PFI-TT: A Rapid Multi-Contaminant Degradation System for Water Wells

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善饮用井水的质量。截至2019年，4300万美国人无法获得公共用水，依赖私人水源。与公共供水系统不同，私人威尔斯井不受监管，使这些美国人面临更大的水污染物健康风险。这种缺乏机会的情况造成了社会经济健康方面的差距。处理有异味的水和其他有机和生物污染物需要多个处理系统，这大大增加了复杂性和成本。该项目将开发一种新的水处理系统，同时处理有异味的水、无菌的有机物（如，该项目将促进对光催化水处理系统中抑制剂的理解。了解这些结垢机制对于开发用于水处理的强大光催化剂至关重要。该项目将确定地下水源中的主要光催化剂抑制剂，并确定其抑制机制，例如，整体淬火或表面结垢。研究污染物和光催化剂表面之间结合的分析技术包括几种表面敏感光谱方法，如纳米傅里叶变换红外光谱（nano-FTIR）和尖端增强拉曼光谱（TERS）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to improve the quality of well water for drinking. As of 2019, 43 million Americans do not have access to public water and rely on private sources. Unlike public water systems, private wells are not regulated, placing these Americans at an increased health risk from waterborne contaminants. This lack of access results in socioeconomic health disparities. Treating odorous water and other organic and biological contaminants requires multiple treatment systems that add significant complexity and costs. This project will develop a new water treatment system that simultaneously treats odorous water, recalcitrant organics (e.g., pharmaceuticals), and biological pathogens without the addition of chemicals.The proposed project will advance the understanding of inhibiting agents in photocatalytic water treatment systems. Understanding these fouling mechanisms is critical to developing a robust photocatalyst for water treatment. This project will identify the primary photocatalyst inhibitors in groundwater sources and determine the mechanism for their inhibition, e.g., bulk quenching or surface fouling. Analytical techniques to study the binding between fouling agents and photocatalyst surfaces include several surface-sensitive spectroscopy methods, such as nano-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nano-FTIR) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS).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.