Regeneration and Reuse of Natural Porous Filter Material Following the Capture and Recovery of Phosphate Ions
Mentor 1
Marcia Silva
Mentor 2
Mohsen Manjili
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
5-4-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 3:30 PM
Description
Nutrient pollution in the way of phosphate contamination has become one of the largest and most widespread environmental concerns of the past few decades. A variety of human sources have led to contamination of waterways, lakes, and coastal regions, causing excessive amounts of phosphates to contribute to the eutrophication of the aquatic environments. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate support the rapid growth of large amounts of algae and aquatic plants which can suffocate animal life due to lack of useable oxygen. Toxins and bacterial growth due to eutrophication also affects human and animal health for individuals who come into direct or indirect contact with the contaminants, adding to the adverse effects caused by this complex and economically costly challenge. Of the filtration methods proposed, the utilization of natural porous materials is a promising option due to their crystalline porosity and large capacity for ion-exchange through adsorption. Though naturally occurring porous material is an abundant and low-cost option, there have been challenges in regenerating the material after contaminant saturation. To provide an effective, low-cost solution to the challenge of environmental phosphate contamination, the natural porous material must be able to be regenerated several times to become viable for any largescale filtration or remediation effort. Through research trials of methods for freeing and recovering phosphate ions from the material’s activation sites, it is expected that the material may be able to be regenerated and reused as many as 10-times. By creating a method for regeneration of the porous material for reuse in filtration, as well as recovering the captured phosphate ions, we hope to create a circular economy which removes and prevents contaminants from entering the environment, finds uses for the recovered phosphate, and creates a low-cost solution to a large source of environmental nutrient pollution.
Regeneration and Reuse of Natural Porous Filter Material Following the Capture and Recovery of Phosphate Ions
Union Wisconsin Room
Nutrient pollution in the way of phosphate contamination has become one of the largest and most widespread environmental concerns of the past few decades. A variety of human sources have led to contamination of waterways, lakes, and coastal regions, causing excessive amounts of phosphates to contribute to the eutrophication of the aquatic environments. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate support the rapid growth of large amounts of algae and aquatic plants which can suffocate animal life due to lack of useable oxygen. Toxins and bacterial growth due to eutrophication also affects human and animal health for individuals who come into direct or indirect contact with the contaminants, adding to the adverse effects caused by this complex and economically costly challenge. Of the filtration methods proposed, the utilization of natural porous materials is a promising option due to their crystalline porosity and large capacity for ion-exchange through adsorption. Though naturally occurring porous material is an abundant and low-cost option, there have been challenges in regenerating the material after contaminant saturation. To provide an effective, low-cost solution to the challenge of environmental phosphate contamination, the natural porous material must be able to be regenerated several times to become viable for any largescale filtration or remediation effort. Through research trials of methods for freeing and recovering phosphate ions from the material’s activation sites, it is expected that the material may be able to be regenerated and reused as many as 10-times. By creating a method for regeneration of the porous material for reuse in filtration, as well as recovering the captured phosphate ions, we hope to create a circular economy which removes and prevents contaminants from entering the environment, finds uses for the recovered phosphate, and creates a low-cost solution to a large source of environmental nutrient pollution.
