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Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Advanced Contaminant Inactivation System for Drinking Water

EPA Contract Number: EPD11054
Title: Advanced Contaminant Inactivation System for Drinking Water
Investigators: Kimble, Michael C.
Small Business: Reactive Innovations, LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011
Project Amount: $79,994
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2011) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Drinking Water Treatment and Monitoring , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Description:

This report provides a description of activities conducted by Reactive Innovations, LLC (RIL) in completion of EPA Contract No. EP-D-11-054. From March 1, 2011 to August 31, 2011, RIL has investigated, designed, developed, and tested mixed oxidant generation technology toward an advanced contaminant inactivation system for drinking water. The overall objective for this program was to develop and demonstrate a low capital and operating cost mixed oxidant generation system for deactivating contaminants in small community drinking water supplies. In pursuit of demonstrating the objectives of this program, RIL has indicated the technical, economic and practical viability of using an in situ mixed oxidant generator to oxidize and deactivate contaminants in water supplies at process rates upwards of 165,000 gallons per day.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

The work plan for this program consisted of developing the catalyst structures for the generation of ozone and hydrogen peroxide, applying these catalysts to electrochemical cells, incorporating these cells into an operational system and evaluating this system for deactivating contaminants in water. RIL's in situ mixed oxidant contaminant deactivation system is designed to generate ozone and peroxide within a continuous flow stream of the source water. In this manner, the number of components in the system are minimized while still producing an effective oxidant. The key discriminator to this technology is the electrochemical reactor design that is highly amenable to flow-through operations with minimal pressure drop.
 
The goal of the first task was to develop catalysts that sufficiently produce ozone and hydrogen peroxide while keeping manufacturing costs low. The mixed oxidant electrochemical reactor produces ozone on the anode side of the cell and hydrogen peroxide on the opposing side. Catalyst and electrode designs for these reactions have been developed in this task.
 
In the second task, RIL transitioned the catalyst formulations and electrode design parameters from Task 1 to its proprietary MEA platform. Its contaminant deactivation cell design enables high rates of air flow to readily travel the length of the cathode to react while helping to remove generated hydrogen peroxide. The design also allows water to easily access the anode surfaces at high flow rates to minimizing gas trapping.
 
In the third task, RIL fabricated a single-cell mixed oxidant generator prototype based on the research and development performed in the first two tasks. The prototype is essentially a single-cell generator operated in a laboratory-scale flow system, as opposed to a fully developed prototype system that would comprise additional auxiliary components. Testing of this bench-scale generator leads to better understanding of the system dynamics, which leads to generator and system design enhancements.
 
The final program task entailed performing assessments of the generator’s mixed oxidant production by combining the anolyte and catholyte outlet streams, and using the generator to reduce the pesticide level in a water source.
 
In this Phase I program, RIL successfully employed specialized catalysts with its electrochemical reactor technology and achieved in situ co-generation of ozone and peroxide. The construction of an operational mixed oxidant generator prototype enabled the company to carry out further objectives.
 
RIL then demonstrated the in situ mixed oxidant generator’s ability to deactivate and reduce the quantity of a pesticide in water to suitable levels. Moreover, the mixed oxidant generator was more proficient at pesticide deactivation than a generator that produces only ozone. This difference indicates the presence of a stronger oxidant, likely hydroxyl radicals, in the mixed oxidant stream that enhances the deactivation of contaminants.
 
The Phase I program also shows that the mixed oxidant generator is inexpensive in terms of capital and operating costs. RIL's technology requires few system components and is highly scalable as it is amenable to high water throughput. Catalyst enhancements in Phase II will make its technology even more competitive in the marketplace.

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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.

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