Collaborative Research: Development of Anti-fouling Electrochemical Membranes for Water Treatment

由化学和生物分离计划颁发的NSF奖支持Brian Chaplin和Yossef Elabd教授开发和测试用于水处理应用的反应性电化学膜（REMs）。新型的快速眼动膜可以过滤和破坏其服务中的污染物。这些自清洁特性将使REM具有较长的使用寿命而不受膜污染，并有可能大大增强膜技术的应用空间。工作将侧重于通过使用先进的表征技术在基础水平上理解REMs的运行机制。这项工作旨在为新一代反应电极材料奠定基础，这些材料将在大量应用中发挥作用。REM的成功开发将是克服膜分离系统主要缺陷（膜污染）的里程碑式的一步。这里提出的工作有可能为REMs的发展奠定基础，REMs可以在最小的污染下运行，从而实现更有效的水分离。这一成就将从根本上改变环境与化学工程领域，并在水处理和其他领域具有广泛的应用。具体来说，拟议的研究有望在水处理的两个主要领域做出重大贡献：1)膜过滤和2)水消毒。该项目还将培训和发展一名研究生和几名本科生，并将寻求增加来自代表性不足群体的学生参与工程研究。拟议的工作还将寻求启动Villanova-Drexel联合NSF-REU/RET项目的发展，重点是：水-能源关系：通过材料、工程和设计的可持续解决方案。这一共同努力将利用大学？将重点放在本科教育上，这将是在大费城地区实现社区推广的最有效手段。

1159764/115/8990 Chaplin/Elabd This NSF award by the Chemical and Biological Separations program supports work by Professors Brian Chaplin and Yossef Elabd to develop and test reactive electrochemical membranes (REMs) for water treatment applications. The novel REM acts to both filter and destroy contaminants on its service. These self-cleaning properties will allow the REM to have a long operational life without membrane fouling, and have the potential to greatly enhance the application space of membrane technologies. Work will focus on understanding the mechanisms of operation of the REMs at the fundamental level by using advanced characterization techniques. This work seeks to lay the groundwork for a new generation of reactive electrode materials that will have utility in a vast number of applications. The development of a successful REM would be a monumental step in overcoming the primary downfall of membrane separation systems (Membrane Fouling). The work proposed here has the potential to lay the groundwork for the development of REMs that can operate with minimal fouling which will result in more efficient aqueous separations. Such an accomplishment would radically change the fields of Environmental and Chemical Engineering and has broad applications in water treatment and other fields. Specifically, the proposed research is expected to contribute significantly to two main areas in water treatment: 1) membrane filtration and 2) water disinfection. The project will also result in the training and development of one graduate and several undergraduate students and will seek to increase participation of students from underrepresented groups in engineering research. The proposed work will also seek to initiate the development of a Villanova-Drexel joint NSF-REU/RET program focused on: Water-Energy Nexus: Sustainable Solutions through Materials, Engineering, and Design. This joint effort will utilize the Universities? focus on undergraduate education and will be the most efficient means of achieving community outreach in the greater Philadelphia area.