Development of a sustainable and effective oxidation technology for wastewater treatment

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Abstract: This interdisciplinary project aims to provide a safe and reliable technology for thetreatment of wastewater including domestic and industrial effluents. To achieve this, a noveltechnology will be developed by combining photocatalytic oxidation with adsorptionprocesses. Scientific input and financial support from Dryden Aqua during the whole durationof the studentship will safeguard the feasibility and effectiveness of the project.Background: Wastewater treatment has improved significantly over the past 20 years, withmost of UK surface waters now being in good biological and chemical quality. However, theenergy required to treat wastewater to this standard is high; with energy being used to collect,treat and discharge wastewater and manage sewage sludge. There is no doubt that as ourdemand for clean water increases, so does the total amount of energy needed to safelydischarge wastewater into the environment. Since conventional wastewater treatmentprocesses are energy-intensive and hence not environmentally friendly, future strategiesshould focus on reducing energy demands and enabling zero to negative energy treatmentrequirements, as to create economic incentives and enable access to sustainable sanitationin both developed and developing communities.Dryden Aqua has recently demonstrated novel adsorption materials that can successfullyreplace conventional sand filters by doubling their performance. Nevertheless, persistent andxenobiotic pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, microplastics, detergents, and other emergingcontaminants, cannot be effectively removed by conventional techniques. Over the last fewyears, research has proven that photocatalytic oxidation technology can effectively degradepersistent and toxic pollutants from wastewater. Photocatalysis is based on the use of lightand a catalyst to oxidize pollutants to safe final products. This project is uniquely designed tomake significant technological steps beyond the state-of-the-art by using novel Drydenmaterials in combination with photocatalytic processes to provide an integrated, low cost andefficient method for wastewater treatment. Our recent discoveries in photocatalytic oxidationand water treatment [5] will be further advanced to meet the quality standards for drinkingwater treatment.Objectives: To deliver a new robust technology able to serve as a tertiary treatment polishingmethod for water and wastewater treatment to remove hazardous persistent organic pollutantsas well as priority substances such as micro-plastics