This NSF award by the Chemical and Biological Separations program supports work by Professors Brian Chaplin and Yossef Elabd to develop and test reactive electrochemical membranes (REMs) for water treatment applications. The novel REM acts to both filter and destroy contaminants on its service. These self-cleaning properties will allow the REM to have a long operational life without membrane fouling, and have the potential to greatly enhance the application space of membrane technologies. Work will focus on understanding the mechanisms of operation of the REMs at the fundamental level by using advanced characterization techniques. This work seeks to lay the groundwork for a new generation of reactive electrode materials that will have utility in a vast number of applications.
The development of a successful REM would be a monumental step in overcoming the primary downfall of membrane separation systems (Membrane Fouling). The work proposed here has the potential to lay the groundwork for the development of REMs that can operate with minimal fouling which will result in more efficient aqueous separations. Such an accomplishment would radically change the fields of Environmental and Chemical Engineering and has broad applications in water treatment and other fields. Specifically, the proposed research is expected to contribute significantly to two main areas in water treatment: 1) membrane filtration and 2) water disinfection.
The project will also result in the training and development of one graduate and several undergraduate students and will seek to increase participation of students from underrepresented groups in engineering research. The proposed work will also seek to initiate the development of a Villanova-Drexel joint NSF-REU/RET program focused on: Water-Energy Nexus: Sustainable Solutions through Materials, Engineering, and Design. This joint effort will utilize the Universities? focus on undergraduate education and will be the most efficient means of achieving community outreach in the greater Philadelphia area.
