- Email: [email protected]
Perchlorate removal from water sources
patents+technofogies ,-::“.x_ r,
A new, high temperatu membrane is being de scientists at the US Energy’s (DOE’s) L National Laboratory, to 8 capture carbon dioxide @Q$ f&m industrial processes, and CQI&! h& FO significantly reduce the amount &f greenhouse gases released inro the atmosphere. Commercially available polymeric membranes for gas separation are currenrly limited to a maximum operating temperature of 150 “C. gnndusttial processes that produce CO,, however, operate at temperaores as high as 375 “C. Therefore, technologies for separating CO, from other gases require the gas stream to be cooled to below 150 OC, which has the negative effect of reducing energy efficiency and increasing the cost of separation and capture. The newly developed hightemperature membrane is based ‘on the polymer polybenzimidazole (PBI), combined with a porous metallic support. According to the researchers, the resulting composite membrane outperforms other high-temperature membranes in terms of selectivity for the separation of hydrogen from CO,; has the highest demonstrated operating temperature of pofymerbased membranes, i.e. 370 *C; is chemically resistant; and is easily processed. The unique combination of a meraliic support with a polymer f&n to form a thin-film composite Iliembrane also allows the membrane
to be eff&ive at higher pressures than conve~~~~~l,~~~bralles. The &t+st promising application of this t~~~~~~~~ is the separation of hydrog+ from CO in synthesis gas; however, it might a t so be useful in the separation af CC) from methane. The’~@cr IS *l tmded through the DOE’s Q+&Kv~ Sequestration Programme; ljtthich aims to reduce the amount of C;O, emitted into the environment &am industrial processes.
A pat& has been recently awarded to an enviromnenra! engineer at Northwestern University, USA, for a hollow fibre membrane’biofilm reactor (MBR), that, through a natural biochemical process of electron transfer, turns perchlorate into innocuous chloride. Currently there is no effective clean-up solution for perchlorate, which was discovered in the water supplies across the US in the late 199Os, and existing methods are not always successful when dealing with other contaminants. Many emerging pollutants are difficult to treat with conventional methods. These methods do not destroy the contaminants but simply move them from place to place, from the water to a solid resin to a nasty brine that still contains the contaminants. The cost-effective and environmentally friendly system also works on nitrate, a contaminant from agricuitusaf fertilizers, and is expected to be successful with other
~~fore~~~~ Fiiter, Fsydi Coolant Rl@x&kw~ @-t&Ii, WCI 01 /F&%80.
D&
d ~b~~~~~:
Membrane Module, Bucker AG, S~artd. WO 01 J58574.Dafa of Pubtirstkx 16 Auga r;lpal . prM&rn fibtab,
oxidized pollutants, such as bromate, selenate, heavy metals, radion&i&, and a range of chlerinsrted sofventrsk. including trichlorc&+me -a problem in the semitionductor
nitrate, Results h biofilm *actor can 1.14 licreslmin of water, perchlorate and nitrace at time. The decontam&&on p takes advantage of B -mu microorganisms that livea as a bi on the crater surface af the membranes in the system. The microorganisms, found natu as catalysts for the transfer electrons from hydrogen ga oxidized contaminant. Each of the pilot-study reactor3 is a column approximately;’ 1.5 m tall and 46 cm in diameter, a&. houses a bundle of 7000 hollow fibre membranes. Each membrane is like a’ long, very thin straw, only 280 micrometres in diameter (the width af a thick sewing thread). Hydrogen gas is fed to the inside of the membrane fibres, and the hydrogen diffuses through the membrane walls into the contaminated water that flows past the fibres. At this meeting point, on the outside of the membrane, bactetia attach to the surface because they gain energy from the process of transferring electrons and can grow and thrive. The contaminants are reduced to harmless end products perchlorate to chloride and nitrate to nitrogen gas, while the hydrogen gas is oxidized to water.
;
,,il&::,.;_’ “:, ‘I : t*‘:’: ‘:_,I;i_ “.:, ,: I,
II .. ‘(:‘b,C 1 ’ , ^
Method of Producing Purifisd Wster, Mecheno ChemcialResearch institute Ltd, Japan. WO l/662%& Date of Publicetion:13 September 2001 Method end Device for Effiuent Trwtrwnt, VA Tech Wabag GmbH, Austria. WO 01/68536. Date of Pub&&on: 20 September 2001.
anti Apparm,*
Ckctech Enginewing w 01 /r&2993. Dete of Ptiblication: 30 Aqy,ts%2CQl.
