Electrochemical Reduction of Perchlorates in Potable Water

There is a need for low-cost, environmentally friendly processes for perchlorate remediation of drinking water supplies. Widespread perchlorate contamination of groundwaters only recently has been discovered. Health risks due to perchlorate ingestion include the disruption of thyroid gland function, which can lead to tumor formation and child development problems. This research project will result in the development of a high-performance electrochemical reduction cell for destroying perchlorate to < 5 ppb in drinking water. The innovation is the use of highly conductive, high surface area ceramics as flow-through electrodes in compact reactors. The slow diffusion of perchlorate to the active electrode surface is considered to be a drawback to using electrochemical reduction. High surface area electrode materials and innovative reactor designs will address this issue by maximizing the surface area of active perchlorate reduction sites in the reactor. T/J Technologies, Inc.¿s electrode materials also will minimize competing electrode processes that decrease the energy efficiency for the process. Flow-through electrodes composed of particles with relatively large grain sizes and high surface areas are expected to exhibit the performance of high surface area materials in flow-through reactors without significantly reducing solution throughput. The compact size of the flow-through reactors, innocuous by-products, low maintenance requirement, and low capital costs make this technology attractive to small point-of-origin remediation systems, but large municipal water treatment systems also may benefit.