Groundwater remediation through nanoparticle addition to a filtration system and subsequent groundwater treatment through electrolysis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Groundwater penetration in subterranean sections of a building can lead to problems such as mould generation,which represents a potential health hazard, and flooding (through the accumulation of the solid material carriedby the groundwater at drains and resultant impedance of the flow of groundwater), which can represent a safetyhazard and render the flooded space unusable. With construction and subsequent building occupancy beingsignificant economic drivers, eliminating potential building-operation issues is important. Our industrialpartner, Lisgar Construction, has identified, developed and implemented a technical solution based on deep bedfiltration to deal with groundwater penetration, upon which they wish to improve.One means of improvement that is to be explored in this proposal is the addition of nanoparticulate material tothe filter bed matrix. The inclusion of nanoparticles may help in capturing additional, finer-sized solids carriedby the groundwater without hindering fluid flow due to surface effects. Furthermore, treatment of thegroundwater may be required prior to directing it through the municipal sewer system. To this end, we alsopropose the addition of an electrochemical cell to remove pollutants that may be present in the groundwater tomunicipally-approved levels. In order to study such improvements, experimental studies of the overallperformances of the filtration system and the electrochemical cell are to be undertaken. Numerical modellingwill also be performed in parallel with the experiments, in order to provide greater insight to the performanceand behaviour of the filtration system and also to develop a design tool by which filtration systems may beapplied.