Results:
Student participants on this project will engage in several educational activities. They will all receive chemical safety and hygiene training at UNC Charlotte before they start on their in-lab research experiences. Students will tour several wastewater facilities in the region and tour the Charlotte water facility and its analytical labs. The student participants will learn about the business canvas map and customer discovery during an entrepreneurship-innovation educational opportunity offered through UNC Charlotte’s Venturprise (an NSF I-Corps funded center). The students will become the teacher and disseminate their knowledge back to their high school teacher and classmates at the Charlotte Engineering Early College magnet High School. There are three physiochemical properties that can be simultaneously tested. Researchers will measure water flux through the materials and compare these results to molecular dynamics computations of water flux. The research team will measure adsorption loading and kinetics and compare these results to isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data and percent removal data. Researchers will also measure breakthrough data and regenerative capacity of these materials and test their sustainability using cycling data.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 24 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 3 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Clean Drinking Water, Green Chemistry, Sustainable Materials Ion Exchange MembranesProgress and Final Reports:
P3 Phase I:
Green and Sustainable Water Purification Membranes | 2020 Progress Report | Final ReportThe 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.