High Energy Electrons for Treatment of Water and Wastewater

本项目的目的是研究电子束辐照对水中污染物的影响，以确定基于这一概念设计去污系统的工程设计参数。该项目使用了一个150万伏的电子加速器，电子束电流为50毫安，该加速器位于佛罗里达州迈阿密弗吉尼亚岛的迈阿密-戴德供水和下水道管理局的污水处理厂。安装加速器最初是为了获得工程设计参数，以便全面使用电子束辐照对废水处理产生的污泥进行消毒。在达到这一目的之后，它已经可以用于进行额外的研究。该项目的初始阶段包括详细评估加速器和相关设备的准备状态，设计可能的修改以实现该项目的目标；并举办研讨会/会议，协助修改研究计划，以充分利用有关在此及相关目的中应用电离辐射的最新知识进展。一个消除被有机物质污染的供水污染的系统可以对美国地下水含水层和地表水供应普遍受到污染的问题作出反应，这些问题是由于危险废物管理不当、石油产品和溶剂的地下储存罐泄漏、以及化学品在运输过程中意外泄漏给使用者。这个单位已经提供给迈阿密大学和佛罗里达国际大学进行研究，它提供了一种独特的能力，可以在足够大的规模上操作一个辐照系统，以便利用从其操作中获得的知识为净化系统的工程设计获取数据，电离辐射源。

The objective of this project is to study the effects of electron beam irradiation on contaminants of water to determine engineering design parameters for design of decontamination systems based on use of this concept. This project involves use of a 1.5 million volt electron accelerator with a beam current of 50 milliamperes located at the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Authority's Wastewater Treatment Plant on Virginia Key in Miami, Florida. This accelerator was installed originally to obtain engineering design parameters for full-scale use of electron-beam irradiation to disinfect sludges derived from treatment of wastewater. Having served this purpose, it has become available for use in conduct of additional research. An initial phase of this project includes detailed assessment of the readiness-status of the accelerator and associated equipment, design of potential modifications to meet this project's objective, and to conduct a workshop/conference to assist in modification of the research plan to take full advantage of recent advances in knowledge regarding the application of ionizing radiation for this and related purposes. A system for decontamination of water supplies contaminated by organic substances could be responsive to the problem of widespread contamination of groundwater aquifers and surface water supplies of the United States caused by improper management of hazardous wastes, leaking underground storage tanks for petroleum products and solvents, and accidental spills of chemicals in transit to users. This unit that has been made available for conduct of research to the University of Miami and Florida International University offers a unique capability to operate an irradiation system at a sufficiently large scale to obtain data for engineering design of decontamination systems utilizing knowledge gained through its operation and that of smaller, bench-scale sources of ionizing radiation.