PURIFYING POST-TREATED WATER USING SOLAR/U.V. IRRADIATED PHOTOCATALYTIC MODULE

THE USE OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL SOLAR IRRADIATED SEMICONDUCTOR POWDERS TO PHOTOCATALYTICALLY OXIDIZE ORGANIC TOXICANTS PERSISTENT IN THE SPACE STATION'S POST-TREATED WATER, TO THELEVELS SPECIFIED BY NASA MEDICAL SCIENCES DIVISION, IS PROPOSED. THE TOTAL MINERALIZATION OF SEVERAL CLASSES OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS BY THE UV IRRADIATION OF UNDOPED, NAKED AND PLATINIZED TIO2 (ANATASE) POWDERS HAS BEEN ABUNDANTLY DEMONSTRATED IN THE LITERATURE AND BY US. IN THIS PROPOSAL THE USE OF A NOVEL POWDER-IMMOBILIZING STRUCTURE (MODULE) PERMITS CONTINUOUS WATER TREATMENT THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHTHE CONVENTIONALLY EMPLOYED BATCH REACTORS; THE MODULE ALSO AVOIDS THE PROBLEMS OF MAINTAINING SUSPENSION OF THE POWDER AND SUBSEQUENT POWDER SEPARATION. THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SELF-SUFFICIENT WATER PURIFICATION AND OTHER ADVANTAGES OF THE MODULE ARE DISCUSSED. DATA FROM THIS PHASE I STUDY WILLALSO INDICATE THE FEASIBILITY OF TOTALLY SUPPLANTING CHARCOAL PURIFICATION WITH SOLAR IRRADIATED MODULES. PHASE II R&D WILL ADDRESS QUARTZ MODULE SCALE-UP; ALTERNATIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES; LONGEVITY TESTING, EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENTS AT HIGH PHOTON FLUX ( 10 SUNS), AND PURIFICATION OF ACTUAL POST-TREATED AND RAW DISTILLATE WATER.