The minimisation of nitrate levels in water

硝酸盐被广泛用作人造肥料，但其高溶解度和稳定性意味着它已集中在许多地下水和其他水源中，特别是在英国的可耕地或其他集约化农业占主导地位的地区。高浓度的硝酸盐与各种健康问题有关，包括“蓝宝宝”综合症，而即使在较低浓度下，藻类大量繁殖（由于向水道提供过多的营养）也是一个常见的问题。为了解决这些问题，政府已宣布英格兰大片地区为“硝酸盐脆弱区”，对这些地区的农民和种植者采取特别措施，并影响开发商（因为污水和其他流出的居住地也会导致硝酸盐积聚）。因此，我们迫切需要降低供水中硝酸盐浓度的方法，而不必损害农业或其他发展压力。实现这一目标的一条途径是开发具有成本效益的方法来去除供水中的硝酸盐。这就是领先的申请者，莫利诺斯，进来的地方。该公司是曼彻斯特大学最近成立的一家分支机构，该公司开发了一种基于2D材料的膜技术，该技术是曼彻斯特大学研究成果的关键部分。Molybdenum的技术受专利保护，基于一种天然存在的稳定材料“纳米片”，称为二硫化钼。我们发现这些“薄片”可以组装成膜结构，能够从水中去除离子（盐的成分）。该提案的目标是测试这种方法在去除硝酸根离子方面的效果，由于上述原因，这将是一个非常有益的过程。我们相信这种方法将具有成本效益，我们不知道有任何直接竞争的技术能够实现这一目标。硝酸盐去除另外需要吸附和/或离子交换，这产生了固体不能容易地再生的问题。另一种方法是通过硝酸盐的细菌分解，但这也带来了问题，特别是关于水作为饮用水的后续使用。Molybdenum正在与在水处理领域有着悠久历史的知名公司/大学合作，他们将确保研究将迅速转化为市场。

Nitrate is widely used as an artificial fertiliser, however its high solubility and stability means it has become concentrated in many ground-waters and other water sources, particularly in areas of the UK where arable farming or other intensive agriculture dominates. High concentrations of nitrate are associated with various health problems, including "Blue baby" syndrome, whereas even at lower concentrations, the presence of algal blooms (due to excessive nutrient supply into watercourses) poses a frequent problem. To counter these issues, the government has declared large swathes of England as "Nitrate Vulnerable Zones", which place special measures on farmers and growers in these regions and also affect developers (as sewage and other outflows from habitations also causes nitrate build-up). We therefore urgently need ways to reduce nitrate concentrations in water supplies, without necessarily compromising agriculture or other pressures on development. One route to achieve this is to develop cost-effective methods to remove nitrate from water supplies. This is where the lead applicants, Molymem, come in. The company is a recently formed spin-out from the University of Manchester, who have developed a membrane technology, based on the 2D materials which have been a key part of the research achievements at the University of Manchester. Molymem's technology, which is patent protected, is based on "nanoflakes" of a naturally occurring, stable material called Molybdenum disulfide. We have found that these "flakes" can be assembled into membrane structure, which are capable of removing ions (the constituents of salt) from water. The goal of this proposal is to test this approach with respect to the removal of the nitrate ion, which would be a hugely beneficial process for the reasons outlined above. We believe the approach would be cost-effective and we know of no directly competitive technology which is capable of achieving this goal. Nitrate removal otherwise requires adsorption and/or ion-exchange, which generates problems with the solids that cannot easily be regenerated. Another approach is via bacterial decomposition of the nitrate, but this also gives problems, especially with respect to the subsequent use of the water as potable water. Molymem are partnering with established companies/universities with long track records in the water treatment area, who will ensure that the research will be rapidly translated to the market.