Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: HAB early mitigation by magnetic photocatalysts
EPA Grant Number: SV840420Title: HAB early mitigation by magnetic photocatalysts
Investigators: Liu, Jia , Goodson, Boyd , Li, Ruopu , Senanayake, Ishani M , Yang, Ning , Yang, Haoran , Kalinzi, Joseph , Wang, Minxiao , Sabuj, Sonkorson Talukder , Sarker, Md Sayeduzzaman , Bhowmik, Partha Protim , Wang, Yuhua , Edidem, Michael , Kankanamge, Malithi Wanniarachchi , Forcade-Perkins, Nicolas
Institution: Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: II
Project Period: March 1, 2023 through April 23, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: March 1, 2024 through February 28,2025
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: 17th Annual 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
Objective:
In the current study, we are developing a smart technology to eliminate harmful algal bloom (HAB) outbreak at early stages through early-stage detection and treatment. In Phase I project, we successfully monitored and mitigated HAB outbreaks in bench scale. For detection, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) monitoring was conducted followed by auto-sampling. And for treatment, lab synthesized γFe2O3/TiO2 nanomaterial was used. In Phase II project, the main objective is to expand this success to pilot scale. The following are the specific objectives of this project: 1) A point-of-use (POU) system will be designed and manufactured for pilot scale study considering volume, flow path, hydraulic retention time, and nanomaterial lifespan. 2) TiO2 based nanomaterials will be synthesized and characterized to find its effectiveness for treating HAB in pilot-scale. 3) HAB early mitigation will be investigated in an impacted lake in Southern Illinois on a pilot scale using the designed POU system under solar irradiation.
Progress Summary:
1) Design and manufacture of the POU system
The POU system consists of four main components- photoreactor, a pump for loading and unloading of lake water into the reactor, a mechanism for water sample collection, and an innovative magnetic separation technique to retain nanoparticles inside the photoreactor. The 30-liter treatment unit consists of eight UV-transmissive and chemically inert borosilicate glass tubes connected with U-bends. A peristaltic pump has been used to facilitate controlled loading and unloading of lake water into the pilot-scale reactor. For sample water collection, another small pump has been integrated that can collect water samples from lake water automatically. To promote reusability, we developed a magnetic separation strategy by placing four 12-inch magnetic bars beneath the photoreactor. To control the movement of magnetic bars, we employed a Raspberry Pi 5 in conjunction with a low-cost unipolar 28BYJ-48 stepper motor. A python script has been used for interactive control of the motor, which facilitated precise control of magnetic bar movement. The POU reactor operates in batch mode. Initially, magnetic bars remain stationary to avoid disturbing the suspended nanohybrid during solar-driven HAB mitigation. After one hour of solar exposure, the bars move beneath the reactor at 2 inches per minute to collect nanoparticles. Once collection is complete, the treated water is discharged to lake water, the bars return at 5 feet per minute, and a new batch of lake water is introduced for continued treatment.
Figure 1: Point of use (POU) system developed for the pilot scale study.
2) Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials
Though we synthesize and characterized γFe2O3/TiO2 in Phase I project, we found that lab synthesized γFe2O3/TiO2 requires more than one hour to separate inside the POU reactor due to a weak magnetic property. So, we modified it by adding an extra Fe3O4@SiO2 core resulting in Fe3O4@SiO2@γFe2O3/TiO2@rGO core double-shell nanohybrid. This nanohybrid can be collected within only 20 minutes. Cyanobacteria inactivation rates were of 31.68%±3.80% and 22.36%±0.60% for Microcystis aeruginosa and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, respectively, at 28 ℃. The phosphorus removal was found to be 35.0±0.6% at 27 ℃. So, the nanohybrid showed similar effectiveness to our previous γ-Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ study, with improved magnetic separation. The dosage was increased to 200 mg/L since only 50% of the composite mass is γ-Fe₂O₃/TiO₂.
Figure 2: Phosphorus adsoprtion by 200 mg/L core double-shell nanomaterial in deionized water.
3) Pilot scale study on HAB early mitigation
Currently, no lakes in Southern Illinois are experiencing severe HABs, limiting the opportunity to conduct pilot-scale testing with our POU reactor. However, a potential bloom is emerging in Cedar Lake, a reservoir for the water treatment plant at Carbondale, IL. Collected water samples revealed a total phosphorus concentration of 13.5 µg/L - an amount that may contribute to eutrophication as temperatures continue to rise during the summer.
Future Activities:
In this Phase II project, we successfully developed a drone based HAB monitoring technique, synthesized and characterized reusable Fe3O4@SiO2@γFe2O3/TiO2 core double-shell nanohybrid, and developed a POU system capable of mitigating HAB outbreak at an early stage. This cost-effective and innovative approach represents a significant advancement in early HAB detection and control, contributing to the P3 program's overarching objective of ensuring clean and safe water.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 6 publications | 2 publications in selected types | All 2 journal articles |
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Khan N, Bhowmik PP, Sarker MS, Yang H, Li R, Liu J. Impact of water quality parameters on harmful algal bloom mitigation and phosphorus removal by lab-synthesized γFe2O3/TiO2 magnetic photocatalysts. Algal Research 2025;86:103932. |
SV840420 (2024) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Blue-green algae, excessive algae growth, nanoparticleProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase I:
HAB Early Mitigation by Magnetic Photocatalysts | 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.