Adsorbent Process for Restoration of Agricultural Wastewater

The overall goal of this Phase II program is the develop an efficient adsorbent technology for removal of nitrates and other agricultural-based contaminants in ground water, urban water supplies, and other water sources. Agricultural chemicals are a major source of pollution of surface water and aquifers rendering water supplies in many agricultural areas unsuitable for human consumption. The presence of nitrates and other contaminants in drinking water is a major health concern throughout the world, and agriculture is one of the largest contributors to this problem. In the Phase I program we developed a new class of materials that demonstrated rapid sorption kinetics, high capacity, and favorable selectivity for nitrates. A preliminary economic analysis indicated that the proposed process can significantly reduce the cost of water treatment, and will be applicable to numerous other separation technologies. All Phase I goals were met. The focus of this Phase II program is to 1) continue development and optimization of the new separation media; 2) design, fabrication and laboratory testing of prototype systems; 3) field-test of prototype system; and 4) an economic and engineering analysis of the process. The goal of the Phase II program is to bring the technology to the point where it can be commercialized. Based on the Phase I results, we have already attracted interest from sector firms that are interested in pursuing its final scale-up and commercialization.