This is an award to provide support for preliminary research and planning activities involved in determination of the feasibility of a process to remove trichloroethylene from groundwater contaminated with this organic solvent. The proposed process involves use of a reactor that incorporates a hollow fiber membrane contactor for removal of the trichloroethylene from the contaminated water, concentration of this contaminant in an aqueous phenol solution followed by biotreatment in a suspended growth bioreactor. The proposal leading to this award was submitted in accord with criteria contained in the Program Announcement NSF 92-90, Research Planning Grants and Career Advancement Awards for Women Scientists and Engineers. Results of this project are expected to provide guidance necessary in development of a competitive proposal for conduct of research that would lead to engineering design criteria for a process that could be utilized in decontamination of groundwater.
