This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will focus on the development of novel environment-friendly nanoporous materials that can effectively absorb and thus remove arsenic from ground water at a very low cost, while providing a means for the safe disposal of the spent arsenic-containing materials. This will be accomplished by (1) preparing the nanoporous geopolymer materials by employing a patented, sustainable, and energy- and materials-efficient production method; (2) characterizing and improving the arsenic absorption capacity of the materials; and (3) examining the arsenic leaching behavior of the spent materials after stabilizing the materials through heat treatment at various temperatures.
The broader/commercial impacts of this research are (1) providing to the rural areas in the US and to the arsenic-ridden areas in developing countries, such as Bangladesh and India, an environment-friendly, cost-effective and easy-to-operate arsenic removal technology solution, and (2) providing to the environmental remediation industry a new class of materials that may be utilized in removing other water contaminants, such as heavy metals. The success of this research is critical in meeting the stricter requirement for arsenic in drinking water recently set by the US EPA, and also in helping foreign countries eradicate arsenic poisoning, one of the most devastating environmental disasters in the world. The novel material will be offered to replace the existing sorbent media, will provide performance/cost benefits for residential and commercial systems, and will enable a new water treatment plant design with both cost and environmental advantages.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project focused on the development of a novel, environment-friendly adsorbent material with low life-cycle cost for the removal of Arsenic from the water stream. The proposed material solution is based on a novel nanoporous geopolymer composite designed specifically for this application and manufactured via a patented, sustainable, and energy- and materials-efficient production process. This project was successfully completed by 1) preparing the nanoporous geopolymer materials with good control over pore size, pore structure and surface functionalization; 2) demonstrating a superior figure of merit against current, high performance adsorbent materials; and 3) characterizing the leaching behavior of spent adsorbent to prove it can be disposed as solid waste. The broader impacts of this research are (1) providing to the environmental remediation industry a new class of materials and novel platform technology that may be expanded to removing other water contaminants. The novel material will be offered to replace the existing sorbent media and will provide performance/cost benefits for residential and commercial systems with additional environmental advantages; (2) enabling the development of new fresh water sources currently unusable due to high Arsenic content in the US and developing countries; and (3) transforming the nanoporous materials production technology with a broad spectrum of critical clean tech applications, including energy efficiency (insulation and catalyst), energy generation, and energy storage.
