CAREER: Development of Reactor Systems for Treatment of Non Point Source Pollution

Temple University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

The traditional model for engineering is finding an efficient solution to specific problems, with the human consumer as the focus and economics as the primary driving force. This model often leads to a reductionist approach toproblems and fails to take into account factors that lead to sustainable solutions. Sustainability requires the consideration of longer-term effects from multiple points of view, environmental, social and economic. The effective engineer is capable of bringing together these resources and combining them with technical innovations to provide solutions that will last and do no harm to the generations to follow. Remediation and destruction of persistent pollutants, development and use of renewable energy sources and resources, and development of processes and system that significantly reduce or altogether prevent pollution are three of the primary requirements for environmental sustainability. Social sustainability requires both justice and consideration of the cultures of concern. In order to obtain economic sustainability a process or system must exhibit long term profitability or at minimum, no considerable loss of income or negative effect on the quality of life for the persons and/or entities involved. These issues must be considered in a holistic framework and problems must be approached systemically. While these considerations and requirements are not inclusive, they provide a good starting point for dealing with the issues of sustainability. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of solar photochemical treatment, including electrically enhanced photochemical treatment, for such applications, with emphasis on stormwater runoff and septic systems. The overall goal of the proposed education activities is to provide opportunities at the University of South Carolina for pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students to learn about sustainability and develop an understanding of necessary multidisciplinary concepts. Particular emphasis will be placed on students in civil and environmental engineering. This research program will consist of four phases. In the first phase, the concentration will be on the development of an immobilized catalyst that is easy to prepare, inexpensive and can act as an anode for electrochemical reactions. Laboratory and solar simulation studies will be used in the second phase to evaluate the effect of electric field enhancement on the photochemical process and determine kinetic parameters. A series of experiments will be conducted in various flow regimes, plug-flow, batch and completely mixed flow, using model contaminants resulting in kinetic flow models. Reactor design will take place in the third phase. The two or three most promising reactor schemes, selected based on the kinetic flow model, will be designed built, tested and optimized. One of the reactor designs of phase several will be selected for the pilot evaluations in the fourth and final phase.