Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Development of a Scalable, Low-Cost, Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Electrochemical Process for the Destruction of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)
EPA Contract Number: EPD11053Title: Development of a Scalable, Low-Cost, Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Electrochemical Process for the Destruction of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)
Investigators: Arumugam, Prabhu
Small Business: Advanced Diamond Technologies Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011
Project Amount: $79,995
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Drinking Water Treatment and Monitoring
Description:
The primary goal of this project was to demonstrate a scalable, commercial-ready, low-cost anodic oxidation technique using large area boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (BD UNCD) electrodes for purification of water containing Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs).
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The successful achievements of this Phase I project were as follows:
Conclusions:
All objectives described in the Phase I proposal were met or exceeded. In particular, electrode lifetime and estradiol oxidation rate data are indicative of a low-cost electrochemical AOP (EAOP) that appears to be more easily scalable, reliable and commercial ready than any other AOP process on the market. According to a conservative cost analysis using well known UNCD production costs, ADT will be able to offer these durable and versatile electrodes to the market at a cost point significantly below that of any other diamond film electrodes. Existing non-diamond electrodes such as platinum, lead dioxide and tin dioxide are not capable of electrogenerating hydroxyl radicals and other forms of active oxygen (hydrogen peroxide and ozone) with high current efficiency and high catalytic activity as compared to diamond. Thus, on a cost plus performance basis, UNCD electrodes have the potential of displacing current AOP electrodes. OSG operation has been confirmed with electrodes of 100 cm2 active area, and this is a sufficiently large size to enable low-volume commercial applications of UNCD-based EAOP. ADT reliably can deposit diamond on electrode areas as large as 1,000 cm2, which is a sufficiently large electrode format to support medium-high volume applications (up to 100 tonnes of waste per day per cell of this size depending on current density).
Supplemental Keywords:
low-cost process, drinking water, water purification, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), anodic oxidation, boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD®) thin filmsSBIR Phase II:
Development of a Scalable, Low-cost, Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Electrochemical Process for the Destruction of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)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.