Electron Beam Irradiation of Aqueous Systems at Large Scale

该奖项旨在为NSF资助号87-14640下的一个项目提供更新支持，该项目使用位于迈阿密弗吉尼亚关键污水处理厂的1.5 Mev， 50 ma电子加速器研究电子束在环境工程实践中的应用。结果证实了电子束对水悬浮液中微生物灭活、水溶液中有机物污染物破坏、定义了与水中有机污染物破坏相关的反应速率常数。该项目的研究包括扩大对多环芳烃的剂量破坏关系的研究，确定电子束辐照产生的反应机制和副产物，探索更有效地将流体呈现到电子束的方法，研究自由基清除剂和增强剂以提高电子束的效率，并开发成本模型以确定电子束在环境工程实践中使用的经济可行性。在足够大的规模上进行的研究结果，以获得工程设计参数，有可能在环境工程实践中得到利用。潜在的应用包括设计去除地表水和地下水污染的过程和系统，销毁危险废物，处理废水处理产生的污泥，以改善其脱水能力和对稳定过程的适应性；对污泥和加工副产物进行消毒，并通过其他物理或化学方法提高其生物降解性或从水溶液中去除。

This is an award to provide renewal support for a project previously conducted under NSF Grant No. 87-14640 in which an existing 1.5 Mev, 50 ma, electron accelerator located at the Virginia Key Wastewater Treatment Plant in Miami was used to study electron-beam applications in environmental engineering practice. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the electron beam for inactivation of microorganisms in aqueous suspension, destruction of organics contaminants in aqueous solution, and defined reaction rate constants associated with destruction of organic contaminants in water. Research in this project includes expanding studies of dose-destruction relationships for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, identification of reaction mechanisms and byproducts produced by electron beam irradiation, exploring methods for more efficient presentation of the fluid to the beam, study of radical scavengers and enhancers to improve the beam's efficiency, and development of cost models for determination of economic feasibility of electron beam use in environmental engineering practice. Results of this research conducted at a sufficiently large scale to obtain engineering design parameters are likely to be utilized in environmental engineering practice. Potential applications include design of processes and systems for decontamination of surface and groundwaters, destruction of hazardous wastes, treatment of sludges derived from treatment of wastewater to improve their dewaterability and amenability to stabilization processes, disinfection of sludges and processing byproducts and to improve their biodegradability or removal from aqueous solution by other physical or chemical processes.