Grantee Research Project Results
Dual Purpose Electrochemical Treatment of Wastewater
EPA Contract Number: 68D50100Title: Dual Purpose Electrochemical Treatment of Wastewater
Investigators: Tennakoon, Charles
Small Business: Lynntech Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 1995 through March 1, 1996
Project Amount: $65,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , SBIR - Waste , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Industrial wastewater containing toxic waste compound and metal ions pose many problems of disposal. The most generally used method of removing metal contaminants is lime treatment to precipitate metals as hydroxides. The metal is not normally recovered resulting in the need for sludge disposal. The cost of sludge disposal plus fewer available disposal sites makes that method increasing less attractive. Alternative methods of metal ion removal (e.g. ion exchange and reverse osmosis) have several drawbacks including high equipment costs. Oxidation of organic compounds in wastewater and simultaneous electrowinning of metals as described in this proposal are of great economic and environmental significance. This proposal describes research to demonstrate the feasibility of using a three dimensional packed bed electrode as the anode for the oxidation of organic compounds and another packed bed electrode as the cathode for metal ion deposition. The two packed beds are separated from each other by a porous separator and operated as the anode and cathode of a single electrochemical reactor. The proposed method utilizes electrocatalytic conducting particles as the anode bed material for oxidation of organics primarily to carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The metal deposited on the particles forming the cathode bed can be dissolved anodically to form a concentrated solution of metal ions which can then be used for further processing to recover metals.Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, engineering, chemistry., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Waste, Water, Environmental Chemistry, Wastewater, Hazardous Waste, Economics and Business, Chemistry and Materials Science, Hazardous, Environmental Engineering, hazardous waste disposal, hazardous waste treatment, wastewater treatment, electrowinning, hazardous liquid waste, industrial waste, industrial wastewater, wastewater remediation, metal ion removal, metal complexes, hazardous organic contaminants, metal recovery, oxidation of organic compounds, three dimensional packed bed electrode, contaminant management, water treatment, electrochemcial treatment, disposal, electrochemical treatmentProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.