SBIR Phase II: Regenerable Adsorbent Filter for Water Purification

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供一种低成本的新型过滤器，以比目前可用的技术（如碳过滤器）更高的效率和上级性能来净化水。全球水资源短缺，包括美国西南部的一些地区，导致对高效技术的强烈需求，以净化废水，用于直接或间接的饮用水再利用。最近，人们越来越关注地表水和地下水中出现的全氟化合物（PFCs，如PFOA和PFOS）等污染物。在许多地下水地点和受全氟化学品影响的饮用水威尔斯井中发现了这些全氟化学品。目前的技术不能有效地去除水中的全氟化学品，迫切需要新的具有成本效益的处理技术。为了解决这一未满足的需求，该项目旨在开发一种低成本，可重复使用的水净化过滤装置，以去除新出现的污染物，如PFC。该技术预计将用于进行工业废水和地下水处理的实体，以及专注于水再利用的废水公用事业。第二阶段研究项目的目标是开发原型水过滤器，测试和优化它，以去除新出现的污染物，重点是PFC。具体而言，该项目将侧重于：（1）吸附剂性能和合成方法的优化;以及过滤介质批量生产合成方法的规模化;（2）过滤器再生工艺的优化;以及（3）设计，建造和测试该技术的原型装置;并确定工艺成本。这项工作将确认过滤器在去除目标污染物方面的有效性以及再生过程重复使用过滤器的有效性。PFC污染物将首先从水中去除，然后销毁。还将对该技术的总体性能进行评价，并与其他现有技术进行比较，以确定其成本效益。

The broader impact / commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to offer a low-cost novel filter to purify water with higher effectiveness and superior performance than currently available technologies such as carbon filters. The global water scarcity, including some parts of the US such as the southwest, has led to a strong need for efficient technologies to purify wastewater for direct or indirect potable reuse. Recently, there has been growing concerns over emerging contaminants such as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs e.g. PFOA and PFOS) in surface and groundwater. These PFCs are being found at many groundwater sites and in drinking water wells affected by PFCs. Current technologies are not efficient for the removal of PFCs from water, and there is an immediate need for new cost-effective treatment technologies. To address this unfulfilled need, this project seeks to develop a low cost, reusable filter unit for water purification to remove emerging contaminants such as PFCs. The technology is expected to be used by entities conducting industrial wastewater and groundwater treatment, and wastewater utilities that have a focus on water reuse. The objectives of this Phase II research project are to develop a prototype water filter, test and optimize it for the removal of emerging contaminants with a focus on PFCs. Specifically, the project will focus on: (1) optimization of the adsorbent performance and synthesis method; and scale-up of the synthesis method for bulk production of filter media; (2) optimization of the filter regeneration process; and (3) design, construct, and test a prototype unit of the technology; and determine the process cost. The work will confirm the effectiveness of the filter in removing the target contaminants as well as the effectiveness of the regeneration process to reuse the filter. The PFC contaminants will be first removed from the water and then destroyed. The overall performance of the technology will also be evaluated and compared with other available technologies to determine its cost-effectiveness.