CAREER: Development of Reactor Systems for Treatment of Non Point Source Pollution

传统的工程模式是以人类消费者为中心，以经济为主要驱动力，寻找具体问题的有效解决方案。这种模式往往导致问题的简化方法，而没有考虑到导致可持续解决方案的因素。可持续性要求从环境、社会和经济等多个角度考虑长期影响。高效的工程师能够汇集这些资源，并将其与技术创新相结合，以提供持久的解决方案，而不会对子孙后代造成伤害。修复和破坏持久性污染物，开发和使用可再生能源和资源，以及开发显著减少或完全防止污染的过程和系统是环境可持续性的三个主要要求。社会的可持续性既需要正义，也需要考虑关注的文化。为了获得经济上的可持续性，一个过程或系统必须表现出长期盈利能力，或至少没有可观的收入损失或对相关人员和/或实体的生活质量产生负面影响。这些问题必须在整体框架内加以考虑，问题必须有系统地加以处理。虽然这些考虑和要求不包括一切，但它们为处理可持续性问题提供了一个良好的起点。本研究的目的是评估太阳能光化学处理的效果，包括电增强光化学处理，在这些应用中，重点是雨水径流和化粪池系统。拟议的教育活动的总体目标是在南卡罗来纳大学为大学预科生、本科生和研究生提供学习可持续发展的机会，并培养对必要的多学科概念的理解。特别强调的是土木和环境工程专业的学生。这项研究计划将包括四个阶段。在第一阶段，重点将放在开发一种易于制备、价格低廉且可以作为电化学反应阳极的固定化催化剂上。第二阶段将使用实验室和太阳模拟研究来评估电场增强对光化学过程的影响并确定动力学参数。一系列的实验将在不同的流动状态下进行，塞流，间歇流和完全混合流，使用模型污染物产生动力学流动模型。反应堆设计将在第三阶段进行。根据流动动力学模型选出两到三个最有前途的反应器方案，进行设计、建造、测试和优化。在第四阶段和最后阶段，将从若干阶段的反应器设计中选出一种进行中试评估。

The traditional model for engineering is finding an efficient solution to specific problems, with the human consumer as the focus and economics as the primary driving force. This model often leads to a reductionist approach toproblems and fails to take into account factors that lead to sustainable solutions. Sustainability requires the consideration of longer-term effects from multiple points of view, environmental, social and economic. The effective engineer is capable of bringing together these resources and combining them with technical innovations to provide solutions that will last and do no harm to the generations to follow.Remediation and destruction of persistent pollutants, development and use of renewable energy sources and resources, and development of processes and system that significantly reduce or altogether prevent pollution are three of the primary requirements for environmental sustainability. Social sustainability requires both justice and consideration of the cultures of concern. In order to obtain economic sustainability a process or system must exhibit long term profitability or at minimum, no considerable loss of income or negative effect on the quality of life for the persons and/or entities involved. These issues must be considered in a holistic framework and problems must be approached systemically. While these considerations and requirements are not inclusive, they provide a good starting point for dealing with the issues of sustainability.The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of solar photochemical treatment, including electrically enhanced photochemical treatment, for such applications, with emphasis on stormwater runoff and septic systems. The overall goal of the proposed education activities is to provide opportunities at the University of South Carolina for pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students to learn about sustainability and develop an understanding of necessary multidisciplinary concepts. Particular emphasis will be placed on students in civil and environmental engineering.This research program will consist of four phases. In the first phase, the concentration will be on the development of an immobilized catalyst that is easy to prepare, inexpensive and can act as an anode for electrochemical reactions. Laboratory and solar simulation studies will be used in the second phase to evaluate the effect of electric field enhancement on the photochemical process and determine kinetic parameters. A series of experiments will be conducted in various flow regimes, plug-flow, batch and completely mixed flow, using model contaminants resulting in kinetic flow models. Reactor design will take place in the third phase. The two or three most promising reactor schemes, selected based on the kinetic flow model, will be designed built, tested and optimized. One of the reactor designs of phase several will be selected for the pilot evaluations in the fourth and final phase.