Graphene-based adsorptive filter for terra aqua systems (GRAFTA) - an innovative solution for contaminant removal

污染物，其中许多对生态系统和人类健康有毒，被引入土壤和水生系统，并通过主要是工业性质的各种来源进入食物链。已经实践和应用了一些常规的物理和化学过程来去除各种类型的废水和一般受污染的水中的污染物，包括但不限于反渗透、吸附和化学沉淀。然而，在大多数情况下，传统的重金属去除方法往往成本高昂，并以污泥、浓缩废水和/或危险固体废物的形式产生副产品。这些问题还会增加处理系统的资本和运营成本以及相关的环境负担。 利用纳米技术的最新发展及其对环境工程的影响，基于石墨烯的Terra Aqua溶液吸附过滤器(GRAFTA)是一种基于纳米技术的创新吸附过滤器，为去除废水、受污染的地表水和地下水中的重金属和其他污染物提供了一种新技术。GRAFTA被提议使用从城市固体废物流中获得的粉碎的回收玻璃来制造，然后在简化的热工艺后涂覆一层石墨烯纳米片。GRAFTA可配置用于现场和现场处理系统。 这里发明的技术将主要影响加拿大和世界各地的环境修复以及水和废水处理实践，提供一种新的污染物过滤技术，以实现更安全、更有效的环境修复和保护。

Contaminants, many of them being toxic to ecosystems and human health are introduced to soil and aquatic systems and enter the food chain through a variety of sources of mostly industrial nature. A number of conventional physical and chemical processes have been practiced and applied to remove contaminants from various types of wastewaters and in general contaminated water including but not limited to reverse osmosis, adsorption and chemical precipitation. However, in most cases, conventional methods for heavy metal removal are prone to be costly and generate by products in form of sludge, concentrated effluents and/or hazardous solid waste. These issues can also add to the capital and operational costs of the treatment system as well as associated environmental burdens. Taking advantage of recent developments in nanotechnology and its implications in environmental engineering, Graphene based Adsorptive Filter for Terra Aqua solutions (GRAFTA); an innovative nanotechnology-based adsorptive filter, provides a novel technology for removal of heavy metals and other contaminants from wastewaters and contaminated surface water and groundwater. GRAFTA is proposed to be manufactured using crushed recycled glass available from municipal solid waste stream to be coated by graphene nano-sheets following simplified thermal process. GRAFTA can be configured to be used in both in-situ and onsite treatment systems. The technology invented here will primarily impact environmental remediation and water and wastewater treatment practices in Canada and around the world by providing a novel contaminant filtering technology for safer and more effective environmental remediation and protection.