Activated carbon adsorption and membrane separations in water and wastewater treatment

提出了两种水和废水处理工艺：活性炭吸附法和膜法。活性炭经常用于去除饮用水中引起味道和气味的化合物和有毒有机化合物。吸附剂的主要缺点是颗粒活性炭（GAC）及其再生成本高。本研究的主要目的之一是优化交流电化学再生。我们的研究表明，这种新技术非常有效，与现有技术不同，它不会破坏GAC的一部分。拟议中的实验将测试更广泛的化合物，以确定该过程如何工作，测试系统修改并评估其对工业废水处理的适用性。我们还将研究防止溶解铁干扰AC水处理厂效率的方法。希望本研究能够降低活性炭吸附的成本，使去除有毒物质变得更加经济实惠。膜分离污染物是最有前途的水处理技术。主要的缺点是膜脏，降低其性能，需要清洗和最终更换。使用更好的材料可以减少结垢。申请人的团队使用许多定制的聚合物添加剂开发了新的平板超滤膜；其中一些使膜更疏水，而另一些使膜更亲水。本研究的目的是：a)评估表面亲水性和疏水性对膜化学清洗效率的影响；B)与其他基础聚合物一起使用相同的添加剂来制造和评价新膜；c)开发含有这些添加剂的中空纤维膜（目前比平板膜更受欢迎），并评估其在饮用水中的应用效果。总体目标是创造更耐污、更容易清洁的膜，使用寿命更长，处理成本更低。

Research is proposed on two water and wastewater treatment processes: activated carbon (AC) adsorption, and membrane processes. Activated carbon is frequently used to remove taste and odour causing compounds and toxic organic compounds from drinking water. The main drawback of adsorbers is the high cost of granular activated carbon (GAC) and its regeneration. One of the main aims of this proposed research is to optimize AC electrochemical regeneration. Our research has shown that this novel technique is quite effective and, unlike current technology, it does not destroy part of the GAC. The proposed experiments will test a wider group of compounds to determine how the process works, test system modifications and evaluate its applicability to industrial wastewater treatment. We will also investigate methods to prevent dissolved iron from interfering with the efficiency of AC water treatment plants. It is hoped that this research will reduce the cost of activated carbon adsorption so that the removal of toxics becomes more affordable.       Membrane separation of contaminants is the water treatment technology that seems to have the brightest future. The main disadvantage is that the membranes foul, decreasing their performance, requiring cleaning and eventual replacement. Fouling can be reduced by using better materials. The applicant's team has developed new flat-sheet ultrafiltration membranes using a number of tailor-made polymeric additives; some of which make the membrane more hydrophobic, while others make them more hydrophilic. The aims of this research are: a) to assess the impact of the surface hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity on the chemical cleaning efficiency of the membranes; b) to use the same additives with other base polymers to make and evaluate new membranes; and c) to develop hollow fiber membranes (which are currently more popular than flat sheet membranes) with these additives and evaluate their effectiveness in drinking water applications. The overall objective is to create more fouling resistant and easier to clean membranes with a longer life and reduced treatment costs.