Abstract Proposal No: 9729046 Proposal Type: EPA-NSF Joint Initiative, 1997 Principal Investigator: Daniel T. Schwartz Affiliation: University of Washington This grant is awarded through the Separations and Purification Program sub-element of the Interfacial, Transport and Separations Program of the Chemical and Transport Systems Division. The principal investigator is Daniel T. Schwartz at the University of Washington. The research is directed towards the development of a new class of environmentally benign ion exchangers using metal hexacyanoferrate (HCF) derivatized electrodes. In these materials, the oxidation state of iron is potential modulated between the ferric and ferrous state. By thus modulating the charge density, the electrode behaves as an ion exchange material allowing other cations to load into the electrode or elute out into solution. The PI seeks to study this behavior for a variety of ions to determine exchange efficiency and loading capacities. Fundamental studies include using in-situ imaging Raman spectroscopy and photoelectrochemistry to characterize the ion-exchange process. The research will have technological implications in the development of environmentally benign ion exchange processes. The materials used are innocuous, and easily regenerable through potential modulation rather than the chemical methods used to regenerate conventional ion-exchange resins. Since ion exchange processes are ubiquitous in the food, pharmaceutical, nuclear and chemical industries, the development of environmentally benign ion exchange processes will have a major impact on process operation in these industries.
