Arsenic Selective Ligand-Anchored Fiber for Purification of Drinking Water

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Today, arsenic (As) poisoning is one of the major environmental threats worldwide as millions of human beings have been exposed to excessive arsenic through contaminated drinking water. The serious toxicity of arsenic has been well documented. Worldwide, communities demand novel separation technologies for the removal of arsenic from drinking water. Conventional adsorbent technologies currently in use for remediation of metal-contaminated water have various limitations in terms of capacity, selectivity and robustness. The development of an innovative arsenic removal technology for drinking water based on a new class of fiber-based adsorbent is proposed in this SBIR program. In the Phase I program, the technical and economic feasibility of using a new class of arsenic selective ligand-anchored fiber for purification of drinking water was demonstrated. In this Phase II program, the fiber adsorbent will be further developed as the basis for an innovative arsenic removal technology for drinking water with higher capacity, good selectivity, and enhanced robustness compared to conventional technologies such as ion exchange, activated alumina, and others. The goals for this Phase II program will be achieved through the following Specific Aims: 1) Optimize functionalized fiber adsorbent for arsenic removal, 2) Elucidate mechanism of arsenic binding to functionalized ACF adsorbent 3) Perform large-scale production of functionalized fiber adsorbent, 4) Construct functionalized fiber adsorbent module and test operating efficacy, 5) Construct and evaluate pilot-scale functionalized fiber adsorbent module, 6) Summarize Phase II work, and evaluate process. This project will explore a novel technology that can be applied to the remediation of drinking water, water for medical use, such as dialysis, and groundwater contaminated by arsenic, and that can be sized to specific needs, from a hand-held pump to an industrial-sized filter capable of purifying thousands of gallons of water per day. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Arsenic (As) is identified as the number one most hazardous substance on the 2001 CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substances (ATSDR 2001).Today, arsenic poisoning is one of the major environmental threats worldwide as millions of human beings have been exposed to excessive As through contaminated drinking water. Our technology will allow communities of all sizes a simple and cost effective source of arsenic-free drinking water.