Excellence in Research: Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor and Reverse Osmosis Processes for the removal of Micro and Nano plastics from Municipal Wastewater

微塑料（MP）和纳米塑料（NP）已成为世界各地普遍存在的污染物。它们很容易被生物体摄入，并在环境中积累并进入食物链时对人类和生态系统健康构成新的风险。MP和NP已经在所有环境介质中发现，包括空气、水、土壤和沉积物。此外，在城市污水处理厂的污水中越来越多地检测到MP/NP，这些污水处理厂已成为湖泊，河流，河口和海洋等地表水系统的主要塑料污染物来源。该项目的总体目标是探索开发一种新型的废水处理和回收工艺，该工艺可以去除MP（0.1-5微米）和NP（1-100纳米），同时生产用于饮用和非饮用用途的清洁水。为了推进这一目标，主要研究者（PI）建议设计、构建和评价一个集成系统，该系统由平板陶瓷微滤膜厌氧膜生物反应器、管状陶瓷超滤膜需氧膜生物反应器和平板膜反渗透膜组件组成。该项目的成功完成将通过产生基础知识来促进开发更有效和更具成本效益的工艺来处理和回收塑料颗粒污染的废水，从而造福社会。通过推广和教育活动，包括指导三名研究生和六名本科生在Prairie View AM University.Membrane生物反应器（MBR）的指导，将实现对社会的额外好处已经成为有前途的系统，用于处理和回收的废水污染的MP和NP。然而，大多数商业膜生物反应器使用聚合物微滤（MF）或超滤（UF）膜，这些膜容易因结垢而导致性能损失。此外，由于膜磨损和损坏，聚合物MF/UF膜也可以在操作期间释放MP和NP。本项目的目标是测试的假设，膜生物反应器与陶瓷MF/UF膜可以有效地去除MP和NP从废水中没有性能限制的膜生物反应器与聚合物膜。为了验证这一假设，主要研究者（PI）建议进行一项综合实验和建模研究计划，将实验室规模的实验室实验与计算流体动力学（CFD）建模和原子分子动力学（MD）模拟相结合。实验室规模实验将包括过滤研究，旨在研究使用陶瓷膜生物反应器（CMBR）从城市废水中去除MP和NP，然后进行反渗透（RO），目的是生产用于饮用水和非饮用水用途的清洁水渗透物。对于过滤实验，PI建议测试采用平板MF膜的厌氧CMBR和采用管式UF膜的需氧CMBR。 除了过滤实验外，PI还建议进行CFD模拟，以指导/优化CMBR系统设计，并表征含NP和MP废水中陶瓷膜污染的机制。最后，PI建议进行原子分子动力学模拟，以探测和解开模型塑料和陶瓷膜之间的分子相互作用，控制去除MP/CMBR系统中的废水中的磷。该项目的成功完成有可能通过产生基础知识和数据来推动设计和实施更有效和更具成本效益的工艺来处理和回收受MP和NP污染的废水，从而产生变革性影响。为了实施该项目的教育和外展活动，PI计划将这项研究的结果整合到Prairie View A M大学现有的本科生和研究生课程中&，为学生提供新的项目-基于环境工程的学习机会，重点是膜过滤技术和水质。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用的支持基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have become ubiquitous and pervasive pollutants throughout the world. They can be easily ingested by living organisms and pose new risks to human and ecosystem health as they accumulate in the environment and enter the food chain. MPs and NPs have been found in all environmental media including air, water, soils, and sediments. In addition, MPs/NPs are increasingly being detected in the effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants which have become major sources of plastic pollutants for surface water systems including lakes, rivers, estuaries, and oceans. The overarching goal of this project is to explore the development of a novel wastewater treatment and reclamation process that could remove MPs (0.1-5 micron) and NPs (1-100 nanometer) while producing clean water for potable and non-potable usages. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to design, build, and evaluate an integrated system consisting of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor with flat-sheet ceramic microfiltration membranes, an aerobic membrane bioreactor with tubular ceramic ultrafiltration membranes, and a reverse osmosis membrane module with flat sheet membranes. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of fundamental knowledge to advance the development of more efficient and cost effective processes for the treatment and reclamation of wastewater contaminated by plastic particles. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through outreach and educational activities including the mentoring of three graduate students and six undergraduate students at Prairie View A&M University.Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have emerged as promising systems for the treatment and reclamation of wastewater contaminated by MPs and NPs. However, most commercial MBRs utilize polymeric microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, which are prone to loss of performance due to fouling. In addition, polymeric MF/UF membranes can also release MPs and NPs during operation due to membrane abrasion and damage. The goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that MBRs with ceramic MF/UF membranes can efficiently remove MPs and NPs from wastewater without the performance limitations of MBRs with polymeric membranes. To test this hypothesis, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to carry out an integrated experimental and modeling research program that combines bench scale lab experiments with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The bench scale experiments will consist of filtration studies designed to investigate the removal of MPs and NPs from municipal wastewater using ceramic membrane bioreactors (CMBRs) followed by reverse osmosis (RO) with the goal of producing a clean water permeate for potable and non-potable usages. For the filtration experiments, the PIs propose to test both an anaerobic CMBR with flat-sheet MF membranes and an aerobic CMBR with tubular UF membranes. In addition to the filtration experiments, the PIs propose to carry out CFD simulations to guide/optimize CMBR system design and characterize the mechanisms of ceramic membrane fouling in wastewater containing NPs and MPs. Finally, the PIs propose to conduct atomistic MD simulations to probe and unravel the molecular interactions between model plastics and ceramic membranes that control the removal of MPs/NPS from wastewater in CMBR systems. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of fundamental knowledge and data to advance the design and implementation of more efficient and cost effective processes to treat and reclaim wastewater contaminated by MPs and NPs. To implement the education and outreach activities of the project, the PIs plan to integrate the findings from this research into existing undergraduate and graduate courses at Prairie View A&M University to provide students with new project-based learning opportunities in environmental engineering with a focus on membrane filtration technologies and water quality.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.