Activated carbon adsorption and membrane separations in water and wastewater treatment

提出了两种水和废水处理工艺的研究：活性碳(AC)吸附和膜工艺。活性碳经常被用来去除饮用水中的味道和气味，产生化合物和有毒的有机化合物。吸附器的主要缺点是颗粒活性碳(GAC)及其再生成本高。这项研究的主要目的之一是优化交流电化学再生。我们的研究表明，这种新技术是相当有效的，而且与现有技术不同，它不会破坏GAC的一部分。拟议的实验将测试更广泛的化合物组，以确定该过程如何工作，测试系统修改，并评估其在工业废水处理中的适用性。我们亦会研究防止溶解铁干扰交流水处理厂效率的方法。希望这项研究能够降低活性碳吸附的成本，从而使去除有毒物质变得更容易负担得起。据了解，膜分离污染物是似乎最有前途的水处理技术。主要的缺点是膜很脏，降低了它们的性能，需要清洗并最终更换。可以通过使用更好的材料来减少污垢。申请人的团队使用大量定制的聚合物添加剂开发了新的平板超滤膜；其中一些使膜更疏水，而另一些则使其更亲水。这项研究的目的是：a)评估表面亲水性和疏水性对膜的化学清洗效率的影响；b)将相同的添加剂与其他基础聚合物一起使用来制备和评价新的膜；以及c)开发使用这些添加剂的中空纤维膜(目前比平板膜更受欢迎)，并评价它们在饮用水应用中的有效性。总体目标是以更长的寿命和更低的处理成本创造更耐污染、更容易清洗的膜。

Research is proposed on two water and wastewater treatment processes: activated carbon (AC) adsorption, and membrane processes. Activated carbon is frequently used to remove taste and odour causing compounds and toxic organic compounds from drinking water. The main drawback of adsorbers is the high cost of granular activated carbon (GAC) and its regeneration. One of the main aims of this proposed research is to optimize AC electrochemical regeneration. Our research has shown that this novel technique is quite effective and, unlike current technology, it does not destroy part of the GAC. The proposed experiments will test a wider group of compounds to determine how the process works, test system modifications and evaluate its applicability to industrial wastewater treatment. We will also investigate methods to prevent dissolved iron from interfering with the efficiency of AC water treatment plants. It is hoped that this research will reduce the cost of activated carbon adsorption so that the removal of toxics becomes more affordable.       Membrane separation of contaminants is the water treatment technology that seems to have the brightest future. The main disadvantage is that the membranes foul, decreasing their performance, requiring cleaning and eventual replacement. Fouling can be reduced by using better materials. The applicant's team has developed new flat-sheet ultrafiltration membranes using a number of tailor-made polymeric additives; some of which make the membrane more hydrophobic, while others make them more hydrophilic. The aims of this research are: a) to assess the impact of the surface hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity on the chemical cleaning efficiency of the membranes; b) to use the same additives with other base polymers to make and evaluate new membranes; and c) to develop hollow fiber membranes (which are currently more popular than flat sheet membranes) with these additives and evaluate their effectiveness in drinking water applications. The overall objective is to create more fouling resistant and easier to clean membranes with a longer life and reduced treatment costs.