Electro-Functional Membranes: New Materials for Selective Separations and Catalytic Degradations of Aqueous Environmental Contaminants

一个不断增长的 与人类健康和环境有关的顽固性污染物的数量是 以惊人的速度进入加拿大和全球的水和废水系统。 虽然传统的水和废水处理技术在提供清洁、可用水方面是有效的，但这些方法 不足以去除新出现的水生污染物。不像自然而然 发生有机水生污染物，新出现的顽固污染物必须 不仅可以从水体系中去除，还可以降解。膜分离是目前最有效的膜分离技术。 净化水，但传统膜缺乏污染机制 退化。许多环境污染物非常容易受到 激进的氧化或还原降解。这是可以通过电子- 或催化强化的氧化和还原。 我的研究 寻求通过以下方式解决处理受污染水的日益增长的挑战 在膜科学的新前沿--活性膜方面的领先进展。我的 先前的研究生产了导电聚合物纳米复合材料 能够进行高效和有效的水溶质分离的膜，同时还表现出高 导电性。我建议在这一成功的基础上创造出活性薄膜，能够同时 分离和催化降解新出现的污染物。 我的研究 将重点放在三个方面的进步：1)这些小说的能力 电催化降解模型的导电膜 水溶液中的有机污染物。的能力 这些还原降解模型芳香族化合物的膜也将 测试，并将跟踪它们的还原转化副产物。这是假设的 交变的外加电势会增强磁通 通过防止表面污染和减少表面，使水穿过膜 浓差极化。2)使用以下工具开发高级表面修改 纳米催化粒子接枝到导电膜上 表面。这些接枝的催化纳米颗粒将能够氧化有机 污染物，而导电膜将增强 这些催化剂的降解效率。3)挑战这些 含污染物真实水的电催化活性膜 对人类健康和环境的关注。真正的水中含有各种各样的 有机化合物，包括细菌，我们将研究 这些催化活性膜在降解难降解污染物的同时抵抗生物污染的能力。 这类膜的研究和发展将推动膜的边界 研究和使用将改善加拿大水域的质量和 废水，从而改善加拿大人的健康，保护我们的 环境，并为加拿大水务行业增加创新。

A growing number of recalcitrant pollutants of human health and environmental concern are entering Canadian and global water and wastewater systems at alarming rates. While conventional water and wastewater treatment technologies are effective at providing clean, usable water, these methods are insufficient to remove emerging aquatic contaminants. Unlike naturally occurring organic aquatic contaminants, emerging recalcitrant contaminants must not only be removed from aqueous systems, but also degraded. Membrane separation is currently the most effective technology for purifying water, but conventional membranes lack mechanisms for contaminant degradation. Many environmental contaminants are highly susceptible to aggressive oxidative or reductive degradation. This is achievable with electro- or catalytically-enhanced oxidation and reduction. My research seeks to address the increasing challenges of treating contaminated waters by leading advancements in a new frontier in membrane science – active membranes. My previous research produced electrically conductive polymer nanocomposite membranes able to perform efficient and effective aqueous solute separations, while also demonstrating high electrical conductivity. I propose to build on this success and create active membranes able to both separate and catalytically degrade emerging pollutants. My research will focus on three areas of advancement: 1) the ability of these novel electrically conductive membranes to electro-catalytically degrade model organic contaminants in aqueous solutions. The ability of these membranes to reductively degrade model aromatic compounds will also be tested, and their reductive transformation by-products will be tracked. It is hypothesized that an alternating applied electric potential will enhance the flux of water across the membrane by preventing surface fouling and reducing surface concentration polarization. 2) Developing advanced surface modifications using catalytic nanoparticles grafted to the electrically conductive membrane surfaces. These grafted catalytic nanoparticles will be able to oxidize organic contaminants, while the electrically conductive membranes will enhance the degradation efficacy of these catalysts. 3) Challenging these electro-catalytically active membranes with real waters containing contaminants of human health and environmental concern. Real waters contain a variety of organic compounds, including bacteria, and we will study the ability of these catalytically active membranes to resist biofouling while degrading recalcitrant contaminants. The study and development of such membranes will push the boundaries of membrane research and their use will improve the quality of Canadian waters and wastewater, thereby improving the health of Canadians, protecting our environment, and adding innovation to the Canadian water industry.