SBIR Phase I: Evaluating the Feasibility of a fully-automated, on-line, real-time analyzer for simultaneous determination of individual THMs and HAAs

该项目更广泛的影响/商业影响将是潜在地改善美国和世界各地的饮用水质量。安全饮用水的供应对人类生活和稳定文明的发展至关重要。这一重要性是不能低估的。此外，仅在美国，饮用水的消毒和处理就是一项大生意。目前，工厂操作员没有高效且负担得起的系统来进行现场过程控制。其结果是，许多自来水公司只是在盲目地飞行，希望他们的水符合联邦法规。我们的系统让他们完全控制了局势。我们的系统将使公用事业公司和研究人员更深入地了解三卤代甲烷(THMs)和卤代乙酸(HAAs)的形成过程，并制定缓解策略。他们将能够主动和被动地应对水质变化。最终，一旦公用事业公司使用我们的设备建立监控计划，作为其质量控制和质量保证的一部分，水处理厂将能够通过优化其处理化学品的使用同时改善水质参数来节省运营费用。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将支持一种创新设备的技术开发，该设备旨在对市政水处理厂的THMS和HAAs进行现场实时过程控制和优化。消毒饮用水供应在美国几乎消除了水源性疾病，但产生了两类消毒副产品：三羟甲基甲烷和哈斯。THMS和HAAs是致癌物质，在饮用水中受到美国环保局的监管。虽然THMS和HAAs的来源相似，但它们的化学性质和物理性质截然不同。通常使用两种不同的分析仪器或方法进行分析。我们建议的装置是创新的；它是一个单一的装置，能够测量每种THM和HAA的单独浓度。研究的目的是确定我们所提出的装置的可行性，在水处理厂实时、在线和现场同时测量THMS和HAAs的浓度。这项研究的具体技术目标是：使化学成分适应自动化，确定试剂的稳定性，并与美国环境保护局(USEPA)的标准方法进行比较。成功的完成将展示一个能够分析单个THM和HAAs的原型，相当于USEPA的方法。

The broader impact/commercial impact of this project will be in potentially improving drinking water quality throughout the United States and the world. The availability of a safe drinking water supply is fundamental to human life and the development of stable civilizations. This importance cannot be minimized. Moreover, the disinfection and treatment of drinking water in the United States alone is big business. Currently, plant operators do not have efficient and affordable systems that allow them to do on-site process control. The result is that many water utilities are simply flying blind and hoping that their water meets federal regulations. Our system places them squarely in control of the situation. Our system will provide utilities and researchers a deeper understanding of the trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) formation process and enable mitigation strategies. They will be able to be proactive as well as reactive in responding to water quality changes. Eventually, once utilities use our device to establish monitoring programs as part of their quality control and quality assurance, the water treatment plants will be able to save operating expenses by optimizing their treatment chemical usage while also improving water quality parameters. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will support the technological development of an innovative device aimed for real-time process control and optimization on-site of THMs and HAAs at municipal water treatment plants. The disinfection drinking water supplies has virtually eliminated waterborne disease in the United States, but produces two classes of disinfection by-products: the THMs and HAAs. The THMs and HAAs are carcinogens and are regulated by the USEPA in drinking water. While the THMs and the HAAs are similar in origin, they have radically different chemical and physical properties. Typically two different analytical instruments or methods are used for their analysis. Our proposed device is innovative; it is a single, device capable of measuring the individual concentrations of each THM and HAA. The research objectives are to determine the feasibility of our proposed device to simultaneously measure the concentrations of the THMs and HAAs in real-time, on-line and on-site at a water treatment plant. The specific technical goals of the study are: adapt the chemistry for automation, determine stability of reagents, and compare to standard United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) methods. Successful completion will demonstrate a prototype capable of analyzing individual THMs and HAAs equivalent to USEPA methods.