CAREER: Chlorine Cycling in Electrochemical Treatment Systems

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

CBET- 0747602 Kupferle The central vision for this CAREER award is that sustainable waste treatment technology must be designed and operated in a way that returns the elements in a waste to environmentally-friendly forms using renewable energy to drive the process. The objective of the research aspect of this project is to test the hypothesis that the amount and species of undesirable chlorinated byproducts produced in electrochemical treatment of chloride-bearing waste depend on reactor configuration, anode material, anode potential, applied current and chlorine-to-contaminant ratio in the waste. Phenol will be used as a model compound, and energy input and changes in phenol, carbon species, oxygen demand, and chlorine species will be measured as treatment proceeds under different reaction conditions in a full factorial design. Exploratory data analysis and analysis of variance techniques will be applied to the data to identify which parameters, individually and interactively, have the most impact on power consumption and production of undesirable chlorinated byproducts. The education objective of this project is to use the knowledge gained to increase public and professional understanding of 1) sustainable engineering solutions based on an elemental cycle approach, 2) chlorine chemistry in a broader context than typically explored in environmental curricula, and 3) appropriate use of electrochemical treatment systems.