PFI-TT: Electrochemically Reactive Membrane Filtration for Enhanced Recalcitrant Pollutant Removal

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to promote industrialization and commercialization of innovative electrified or electrochemically reactive membrane filtration systems for water treatment and pollutant degradation. Decentralized or point-of-use water and wastewater treatment facilities (e.g., landfill leachate, surface and groundwater remediation, and hospital discharge) could benefit from this membrane process to eradicate potentially hazardous water pollutants, improve downstream treatability or degradation efficiency, and lower environmental and health risks from the exposure or discharge of water pollutants such as industrial solvents or additives. The research outcome will provide information for the rational design of electrochemical membrane systems that exhibit new features of both pollutant degradation and fouling mitigation. The project may pave the way toward a new generation of reactive membrane filtration development. Moreover, valuable research experiences and commercialization training will be offered to postdoctoral fellows and students to become technology innovators and business leaders in membrane technologies. Under-represented and minority students will be recruited through the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP) program as well as student organizations or chapters.The proposed project will provide a new fundamental insight into electrochemical degradation for emerging water micropollutants on membrane filtration platforms in an effort to transform traditionally passive filtration processes to chemically reactive systems. The project will explore novel electrical polarizations to induce pulsed surface electrochemical reactions to improve reaction efficiencies and longevity of the electrode membranes. The project will explore membrane synthesis, characterization, and filtration experiments to promote the fundamental science and engineering principles of electrochemical membranes. The specific goals are to (1) devise novel electrochemical applications of porous electrode membranes to empower pollutant rejection, degradation and fouling mitigation; (2) delineate the chemical stability and longevity changes of the electrode membrane under various electrochemical reactions; (3) demonstrate potential new membrane fouling mechanisms (e.g., dielectrophoresis); and (4) understand new degradation pathways of highly refractory micropollutants such as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.