Scaling-up of a Novel Biphasic Process for the Degradation of Waste Chlorinated Solvents using Reactive Iron Nanoparticles

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Chlorine containing chemical liquids, such trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are used widely in a number of industrial processes such as dry cleaning and metal degreasing because of their low flammability and excellent ability to dissolve grease. However they are also very toxic to humans and the environment Exposure in humans can cause cancer and neurological diseases. Due to accidental spills and improper disposal techniques, these toxic liquids have caused extensive soil and groundwater contamination in many sites, which can eventually threaten drinking water systems. Current practices to handle TCE and PCE contaminated waste include processes like incineration, degradation by harsh chemicals or microbes which can sometimes produce even more toxic products. Through our research, we have developed an innovative clean technology which not only uses non-toxic components to completely eliminate TCE and PCE but also produces benign and economically viable gases ethene and ethane. Our technology employs extremely small (nano-sized) particles of iron, table salt, along with small amounts of surfactants (soap) produced by bacteria, to rapidly target and destroy TCE and PCE in water or their bulk organic liquid phases. Through this I2I NSERC grant we propose to successfully demonstrate the lab scale results in a scaled up 20L reactor which can completely eliminate 5 kilograms of TCE and PCE, in an economical way. The scaled up results will help establish the foundation of a spin off company that will provide a state of the art clean technologies for treatment of toxic chlorine containing liquids. Our technology has generated interested from several companies with interest in chlorinated solvent contamination clean-up. The research team will include a postdoctoral fellow and a Masters' student, an experienced mentor with experience in commercialization, and has the support of the technology transfer office at McGill.