This SBIR project will develop a novel reactor design for UV/TiO2 photocatalysis. Specifically, the degradation of MTBE will be investigated and the project will then look at byproduct formation. Additionally, optimizing the system by adding oxygen as an electron acceptor and H2O2 as an alternative method for degrading MTBE will be explored.
The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the development and commercialization of a portable system to degrade organics. There are a number of potential applications for this technology ranging from groundwater remediation to military applications to recreation and other portable uses.
This NSF SBIR Phase I project has established the feasibility of employing Puralytics’ novel cost-effective, robust, reliable and scalable photochemical process in removing organic pollutants from ground and surface water sources without adding chemicals to the water. This new process incorporates multiple photochemical processes, including both oxidation and reduction, using a novel stationary photocatalyst that is activated by light from light emitting diodes (LEDs) having operating lifetimes expected to exceed ten years. The Puralytics process transforms toxic organic chemicals into less toxic products, like water, carbon dioxide, and minerals Furthermore, this water-efficient process treats all water introduced to the system, unlike membrane filtration processes which concentrate removed contaminants into a rejected wastewater stream. Applications for this new process include low-maintenance remediation of environmental water sources, industrial process and wastewater systems, and decentralized drinking water purification systems. Puralytics built a proof-of-concept prototype reactor in Phase I to study the effectiveness of this new process in removing methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from water. MBTE was chosen as an environmentally relevant surrogate for the many organic contaminants present in water supplies throughout the US and around the world. We evaluated the performance of the prototype in removing MTBE from prepared water samples in order to optimize the prototype for this purpose, and to test the impact of natural organic matter (NOM) dissolved in the water on reactor performance in removing MTBE. Work completed and analyzed in Phase I has identified key process parameters, determined optimum operating conditions and clarified the requirements for a cost-effective product targeted at low-volume water remediation and purification applications. Engineering estimates for a practical system embodying these findings show amortized system costs in these applications to be lower than those of currently employed technologies, paving the way for development of marketable water treatment products based on this new Puralytics technology.