Nlethod of Making a GenewiQ Gylim .$%awd Filter EhameM;,3M lnnovetjve Properties Co, USA. wo 01/7037-l. Date of Pub&x&ion: 27 Septemtw 2ClDl. Filter for Dieeel Engine Fuel, 6ogefi Filtretkn SPA, It&y: WO O’l/73286. Date of Publication: 04 October Zkl. II ~~~-~-_“l-_
Filtratim+Separetion
September
2002
19
A new, high temperatu membrane is being de scientists at the US Energy’s (DOE’s) L National Laboratory, to 8 capture carbon dioxide @Q$ f&m industrial processes, and CQI&! h& FO significantly reduce the amount &f greenhouse gases released inro the atmosphere. Commercially available polymeric membranes for gas separation are currenrly limited to a maximum operating temperature of 150 “C. gnndusttial processes that produce CO,, however, operate at temperaores as high as 375 “C. Therefore, technologies for separating CO, from other gases require the gas stream to be cooled to below 150 OC, which has the negative effect of reducing energy efficiency and increasing the cost of separation and capture. The newly developed hightemperature membrane is based ‘on the polymer polybenzimidazole (PBI), combined with a porous metallic support. According to the researchers, the resulting composite membrane outperforms other high-temperature membranes in terms of selectivity for the separation of hydrogen from CO,; has the highest demonstrated operating temperature of pofymerbased membranes, i.e. 370 *C; is chemically resistant; and is easily processed. The unique combination of a meraliic support with a polymer f&n to form a thin-film composite Iliembrane also allows the membrane
to be eff&ive at higher pressures than conve~~~~~l,~~~bralles. The &t+st promising application of this t~~~~~~~~ is the separation of hydrog+ from CO in synthesis gas; however, it might a t so be useful in the separation af CC) from methane. The’~@cr IS *l tmded through the DOE’s Q+&Kv~ Sequestration Programme; ljtthich aims to reduce the amount of C;O, emitted into the environment &am industrial processes.
A pat& has been recently awarded to an enviromnenra! engineer at Northwestern University, USA, for a hollow fibre membrane’biofilm reactor (MBR), that, through a natural biochemical process of electron transfer, turns perchlorate into innocuous chloride. Currently there is no effective clean-up solution for perchlorate, which was discovered in the water supplies across the US in the late 199Os, and existing methods are not always successful when dealing with other contaminants. Many emerging pollutants are difficult to treat with conventional methods. These methods do not destroy the contaminants but simply move them from place to place, from the water to a solid resin to a nasty brine that still contains the contaminants. The cost-effective and environmentally friendly system also works on nitrate, a contaminant from agricuitusaf fertilizers, and is expected to be successful with other
~~fore~~~~ Fiiter, Fsydi Coolant Rl@x&kw~ @-t&Ii, WCI 01 /F&%80.
D&
d ~b~~~~~:
Membrane Module, Bucker AG, S~artd. WO 01 J58574.Dafa of Pubtirstkx 16 Auga r;lpal . prM&rn fibtab,
oxidized pollutants, such as bromate, selenate, heavy metals, radion&i&, and a range of chlerinsrted sofventrsk. including trichlorc&+me -a problem in the semitionductor
nitrate, Results h biofilm *actor can 1.14 licreslmin of water, perchlorate and nitrace at time. The decontam&&on p takes advantage of B -mu microorganisms that livea as a bi on the crater surface af the membranes in the system. The microorganisms, found natu as catalysts for the transfer electrons from hydrogen ga oxidized contaminant. Each of the pilot-study reactor3 is a column approximately;’ 1.5 m tall and 46 cm in diameter, a&. houses a bundle of 7000 hollow fibre membranes. Each membrane is like a’ long, very thin straw, only 280 micrometres in diameter (the width af a thick sewing thread). Hydrogen gas is fed to the inside of the membrane fibres, and the hydrogen diffuses through the membrane walls into the contaminated water that flows past the fibres. At this meeting point, on the outside of the membrane, bactetia attach to the surface because they gain energy from the process of transferring electrons and can grow and thrive. The contaminants are reduced to harmless end products perchlorate to chloride and nitrate to nitrogen gas, while the hydrogen gas is oxidized to water.
;
,,il&::,.;_’ “:, ‘I : t*‘:’: ‘:_,I;i_ “.:, ,: I,
II .. ‘(:‘b,C 1 ’ , ^
Method of Producing Purifisd Wster, Mecheno ChemcialResearch institute Ltd, Japan. WO l/662%& Date of Publicetion:13 September 2001 Method end Device for Effiuent Trwtrwnt, VA Tech Wabag GmbH, Austria. WO 01/68536. Date of Pub&&on: 20 September 2001.
anti Apparm,*
Ckctech Enginewing w 01 /r&2993. Dete of Ptiblication: 30 Aqy,ts%2CQl.
Nlethod of Making a GenewiQ Gylim .$%awd Filter EhameM;,3M lnnovetjve Properties Co, USA. wo 01/7037-l. Date of Pub&x&ion: 27 Septemtw 2ClDl. Filter for Dieeel Engine Fuel, 6ogefi Filtretkn SPA, It&y: WO O’l/73286. Date of Publication: 04 October Zkl. II ~~~-~-_“l-_
Filtratim+Separetion
September
2002
19