Development of a High Performance Bioprocess for Eliminating 1,4-Dioxane in Water

描述(由申请人提供)：在美国各地，供水供应商和管理人员发现水中1，4-二恶烷的含量达到危险水平。几十年来，该化合物已被广泛用作以下用途：(1)油漆、清漆和印刷品中的溶剂；(2)人造皮革中的处理剂；(3)杀虫剂和熏蒸剂中的成分；(4)医药中的净化剂；以及(5)树脂、油、塑料、粘合剂、蜡和水泥中的溶剂。1，4-二恶烷在水中的含量极低(十亿分之一)，可能是一种人类致癌物质。它是高度溶解的，因此在水中可以广泛传播。最重要的是，新的常规水处理技术可以从水中去除1，4-二恶烷。目前去除水中1，4-二恶烷的方法只有两种：紫外光或过氧化氢结合臭氧氧化(即高级氧化)和生物降解。紫外线和化学氧化过程的能源和化学成本往往高得令人望而却步。产生有害副产品(如致癌的溴酸盐)的风险也很大，这些技术在某些情况下的适用性有限，例如高水平的无机盐。生物降解也有一些缺点，包括工艺稳定性、需要诱导降解、性能有限、堵塞、性能敏感性以及产生污泥或二次废流。然而，如果这些问题能够克服，生物处理提供了一种很有前途的方法，可以完全将1，4-二恶烷降解成无害的产品，并保护公众健康。这一第二阶段的示范提案是基于第一阶段的成功结果，表明了一种新的生物学方法的可行性。在第一阶段，设计并测试了一种降解1，4-二恶烷的技术，该技术不需要预诱导，可以使用一种新的高性能生物工艺来应用。在第一阶段工作中开发的原型将在实际受污染的地点进行规模和试点。试点将寻求确定新技术的性能和操作参数，评估长期和可持续的操作，并处理为技术经济分析提供信息的参数。这项第二阶段工作的主要成果将是示范并充分说明消除水资源中1，4-二恶烷的首个高性能生物工艺。该技术的预期价值主张包括操作简单、快速有效的降解、对一系列水源的广泛适用性、可靠的性能以及与现有方法相比总体成本较低，特别是化学氧化。最重要的是，第二阶段的资金将为保护和补救饮用水供应提供宝贵的工具，从而保障公共和安全以及后代的环境可持续性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Across the United States, water suppliers and managers are finding dangerous levels of 1,4-dioxane in water. This compound has been used for decades in a wide range of applications including as (1) a solvent in paints, varnishes, and prints; (2) treatment agent in artificial leather; (3) ingredient in pesticides and fumigants; (4) purifying agent in pharmaceuticals; and (5) solvent in resins, oils, plastics, adhesives, waxes, and cement. 1,4-dioxane is a probable human carcinogen at extremely low levels in water (parts-per-billion). It is highly soluble and thus travels extensively in water. Most importantly, ew conventional water treatment technologies can remove 1,4-dioxane from water. There are only two current routes of eliminating 1,4-dioxane in water: UV or hydrogen peroxide coupled with ozone oxidation (i.e. advanced oxidation), and biological degradation. The energy and chemical costs of UV and chemical oxidation processes are often prohibitively high. There is also a significant risk of producing harmful by-products (such as carcinogenic bromate) and these technologies have limited applicability in certain circumstances such as high levels of inorganic salts. Biological degradation alternatively suffers from a number of drawbacks, including process stability, the need to induce degradation, limited performance, clogging, performance sensitivity, and the production of sludge or secondary waste streams. If these problems can be overcome, however, biological treatment offers a promising method of completely degrading 1,4-dioxane into harmless products and protecting public health. This Phase II demonstration proposal is based on successful Phase I results showing the feasibility of a new biological approach. In Phase I, a technology was designed and tested for 1,4-dioxane degradation that does not require pre-induction and can be applied using a new high performance bioprocess. The prototype developed in the Phase I work will be scaled and piloted at an actual contaminated site. The pilot will seek to establish performance and operational parameters of the new technology, evaluate long-term and sustainable operation, and address parameters informing a technoeconomic analysis. The major outcome of this Phase II effort will be the demonstration and full characterization of a first-of-its-kind high performance bioprocess for eliminating 1,4-dioxane in water resources. The technology's intended value proposition includes simple operation, rapid and effective degradation, wide applicability to a range of water sources, reliable performance, and lower overall costs compared to existing methods, especially chemical oxidation. Most importantly, the Phase II funding will provide a valuable tool for protecting and remediating drinking water supplies, thus safeguarding public and safety, and environmental sustainability for generations to come.