The minimisation of nitrate levels in water

硝酸盐被广泛用作人造肥料，但它的高溶解度和稳定性意味着它已集中在许多地下水和其他水源中，特别是在英国以耕作或其他集约农业为主的地区。高浓度的硝酸盐与各种健康问题有关，包括“蓝宝宝”综合症，而即使在较低浓度下，藻类大量繁殖(由于向水道提供过多的营养物质)也是一个经常出现的问题。为了应对这些问题，英国政府宣布英格兰大片地区为“硝酸盐脆弱区”，这对这些地区的农民和种植者采取了特殊措施，也影响了开发商(因为污水和其他从居住地流出的污水也会导致硝酸盐的积累)。因此，我们迫切需要各种方法来降低供水中的硝酸盐浓度，而不一定损害农业或其他对发展的压力。实现这一目标的一个途径是开发具有成本效益的方法来去除供水中的硝酸盐。这就是主要申请者Molymem的用武之地。该公司是最近从曼彻斯特大学剥离出来的，他们开发了一种基于2D材料的膜技术，2D材料一直是曼彻斯特大学研究成果的关键部分。Molymem的技术受到专利保护，是基于一种名为二硫化钼的自然产生的稳定材料的“纳米薄片”。我们发现，这些“薄片”可以组装成膜结构，能够从水中去除离子(盐的成分)。这项提议的目标是在去除硝酸盐离子方面测试这一方法，这将是一个非常有益的过程，原因如上所述。我们相信这种方法将具有成本效益，而且我们知道没有直接竞争的技术能够实现这一目标。去除硝酸盐还需要吸附和/或离子交换，这会对不易再生的固体产生问题。另一种方法是通过细菌分解硝酸盐，但这也带来了问题，特别是在随后将水用作饮用水方面。Molymem正在与在水处理领域拥有长期记录的老牌公司/大学合作，这些公司/大学将确保研究迅速转化为市场。

Nitrate is widely used as an artificial fertiliser, however its high solubility and stability means it has become concentrated in many ground-waters and other water sources, particularly in areas of the UK where arable farming or other intensive agriculture dominates. High concentrations of nitrate are associated with various health problems, including "Blue baby" syndrome, whereas even at lower concentrations, the presence of algal blooms (due to excessive nutrient supply into watercourses) poses a frequent problem. To counter these issues, the government has declared large swathes of England as "Nitrate Vulnerable Zones", which place special measures on farmers and growers in these regions and also affect developers (as sewage and other outflows from habitations also causes nitrate build-up). We therefore urgently need ways to reduce nitrate concentrations in water supplies, without necessarily compromising agriculture or other pressures on development. One route to achieve this is to develop cost-effective methods to remove nitrate from water supplies. This is where the lead applicants, Molymem, come in. The company is a recently formed spin-out from the University of Manchester, who have developed a membrane technology, based on the 2D materials which have been a key part of the research achievements at the University of Manchester. Molymem's technology, which is patent protected, is based on "nanoflakes" of a naturally occurring, stable material called Molybdenum disulfide. We have found that these "flakes" can be assembled into membrane structure, which are capable of removing ions (the constituents of salt) from water. The goal of this proposal is to test this approach with respect to the removal of the nitrate ion, which would be a hugely beneficial process for the reasons outlined above. We believe the approach would be cost-effective and we know of no directly competitive technology which is capable of achieving this goal. Nitrate removal otherwise requires adsorption and/or ion-exchange, which generates problems with the solids that cannot easily be regenerated. Another approach is via bacterial decomposition of the nitrate, but this also gives problems, especially with respect to the subsequent use of the water as potable water. Molymem are partnering with established companies/universities with long track records in the water treatment area, who will ensure that the research will be rapidly translated to the market.