The NSCORT Air and Water Research Group consists
of five projects with five faculty principal investigators. The research
investigators have successfully completed a number of project objectives
in the nine months of Center operation. Highlights of our research accomplishments
are:
Water Disinfection with UV irradiation and Iodine
A computational model has been developed which couples simulated fluid
flow field information and UV radiation field data, and will be used to
determine UV radiation dose. In addition, mathematical models have been
developed to predict iodine speciation. Over the next year, experiments
will be conducted to determine the optimal disinfection process design.
Membrane System for ALS Wastewater Recycle
A cross-flow bench-scale nanofiltration and low-pressure reverse
osmosis membrane system has been constructed and initially evaluated.
In the next few months, evaluation of optimal membranes for BREATHe effluent
and system modeling will be conducted.
Liquid Freeze-Thaw Urine and RO Brine Processing
A first-generation prototype reactor was been constructed and
evaluated. This prototype was found to be relatively inefficient. Therefore,
in collaboration with Nanomaterials Company, a second generation prototype
is currently in design phase.
Development of BREATHe for Water Recycling
Waste and flow characteristics were identified for the two BREATHe
reactors. Two prototype reactors were designed and the first was evaluated
experimentally for surfactant removal. To assist with reactor predictive
modeling, microbial degradation kinetics were evaluated via batch studies
for two commercially available surfactants. The next phase of the experimentation
will involve reactor performance assessment with a representative gas
and liquid influent.
Gas Phase Revitalization Using BREATHe
The optimal design and operating parameters of the BREATHe system
have been investigated through process modeling. The gas phase contamination
process has been chosen and will be conducted using permeation tubes.
The reactor set-up has been designed, with up to 40 reactors evaluated
simultaneously using real-time assessment of contaminant removal through
a new FTIR gas spectrometer.
Student involvement with our research projects has been extensive and
has resulted in the training of nine graduate and four undergraduate students
to date. Integration of the projects is continuous. The principal investigators
and graduate students interact often in this early stage of the projects
by providing characteristics of influent and effluent waste streams for
each treatment process. This type of interaction is essential since the
projects are significantly interrelated. Also, significant research collaborations
between NASA field center scientists and NSCORT water/air PIs have been
established and are expected to continue. In conclusion, our group has
successfully completed the start-up phase of the research projects and
has made significant progress toward NSCORT research objectives.
Water/Air Group Leader
M. Katherine Banks
Professor of Civil Engineering
Purdue University
Phone: 765.496.3424
e-Mail: kbanks@ecn.purdue.edu
|
