PFI-TT: Electrochemically Reactive Membrane Filtration for Enhanced Recalcitrant Pollutant Removal

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是促进用于水处理和污染物降解的创新带电或电化学反应膜过滤系统的工业化和商业化。分散或使用点的水和废水处理设施(例如，垃圾渗滤液、地表和地下水修复以及医院排放)可以从这种膜过程中受益，以消除潜在的危险水污染物，提高下游的可处理性或降解效率，并降低暴露或排放水污染物(如工业溶剂或添加剂)的环境和健康风险。研究结果将为合理设计既能降解污染物又能减轻污染的电化学膜系统提供参考。该项目可能为新一代反应膜过滤的发展铺平道路。此外，还将为博士后研究员和学生提供宝贵的研究经验和商业化培训，使他们成为膜技术领域的技术创新者和商业领袖。将通过花园州路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟(GS-LSAMP)计划以及学生组织或分会招募代表不足的学生和少数族裔学生。拟议的项目将为膜过滤平台上新出现的水微污染物的电化学降解提供新的基础见解，努力将传统的被动过滤过程转变为化学反应系统。该项目将探索新的电极化来诱导脉冲表面电化学反应，以提高反应效率和电极膜的寿命。该项目将探索膜的合成、表征和过滤实验，以促进电化学膜的基础科学和工程原理。具体目标是：(1)设计新的电极膜的电化学应用，以支持污染物的拒绝、降解和减少污染；(2)描述电极膜在各种电化学反应下的化学稳定性和寿命变化；(3)展示潜在的新的膜污染机制(例如，介电泳法)；以及(4)了解高难降解微污染物的新的降解途径，如多氟烷基物质(PFASs)。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to promote industrialization and commercialization of innovative electrified or electrochemically reactive membrane filtration systems for water treatment and pollutant degradation. Decentralized or point-of-use water and wastewater treatment facilities (e.g., landfill leachate, surface and groundwater remediation, and hospital discharge) could benefit from this membrane process to eradicate potentially hazardous water pollutants, improve downstream treatability or degradation efficiency, and lower environmental and health risks from the exposure or discharge of water pollutants such as industrial solvents or additives. The research outcome will provide information for the rational design of electrochemical membrane systems that exhibit new features of both pollutant degradation and fouling mitigation. The project may pave the way toward a new generation of reactive membrane filtration development. Moreover, valuable research experiences and commercialization training will be offered to postdoctoral fellows and students to become technology innovators and business leaders in membrane technologies. Under-represented and minority students will be recruited through the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP) program as well as student organizations or chapters.The proposed project will provide a new fundamental insight into electrochemical degradation for emerging water micropollutants on membrane filtration platforms in an effort to transform traditionally passive filtration processes to chemically reactive systems. The project will explore novel electrical polarizations to induce pulsed surface electrochemical reactions to improve reaction efficiencies and longevity of the electrode membranes. The project will explore membrane synthesis, characterization, and filtration experiments to promote the fundamental science and engineering principles of electrochemical membranes. The specific goals are to (1) devise novel electrochemical applications of porous electrode membranes to empower pollutant rejection, degradation and fouling mitigation; (2) delineate the chemical stability and longevity changes of the electrode membrane under various electrochemical reactions; (3) demonstrate potential new membrane fouling mechanisms (e.g., dielectrophoresis); and (4) understand new degradation pathways of highly refractory micropollutants such as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.