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

传统的工程模型正在寻找针对特定问题的有效解决方案，以人类消费者为焦点，以经济为主要驱动力。这种模型通常会导致问题的简化方法，并且无法考虑导致可持续解决方案的因素。可持续性需要从环境、社会和经济等多个角度考虑长期影响。高效的工程师能够将这些资源整合在一起，并将其与技术创新相结合，提供持久且不会伤害子孙后代的解决方案。持久性污染物的修复和销毁、可再生能源和资源的开发和使用、以及显着减少或完全防止污染的流程和系统的开发是环境可持续性的三个主要要求。社会可持续发展既需要正义，又需要考虑所关注的文化。为了获得经济可持续性，流程或系统必须表现出长期盈利能力，或者至少不会造成重大收入损失或对相关个人和/或实体的生活质量产生负面影响。必须在整体框架内考虑这些问题，并系统地处理问题。虽然这些考虑因素和要求并不具有包容性，但它们为处理可持续性问题提供了一个良好的起点。本研究的目标是评估太阳能光化学处理（包括电增强光化学处理）对于此类应用的功效，重点是雨水径流和化粪池系统。拟议教育活动的总体目标是为南卡罗来纳大学的预科生、本科生和研究生提供机会，让他们了解可持续发展并加深对必要的多学科概念的理解。将特别重视土木和环境工程专业的学生。该研究计划将分为四个阶段。第一阶段的重点将是开发一种易于制备、价格低廉且可作为电化学反应阳极的固定化催化剂。 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。一系列实验将在各种流态、活塞流、批量和完全混合流中进行，使用模型污染物产生动力流模型。反应堆设计将在第三阶段进行。将根据动力学流动模型选择两个或三个最有前途的反应器方案，进行设计、建造、测试和优化。 将选择几个阶段的反应堆设计之一进行第四阶段和最后阶段的试点评估。

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.