Advanced Science Based Engineering Solutions for Environmental Pollution

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The philosophy driving our research program is to establish a pipeline from advancing fundamental research knowledge right through to large scale environmental applications. The goal of our research program is to focus and exploit advances in light (photo) science and technology to develop cost effective systems for (a) drinking water treatment (b) industrial water treatment and (c) remediation of chlorinated contaminated (e.g. PCBs) matrices. To achieve our goal we have a research program that follows a systematic 4 stage process: (A) evaluate frontier results on advanced photochemical methods, (B) adopt promising concepts and prove at bench scale, (C) carry bench scale successes through to pilot technologies (D) support pilot successes toward commercial scale technologies. We have already achieved two successes (in stages C & D) from this program. They are (1) development of a commercial scale mobile treatment system for PCB contaminated soils (award winning & featured in media and drew worldwide attention) and (2) a global first LED based drinking water treatment system (stage C). We believe that the rapid advance of LEDs now make them key to the future of photo-processes (lower energy cost, longer life, DC off-grid uses, pulse operation and absence of Hg). The capacity to use large area LED arrays can overcome a major limitation on application of photochemical methods faced by more compact light sources, thus fostering large scale applications. For drinking water treatment, our intent is to further evaluate and improve our LED based system for (i) eliminating contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and others (ii) providing disinfection and (iii) minimizing disinfection by-product (DBP) formation. DBPs are a family of chemicals that are formed when chlorine is used for disinfection. Next, it will be scaled-up to a multi-module pilot and tested in a full scale R&D facility, Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets, for its effectiveness and research will be conducted to improve its performance. This technology will be further independently assessed by the Walkerton Clean Water Center before installing it in communities. In parallel studies, we will continue basic research and develop and investigate frontier nano-photocatalysts which will improve the performance of the LED based water treatment system. In oil industry process waters, presence of trace organics in process waters prevents the use of energy efficient boilers and therefore limits its recycling. Our findings show that we can combine coagulation with UV-H2O2 to completely degrade these organics. We propose to explore the possibility to replace coagulation with electrocoagulation. Finally, we intend to apply this concept to develop a technology which will be pilot tested, first in our lab and then scaled up for industrial trials and applications. Our success in developing a treatment system for PCB contaminated soils, has encouraged us to investigate PCBs in oil, which is also a major environmental concern. Our basic research has shown that we can economically and effectively degrade low concentrations of PCBs in transformer oil using UV. During the next five years, we intend to scale this to a mobile technology for treating PCBs in oil. We will also pursue the degradation of other chlorinated hydrocarbons that are of environmental concern so that the scope of treatment by our current PCB system can be broadened. The expected outcomes of this research program are (a) technology to provide better, safer drinking water at reasonable costs, to small & rural communities in Canada (b) technology to treat and consequently recycle oil sands process waters (c) technology to treat PCBs in transformer oil.