Novel Fiber Scaffolding for Effective Removal of Diverse Hazardous Chemicals from Water

DESCRIPTIONprovided by applicantThe water treatment product developed in this SBIR program will give more people the opportunity to live healthier lives and strengthen communities by increasing available water resourcesThe contamination of drinking water is an age old problemIn recent decadesthe pollution of ground and drinking water by organic chemicals has attracted increasing attention all over the world as man made toxinspharmaceuticalsplasticizerspesticidesdisinfectant by productsetccontinue to enter the worldsdrinking water reservoirs via wastewateragricultural runoffstorm waterair pollutionand polluted soilExposure to these toxins through drinking water is leading to chroniccomplex diseasesthe burden of which falls primarily on socioeconomically disadvantaged communitiesRemoval of organic chemicals from drinking water is imperative to protect the health of the world s populationsTraditional adsorption technologies do not have the structural sophistication to allow for the simultaneous removal of multiple complex chemicalsOther purification technologiesi ereverse osmosis membranes and hydroxyl radicalshave failed to provide a simple and cost effective means to remove the wide spectrum of organic chemicals now found in drinking water suppliesWhat s missing from the $ B US residential treatment market is a simple and cost effective POU product for the wide spectrum of difficult to remove and highly toxic trace organic chemicalsThrough this SBIR projectChemica aims to bring a timely new tool to the field of water treatment purification that specifically targets difficult to remove contaminants in an easy to use and affordable mannerThis will be achieved through applying Chemica s proprietary surface modification techniques to a robust carbon fiber substrateChemica s novel fiber is easily scalable and can be tailored to meet usersspecific needsThe goal for this SBIR program is to produce a prototype modular cartridge containing a robust adsorbent withx faster adsorption rates over existing adsorbents and lower lifecycle costs compared to alternative water purification technologiesThis will be achieved through the following Specific AimsPHASE I Specific AimComparison of Functionalized Fiber Modules with Conventional Water Purifiers PHASE II Specific AimOptimization and Large Scale Production of Functionalized Fiber Adsorbent PHASE II Specific AimDesign and Manufacture of Prototype Module to House the Fiber Adsorbent PHASE II Specific AimPerformance Characterization of the Fiber Adsorbent and Module in the Real World Key wordsdrinking wateremerging contaminantstoxicityadsorbentcarbonpharmaceuticalsplasticizerspesticidesdisinfectant by productscoordination chemistryorganic chemistryVOCseparation