SBIR Phase I: Waste Water Phosphorus Removal Using Nano Enhanced Reactive Iron Media

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发和测试一种从废水中去除磷的新型介质，在需要新技术的地方，这是一个日益严重的问题。拟议方法的早期测试结果是有希望的；显示出比目前使用的替代方法的容量高三倍，寿命更长，同时成本更低。该介质是一种含有纳米铁的高度多孔的地球陶瓷。早期的结果表明，除磷模式与其他介质明显不同。该程序将评估介质性能和不同的过滤配置。将研究磷的捕获机制，以提高清除率和介质寿命。建模将预测性能要求，并将制定设计，以便在后续工作下进行实地测试。将对磷回收和再生介质进行初步评估。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是提供有效的方法来解决磷水污染问题，这些问题是造成溪流和湖泊水质退化的主要原因。高磷会带来问题，如湖泊中有毒藻类的生长和自然区域的退化，如佛罗里达大沼泽地。磷来自现场废水系统以及农业和其他地点的径流。需要高效、低维护的技术来降低排放水平。具有更高容量和更长寿命的介质可以提供一种经济替代方案，以减轻磷对环境的负面影响，同时可能导致恢复磷的经济价值的方法。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop and test a novel media to remove phosphorus from waste water, a growing problem where new technology is needed. Early test results of the proposed approach are promising; showing three times more capacity and longer life than alternatives used today, while being less expensive. The media is a highly porous geoceramic containing nano-iron. Early results show a distinctly different phosphorus removal pattern than other media. This program will evaluate media performance and different filtration configurations. Mechanisms for phosphorous capture will be examined in order to enhance removal rates and media life. Modeling will predict performance requirements and designs will be developed for field testing to be conducted under follow-on work. Preliminary evaluations will be done for phosphorous recovery and regeneration of the media.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are to provide effective approaches to address phosphorus water contamination problems that are a major cause of degradation of water in streams and lakes. High phosphorous creates problems, such as toxic algae growth in lakes and degradation of natural areas, such as the Florida everglades. Phosphorous comes from on-site wastewater systems and water runoff from agricultural and other locations. Efficient, low maintenance technologies are needed to reduce discharge levels. Media with a higher capacity and longer life can provide an economic alternative to mitigate the negative effects that phosphorous has on the environment, while possibly leading to ways of recovering the economic value of the phosphorous.