NIRT: Self-Cleaning Ceramic Membranes for the Removal of Natural and Synthetic Nanomaterials from Drinking Water Using Hybrid Ozonation-Nanofiltration

0506828由于认识到将臭氧和纳滤方面的新技术与膜科学的最新进展和最新可用的表面表征方法相结合，建议小组聚集在一起，这是一个跨学科的方法可以大大提高国家供水的安全。这项新的混合技术将使部署一种能够去除纳米级污染物的高效自清洁膜过滤系统成为可能。该项目的目标水污染物是1)新合成的具有细胞毒性的纳米材料和2)自然产生的纳米颗粒，它们是已知的消毒副产物前体。这是第一个解决去除和处理含有合成纳米材料的水的问题的项目。该提案汇集了一支由高素质研究人员组成的多样化团队，其中包括膜分离、臭氧在水处理、陶瓷和材料科学以及表面/胶体化学方面的专家。加入团队的是兰辛社区学院科学系主任，他让我们为K-12学生提升纳米技术领域的科学课程，并在LC C的化学技术员课程中开发专门的纳米技术课程。该项目下的活动将由私人投资机构和博士后和研究生助理以实际操作的方式领导，他们将接受培训，以便在跨学科团队导向的环境中运作。组织该项目的目的是让博士后和研究生助理担任日常工作的重点，并培训和参与该项目技术和教学任务的所有方面。该团队将在一所主要研究型大学的最先进设施中开展研究，并坚定地致力于合作和创新研究。更广泛的影响：成功完成拟议的研究将在几个方面促进发现和理解。第一个进展将是展示一种可靠、寿命长、耐污染和成本效益高的膜过滤技术，用于从国家饮用水供应中去除纳米颗粒。第二个进展将是为K-12学生和教师开发纳米技术模块，并为社区大学学生形成纳米技术课程。这样一种新的膜过滤技术将满足改善饮用水供应安全性的迫切需要。最近爆发的饮用水传播疾病强调了这一目标的重要性。自清洁膜过滤技术的应用还可以对其他领域产生积极影响，如食品、制药和生物制品生产中的过滤。K-12课程和纳米技术学院的课程很可能会成为许多其他项目的样板。这些材料在美国各地的有效传播将使社会效益最大化。作为这项提议的结果，研究人员将接受培训，以便在水处理、胶体化学、陶瓷和表面光谱分析领域熟练地操作。他们的技能应该被证明是有价值的，因为如果要改善和保护国家的供水，这些领域的工作必须共同进步。首席研究人员在推动代表不足的群体参与工程和科学方面有着杰出的记录，这一点，再加上拟议参与针对女性和少数族裔的强有力的、既定的科学/工程计划(即底特律地区大学预科工程计划(密歇根州立大学提供的)暑期计划和女性工程暑期居留计划)，为创建新的教育和外联活动创造了一个强有力的组合。此外，参与的高级研究人员将把他们的专门知识、设施和仪器设备合并为一个单一的工作单位，以促进今后的合作和伙伴关系。主要调查人员在科学上的良好声誉将有助于迅速和广泛地传播这项工作的结果。

0506828 Masten The proposal team has come together as a result of the realization that an interdisciplinary approach to combining new technologies in ozonation and nanofiltration with recent advances in membrane science and newly available surface characterization methods could greatly enhance the safety of the nation's water supply. This new hybrid technology will enable the deployment of a highly efficient self-cleaning membrane filtration system capable of removing nanoscale contaminants. Water pollutants targeted in this project are 1) newly synthesized nanomaterials with demonstrated cytotoxicity and 2) naturally occurring nanoparticles, which are known disinfection by-product precursors. This is the first project that will address the issue of the removal and treatment of waters laden with synthetic nanomaterials. The proposal brings together a diverse team of highly qualified researchers, including experts in membrane-based separations, the effects of ozone in water treatment, ceramics and material sciences, and surface/colloid chemistry. Joining the team is the Chair of the Science Department at Lansing Community College, allowing us to enhance the science curriculum in the area of nanotechnology for K-12 students and develop a specialized nanotechnology program within LCC.s chemical technician curriculum. The activities under this project will be led in a hands-on fashion by PIs with postdoctoral and graduate assistants who will be trained to operate in an interdisciplinary team-oriented environment. The project is organized to have postdoctoral and graduate assistants at the focus of day-to-day operations, with training and participation in all aspects of the technological and pedagogical tasks of this project. The team will carry out the research in state of the art facilities at a major research university with a strong commitment to collaborative and innovative research. Broader impacts: Successful completion of the proposed research will advance discovery and understanding on several fronts. The first advance would be demonstration of a reliable, long-lived, fouling-resistant and cost-effective membrane filtration technology for nanoparticle removal from the nation's drinking water supply. The second advance would be the development of modules on nanotechnology for K-12 students and teachers and the formation of a nanotechnology curriculum for community college students. A new membrane filter technology such as this would meet a critical need for improved security in the drinking water supply. Recent outbreaks of drinking-water borne disease emphasize the importance of this goal. Applications of self-cleaning membrane filtration technologies could also positively impact other fields such as filtration in food, pharmaceutical and biologics production. The K-12 curriculum and the nanotechnology college curriculum will likely become models for many other programs. Effective dissemination of these materials across the US will maximize societal benefit. As a result of this proposal, researchers will be trained to operate comfortably and knowledgably in the areas of water treatment, colloid chemistry, ceramics, and surface spectroscopic analysis. Their skill set should prove in valuable as work in these areas must necessarily advance together if the nation's water supply is to be improved and protected. The principal investigators have a distinguished record of advancing the participation of underrepresented groups in engineering and science, and this, combined with the proposed participation in strong, established science/engineering programs targeted at women and minorities (namely, the Detroit-Area Pre-College Engineering Program (offered at MSU) Summer Program and the Women in Engineering Summer Residential Program), creates a potent combination for creating new education and outreach activities. In addition, the senior researchers involved will merge their expertise, facilities and instrumentation into a single working unit that will facilitate future collaborations and partnerships. The strong scientific reputations of the principal investigators will facilitate the rapid and widespread dissemination of the results of this work.