A New Electrochemical Process for Water Treatment Recycling

Water is one of the basic commodities which will be needed in ever increasing quantities as industrialization and urbanization of the world progresses presenting many new challenges for the water processing industry. As new industrial products have been developed and manufactured with increasing complexity and sophistication so has the need for increasing the purity of the processing water that is required to make them. Enhanced global awareness has drawn attention to the danders of water contamination and there is a growing demand for water remediation measures for the removal of hazardous and toxic substanced from effluents. These wastes are receiving more attention as time passes because of their potential for environmental impact. Population increases combined with limited amounts recycling efficiency. This need is particularly acute in several agriculture-intensive regions of the US that are highly dependent upon irrigation and in direct competition with metropolitan requirements. This proposal concerns a new electrochemically-driven membrane separation process that offers many cost and process advantages over existing membrane water treatment technologies. The distinct operating characteristics of the new process will enalbe it to be used in applications where it is impractical to use existing membrane processes. Commercial applications for this process include the preparation of high purity water for use in the manufacture of electronic components, and for the treatment of hazardous waste water. The technology has dual use applications such as: effluent treatment for military installations; waste water recycling; ground water remediation in connection with base closure programs; field potable water production for the individual soldier, and, high purity water preparation for field hospitals The proposal describes research and development to evaluate the technical feasibility of the electrochemical separation process based on the construction and evaluation of a laboratory scale breadboard system. Anticipated Benefits: The membrane separation process described in this proposal will have applications to many aspects of water treatment including the preparation of high purity water, the treatm