CAREER: Closing the Rural Water and Education Gap with a Simple Advanced Oxidation Process

饮用水污染是一个主要的公共卫生问题。一些饮用水中的有机污染物不容易用常用的过滤和氯化技术处理，因此采用了深度处理工艺。高级治疗通常需要复杂而昂贵的系统，而这些系统在农村地区很难使用。这个职业研究项目的目标是了解一种新的高级处理方法的基本化学原理，这种方法通过结合铁和硫来去除污染物。这种新方法的优点是，它可以使用，而不需要现有高级治疗方法所需的复杂步骤。在这项研究中获得的知识将被用于新处理技术的更大规模的演示，以提供真实世界的性能数据。这些演示还将用于通过与罗德岛4-H组织的伙伴关系来改善中学科学教育。该项目的成功完成将帮助国家提供一种适合农村地区的高级水处理和科学教育的新方法。美国农村社区面临更高的饮用水质量违规风险，与人口较多的地区相比，获得高级STEM课程的机会较少。这项职业发展计划通过开发一种基于铁和硫的简化高级氧化工艺，将重点放在农村水质量和STEM教育不平等问题上，从而直接解决这些问题。虽然高级氧化工艺在水处理中越来越重要，但它们需要复杂的现场发电系统，使其不适合许多环境。高铁酸盐-硫磺高级氧化法(FeSAOP)是一种有效而简单的转化难降解有机污染物的方法，但关键的未知因素阻碍了适应。这项研究的基本原理是，目前的高级氧化工艺并不适用于所有的水系统，而利用FeSAOP将缩小这一差距。中心假设是，FeSAOP产生几种自由基物种，这些物种快速氧化污染物，同时提供生产简单性，使农村水系统能够使用，并提供引人注目的教育体验。该计划包括四个具体的研究目标：(1)通过超快光谱阐明铁自由基的形成和命运；(2)确定FeSAOP氧化1，4-二恶烷(一种模型顽固性化合物和新出现的污染物)的机理；(3)将新的FeSAOP纳入中试规模的传统处理工艺；以及(4)通过研究中学习的模式整合研究和教育目标。这项工作的更广泛的社会影响包括解决农村供水系统面临的更高风险，在服务不足的社区增加接触STEM的机会，提高公众对水处理的理解，以及支持来自代表性不足群体的研究生。拟议的计划将加速实现首席调查员的长期职业目标，即确保所有人都有安全的水和全面的STEM教育机会。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Drinking water pollution is a major public health concern. Some organic pollutants of drinking water are not easily treated by the commonly used techniques of filtration and chlorination, so advanced treatment processes are used. Advanced treatment typically requires complex and expensive systems that are difficult to use in rural areas. The goal of this CAREER research project is to understand the basic chemistry of a new advanced treatment method that removes pollutants by combining iron and sulfur. The advantage of this new method is that it can be used without the complex steps needed by existing advanced treatment methods. Knowledge obtained in this research will then be used in larger scale demonstrations of the new treatment technology to provide real-world performance data. These demonstrations will also be used to improve middle-school science education through a partnership with the Rhode Island 4-H organization. Successful completion of this project will help the Nation by providing a new approach for advanced water treatment and science education appropriate for rural areas.Rural communities in the United States face higher risks of drinking water quality violations and have less access to advanced STEM curricula compared to more populated areas. This CAREER development plan directly addresses these issues by focusing on rural water quality and STEM education inequality through the development of a simplified advanced oxidation process based on iron and sulfur. Although advanced oxidation processes are of growing importance in water treatment, they require complex systems for on-site generation, making them inappropriate for many settings. The ferrate-sulfur advanced oxidation process (FeSAOP) shows promise as an effective yet simple way to transform recalcitrant organic pollutants, but key unknowns block adaptation. The rationale for this research is that current advanced oxidation processes are not accessible to all water systems and exploiting FeSAOP will close this gap. The central hypothesis is that FeSAOP yields several radical species that rapidly oxidize contaminants while also offering simplicity of production, enabling rural water system use and compelling educational experiences. The plan includes four specific research aims to: (1) elucidate iron radical formation and fate via ultrafast spectroscopy; (2) determine the mechanism of 1,4-dioxane (a model recalcitrant compound, and emerging contaminant) oxidation by FeSAOP; (3) incorporate novel FeSAOP into conventional treatment processes at the pilot-scale; and (4) integrate research and education goals via a learning-through-research model. Broader societal impacts of this work include addressing the elevated risk facing rural water systems, increasing opportunities for STEM exposure in underserved communities, improving public understanding of water treatment, and supporting a graduate student from an underrepresented group. The proposed plan will accelerate achievement of the Principal Investigator’s long-term career goal to ensure safe water and comprehensive STEM educational opportunities for all.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.