Advanced Science Based Engineering Solutions for Environmental Pollution

推动我们研究计划的理念是建立一条从推进基础研究知识到大规模环境应用的管道。我们研究计划的目标是集中和利用光(照片)科学和技术方面的进步，以开发具有成本效益的系统，用于(A)饮用水处理(B)工业水处理和(C)氯化污染(例如多氯联苯)基质的修复。为了实现我们的目标，我们有一个研究计划，它遵循一个系统的4个阶段的过程：(A)评估先进光化学方法的前沿结果，(B)采用有希望的概念并在实验室规模进行证明，(C)将实验室规模的成功推广到中试技术(D)支持商业化规模技术的中试成功。我们已经从这个项目中取得了两个成功(在C和D阶段)。它们是(1)开发商业规模的移动多氯联苯污染土壤处理系统(获奖并在媒体上亮相并引起世界关注)和(2)全球首个基于LED的饮用水处理系统(C阶段)。我们认为，LED的快速发展使其成为未来光伏处理(更低的能源成本、更长的寿命、直流离网使用、脉冲运行和无汞)的关键。使用大面积LED阵列的能力可以克服更紧凑的光源所面临的光化学方法应用的主要限制，从而促进大规模应用。 对于饮用水处理，我们的目的是进一步评估和改进我们的基于LED的系统，以(I)消除新出现的关注污染物(CEC)，如杀虫剂、药品、个人护理产品和其他(Ii)提供消毒和(Iii)最大限度地减少消毒副产品(DBP)的形成。DBP是一类化学物质，是在使用氯进行消毒时形成的。 下一步，它将被扩大到多模块试点，并在一个全面的研发设施中进行测试，先进的加拿大废水资产，因为它的有效性，并将进行研究，以提高其性能。这项技术将由沃克顿清洁水中心进一步独立评估，然后再安装到社区。在平行研究中，我们将继续进行基础研究，开发和研究前沿纳米光催化剂，以提高基于LED的水处理系统的性能。 在石油工业过程水中，过程水中微量有机物的存在阻碍了节能锅炉的使用，从而限制了锅炉的回收利用。我们的发现表明，我们可以结合混凝和UV-H_2O_2来完全降解这些有机物。我们建议探索用电凝法代替凝固法的可能性。最后，我们打算将这一概念应用于开发一种技术，该技术将首先在我们的实验室进行中试，然后扩大到工业试验和应用。 我们在开发多氯联苯污染土壤处理系统方面的成功，鼓励我们调查石油中的多氯联苯，这也是一个主要的环境问题。我们的基础研究表明，我们可以经济有效地利用紫外线降解变压器油中的低浓度多氯联苯。在接下来的五年里，我们打算将其扩展到一种移动技术，用于处理石油中的多氯联苯。我们还将致力于降解其他与环境有关的氯代烃，以便扩大我们目前的多氯联苯系统的处理范围。 这项研究计划的预期成果是(A)以合理的成本向加拿大的小型和农村社区提供更好、更安全的饮用水的技术(B)处理油砂工艺水并随后回收利用的技术(C)处理变压器油中的多氯联苯的技术。

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.