Low Cost Water Filtration Technology for Small Communities

氯化是世界范围内供水消毒的主要方法。天然有机物（NOM）的存在，也被称为“DBP前体”，与余氯反应并在饮用水系统中形成各种类型的消毒副产物（DBPs）。科学文献中已报告了500多种消毒副产物，但三卤甲烷（THMs）和卤乙酸（哈斯）是氯化水中最大的两类消毒副产物。长期暴露于高于指定 * 规管限度的消毒副产物对人体健康有害。* 在纽芬兰和拉布拉多，大约25%的供水系统中三卤甲烷含量高于加拿大卫生部规定的水平，40%的供水系统中哈斯含量高于加拿大卫生部规定的水平。虽然有几种处理技术可用于减少饮用水中的消毒副产物，但大多数技术在经济上不可行，难以在小社区运作。* 这项研究将侧重于开发负担得起的和更容易操作的过滤技术，以去除取水中的前体物质，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供水设施。低成本的吸附剂将从富含碳的废物中提取，如原油和重质燃料油燃烧产生的石油飞灰，以满足不断增长的能源需求。 油飞灰（OFA）通常含有85- 90重量%的未燃烧碳。它还含有镍和钒等金属以及其他杂质，对人类健康和生态系统具有潜在的环境危害和风险。这项研究旨在开发从OFA中提取清洁碳的新方法，这不仅有助于显着减少风险和废物量，而且还将废物转化为有价值的产品。该研究将开发更具成本效益和环保的技术来提取碳。该研究还旨在通过不同的清洁和活化方法来提高提取的清洁碳的质量。该研究还将重点关注改善过滤技术材料的表面积，孔隙率和硬度。将进行批量和柱测试，并将开发等温线，以帮助评估NOM，颜色和其他杂质从不同社区的摄入源的去除效率。还将研究用过的碳的再生、沥滤试验以及以可承受的成本将过滤技术整合到现有的水系统中，并研究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性任务。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，以减少小型和农村社区饮用水中的消毒副产物。

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.*********