Safe & Cost Effective Water Remediation, Enabled by an Online Perchlorate Analyze

描述(申请人提供)：高氯酸盐，ClO4-，是一种小的高度水溶性的阴离子，由地质和人为来源产生。人为来源包括固体火箭燃料、火柴、染料、油漆、安全气囊充气装置、烟火、照明弹和化肥。人类接触高氯酸盐是令人担忧的，因为它可能会损害甲状腺功能，导致一些发育迟缓和其他医疗问题。大多数补救项目依赖于串联运行的离子交换树脂床反应器，以此作为故障保护措施，以防止第一个树脂床失去捕获高氯酸盐的能力，即其消耗极限。树脂床和树脂是修复过程中最大的费用项目。如果能够开发一种在线监测设备，警告操作员床位即将耗尽，补救工作就可以更具成本效益地运作，并获得更大的公共安全。在我们成功的第一阶段工作中，Advanced MicroLab，LLC(AML)与科罗拉多州立大学的Henry Group教授合作，将原理验证实验室实验转化为概念验证商业原型，用于高氯酸盐的在线分析。我们的原型在修复试点工厂与我们的合作者应用研究协会(ARA)一起进行了现场测试。对修复后的水进行检测，高氯酸盐以15g/L检出限(LOD)从干扰离子中基线分离。基于S/N，我们的设备在并列比较中与黄金标准离线离子色谱相当(如果不是超过的话)。此外，我们还展示了除高氯酸盐以外的其他离子的分辨率和可重复性检测，如硝酸盐。在拟议的第二阶段工作中，将把一个概念验证原型转变为一个接近商业的示范单位，满足在线补救处理的最终用户规格。我们将开发一个用于现场水源地分析的配套现场便携式样机。我们还将对同一水样中的硝酸盐和高氯酸盐进行配套分析。 与公共健康相关：仅国防部每年就在与高氯酸盐有关的研究活动上花费约8800万美元，其中6000万美元用于高氯酸盐处理技术。除了补救努力外，还花费了数不清的数百万美元来封锁受污染的地点，并迫使他们处理替代的非受污染的水源。这个问题的大部分负担落在了美国公民身上，要么是通过更高的税率，要么是通过市政水费。反洗钱提供了一种创新技术，能够通过更具成本效益的补救努力显著减轻这些负担。我们与补救技术专家合作进行的市场调查得出结论，典型的补救工作将在标准的20年安装寿命内节省650万至173万美元，这相当于仅在加州就可能节省3250万至8640万美元的税款。更重要的是，补救工作将更加安全，有利于公众健康。已知修复设施失败，树脂释放到公共水系统中。在过程中嵌入监视器可以检测设备故障或环境的突然变化，并在其他系统组件出现故障之前及早标记问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Perchlorate, ClO4-, is a small highly water soluble anion created by both geogenic and anthropogenic sources. Anthropogenic sources include solid rocket fuel, matches, dyes, paints, airbag inflators, pyrotechnics, flares, and fertilizers. Human exposure to perchlorate is of concern because of the potential for impaired thyroid function, leading to a number of developmental delays and other medical problems. Most remediation projects rely on ion exchange resin bed reactors that operate in series as a fail-safe measure for when the first resin bed loses its ability to capture perchlorate, namely, its exhaustion-limit. Resin beds and resins are the largest cost item in the remediation process. If an online monitoring device could be developed that would warn operators of a bed reaching its exhaustion-limit, remediation efforts could operate more cost- effectively and with greater public safety. In our successful Phase I effort, Advanced MicroLab, LLC (AML) worked with the Prof. Henry Group at Colorado State University to transform a proof-of- principle laboratory experiment into a proof-of-concept commercial prototype for online analysis of perchlorate. Our prototype was field tested at a remediation pilot plant with our collaborators, Applied Research Associates (ARA). Testing post-remediated water, perchlorate was baseline resolved from interfering ions with < 1 5g/L limit-of-detection (LOD). Based on S/N, our device matched, if not out-performed, the gold standard, offline Ion Chromatography, in a side- by-side comparison. Additionally, we demonstrated resolution and reproducible detection of other ions in addition to perchlorate, such as, nitrate. In the proposed Phase II work, will transform a proof-of-concept prototype into a near- commercial demonstration unit meeting end-user specifications for online remediation processing. We will develop a companion field portable prototype for water source spot analysis in the field. We will also develop a companion analysis for nitrate and perchlorate from the same water sample. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Department of Defense alone spends approximately $88 million annually on perchlorate-related research activities, including $60 million for perchlorate treatment technologies. In addition to remediation efforts, untold millions of dollars are spent to barricade contaminated sites and forcing to treat alternative non-contaminated water sources. The majority of the burden for the problem falls on the American citizen either through higher tax rates or municipal water rates. AML provides an innovative technology capable of significantly reducing these burdens through more cost-effective remediation efforts. Our market research conducted in collaboration with remediation technology experts concluded a typical remediation effort would save $0.65 - 1.73 million over a standard 20 year installation lifetime, which translates into a potential savings of $32.5 - 86.4M in California tax dollars alone. More importantly, remediation efforts would be safer, benefiting public health. Remediation facilities have been known to fail with resin release into the public water system. Embedding a monitor within the process can detect malfunctioning equipment or abrupt environmental changes and flag the problem at an early stage before other system components fail.