Low Cost Water Filtration Technology for Small Communities

氯化消毒仍然是世界范围内供水消毒的主要方法。天然天然有机物(NOM)，又称DBP前体，在饮用水系统中与余氯发生反应，形成各种消毒副产物(DBPs)。科学文献中已报道了500多种DBPs，但三卤代甲烷(THMs)和卤代乙酸(HAAs)是氯化水中DBPs的两大类。长期暴露于高于规定水平的二氯苯酚 监管限制对人体健康有害。 在纽芬兰和拉布拉多，大约25%的供水系统的THM水平高于加拿大卫生部规定的水平，40%的HAAs水平高于加拿大卫生部规定的水平。虽然有几种处理技术可以减少饮用水中的二氯苯酚，但大多数技术在经济上都不可行，在小社区很难操作。 这项研究将侧重于开发负担得起且更易于操作的过滤技术，以去除取水中的前体，并改善小型和农村社区的饮用水质量。开发的技术将适用于使用氯作为消毒剂的自来水设施。低成本的吸附剂将从富碳废物中提取，如原油燃烧产生的石油飞灰和重质燃料油，以满足日益增长的能源需求。石油飞灰(OFA)通常含有85%-90%的未燃烧碳(重量比)。它还含有镍和钒等金属和其他杂质，具有潜在的环境危害和对人类健康和生态系统的风险。这项研究旨在开发从OFA中提取清洁碳的新方法，这不仅有助于显着降低风险和废物量，而且还将把废物转化为有价值的产品。这项研究将开发更具成本效益和环境友好的碳提取技术。该研究还旨在通过不同的清洁和活化过程方法来提高提取的清洁碳的质量。这项研究还将专注于提高过滤技术材料的表面积、孔隙率和硬度。将进行批量和柱式测试，并开发等温线，以帮助评估从不同社区的不同取样源中去除NOM、颜色和其他杂质的效率。还将调查旧碳的再生、淋滤测试以及将过滤技术整合到现有水系统中，以负担得起的成本和易于操作和维护的系统。 拟议的研究将支持加拿大实现其环境和可持续发展任务。它还将在可持续废物管理和开发负担得起的过滤技术方面培训高素质人员(HQP)，以减少小型和农村社区饮用水中的二氯苯酚。

Chlorination is a primary method of disinfection of water supplies worldwide. The presence of natural natural organic matters (NOM), also known as "DBP precursors", react with the residual chlorine and form various types of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in the drinking water systems. More than 500 DBPs have been reported in the scientific literature but the trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) are the two largest groups of DBPs in chlorinated water. Long term exposure to DBPs at levels higher than the specified regulatory limit is harmful to human health. In Newfoundland and Labrador, about 25% of the water supply systems have higher level of THMs and 40% have higher level of HAAs than the levels defined by Health Canada. Although there are several treatment technologies available to reduce DBPs in drinking water,most are not economically feasible and difficult to operate in small communities. This research will focus on the development of affordable and easier to operate filtration technology to remove precursors from intake water and improve drinking water quality in small and rural communities. The developed technology will be applicable to water utilities where chlorine is used as a disinfectant. Low cost adsorbent will be extracted from carbon rich waste such as oil fly ash generated as a result of burning of crude oil and heavy fuel oil to meet the growing energy demands.  Oil fly ash (OFA) usually contains 85-90% of unburned carbon by weight. It also contains metals such as nickel and vanadium and other impurities with potential environmental hazards and risk to human health and ecosystems. This research aims to develop new methods to extract clean carbon from OFA which will not only help in reducing risk and waste volume significantly  but it will also convert waste into valuable products. The research will develop more cost-effective and environmentally sound technology to extract carbon. The research also aims to improve the quality of the extracted clean carbon through different methods of cleaning and activation processes. The research will also focus on improving surface area, porosity, and hardness of the materials for filtration technology. Both batch and column tests will be conducted and isotherms will be developed to help in assessing removal efficiency of NOM, color, and other impurities from  intake sources in various communities. Regeneration of used carbon, leaching test, and integration of filtration technology into the existing water systems at affordable cost and easy to operate and maintain systems will also be investigated. The proposed study will support Canada to achieve its environmental and sustainability mandates. It will also train highly qualified personnel (HQP) in sustainable waste management and in the development of affordable filtration technology to reduce DBPs in the drinking water in small and rural communities.