CAREER: An Adaptive Approach to Oxidize Emerging Organic Contaminants in our Drinking Water

1451932RemucalCAREER：一种适应性方法来氧化饮用水中出现的有机污染物。随着人口增长和气候变化对水资源的压力增加，我们将被迫依赖低质量的水源来满足我们的需求。特别是，我们现有的饮用水处理系统在处理有机污染物污染方面装备不足。该项目将开发和优化氯光解高级氧化工艺，可用于升级现有的氯基消毒系统，以应对水源水质下降。氯的光解作用是美国最常用的饮用水消毒剂，它产生一系列活性氧化剂，包括羟基自由基和臭氧，它们能够同时氧化许多有机化合物并使耐氯病原体失活。这项研究的假设基础是，在基于氯光解的高级氧化过程中，可以优化照射波长和溶液条件（例如pH），以最大限度地去除有机污染物，同时最大限度地减少消毒副产物的产生。研究主题将被整合到正式评估的教育计划中，这将：(1)通过让K-12和本科生在一个新的互动学习环境中参与，培养对环境工程领域的热情；(2)增加不同背景的高素质学生从事与环境工程和水质相关的职业；(3)提高公众对水质问题的认识。研究计划的目标是：(1)利用紫外光和太阳光谱中的光表征氯光解过程中活性物质的形成；(2)评价氯光解过程中常规消毒副产物的形成；(3)利用两种互补的最先进的质谱技术鉴定氯光解过程中溶解有机物的变化和新型消毒副产物的形成。这项变革性的工作将首次系统地评价氯光解对污染物氧化和消毒副产物的形成。独特的项目成果将是：(1)发展一个动力学模型，可用于预测氯光解过程中活性物质的产生和目标污染物的氧化，(2)在有光和无光的情况下，在分子水平上对消毒副产物的形成和溶解有机物组成的变化有了更多的了解。

1451932RemucalCAREER: An adaptive approach to oxidize emerging organic contaminants in our drinking waterAs pressure on our water resources increases in response to population growth and a changing climate, we will be forced to rely on lower quality water sources to meet our needs. In particular, our existing drinking water treatment systems are poorly equipped to deal with contamination from organic pollutants. This project will develop and optimize a chlorine photolysis advanced oxidation process that could be used to upgrade existing chlorine-based disinfection systems in response to decreased source water quality. The photolysis of chlorine, the most commonly used drinking water disinfectant in the United States, produces a series of reactive oxidants, including hydroxyl radical and ozone, which are capable of simultaneously oxidizing numerous organic compounds and inactivating chlorine-resistant pathogens. The hypothesis underlying this research effort is that the irradiation wavelengths and solution conditions (e.g., pH) in a chlorine photolysis-based advanced oxidation process can be optimized to maximize organic contaminant removal while minimizing disinfection by-product production. The research themes will be integrated into formally assessed educational initiatives that will: (1) foster enthusiasm for the field of environmental engineering by engaging K-12 and undergraduate students in a novel interactive learning environment; (2) increase the number of highly qualified students from diverse backgrounds pursuing careers related to environmental engineering and water quality; and (3) raise public awareness of water quality issues.The objectives of the research plan are to: (1) characterize the formation of reactive species during chlorine photolysis using UV light and light in the solar spectrum; (2) assess the formation of conventional disinfection byproducts during chlorine photolysis; and (3) identify changes in dissolved organic matter and the formation of novel disinfection byproducts during chlorine photolysis using two complementary state-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques. This transformative work will provide the first systematic evaluation of chlorine photolysis for contaminant oxidation and disinfection by-product formation. Unique project outcomes will be: (1) the development of a kinetic model that can be used to predict reactive species production and target contaminant oxidation during chlorine photolysis, and (2) an increased understanding of the formation of disinfection by-products and changes in dissolved organic matter composition on a molecular level during reaction with chlorine in the presence and absence of light.