Our Research Electrochemically-mediated adsorptive processes for water-remediation

Efficient, affordable and robust purification technologies are needed for a range of separation contexts, from point-of-source treatment or remote in-situ purification devices to large-scale, centralized waste water treatment facilities. Chemical pollutants in ultra-dilute concentrations (micropollutants, e.g. organic endocrine disruptors, pesticides, household chemicals, dyes and heavy metal cations), classified by the EPA as contaminants of emerging concern pose a particularly vexing problem in wastewater treatment. Current technologies suffer from high energetic penalties and performance limitations when confronted with pollutants at these very low concentrations (nM to μM) in an excess of competing species. This research group has developed an electrochemically-assisted, chemically tunable, highly selective, and inexpensive platform technology that exploits nanostructured electrodes to selectively remove harmful contaminants at the nano-to micro-pollutant level, modulated solely by electrical potential and with no need for chemical regenerants. During the J-WAFS Solutions grant, they have worked on three-fold approach (i) designing and constructing a small-scale flow-cell for demonstration, (ii) improvement of the materials chemistry and robustness of the electrodes up to 500 cycles, and (iii) targeting practical wastewater conditions. The main goals in the second half of the project were to: (a) finalize the testing of the current flow-device and scale up the system towards a multi-electrode device, to get closer to commercialization; (b) decrease chemical costs of electrode manufacturing and improve robustness for >1,000 cycles and (c) through engagement with customers and outreach, find collaborators in industry and tailor our device and technical parameters to narrow our market application, including high-value added products and upstream purification. The J-WAFS Solutions funding boosted the research team’s commercialization level across all fronts, both technologically but also especially through providing connections with catalysts, partners and potential team members.

The main project objectives have remained the same as the initial J-WAFS Solutions proposal, with a focus on prototype development, materials chemistry improvement, and testing. Minor modifications on technical approach were a result of data acquired during the reporting period.