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NEW MEMBRANES FOR CARCINOGEN REMOVAL IN WATER TREATMENT

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: CA71477-01A1
Agency Tracking Number: 39179
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1997
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
814 1ST STATE BLVD
Wilmington, DE 19801
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 NEMSER, STUART M
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: (302) 984-1762
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Disinfection is a critical process step in potable water treatment. Chlorine is currently the most widely used, and least costly disinfectant. An unfortunate by-product of chlorine disinfection is the formation of carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) when chlorine reacts with organics dissolved in water. A further disadvantage of chlorine is its inability to remove viruses. Ozone is a more powerful disinfectant that can destroy viruses, and whose use is well proven in water treatment. Its high cost, however, has severely limited its widespread use. This proposal will demonstrate that unique perfluoro -membranes have properties that enhance water ozonation. These membranes are nonporous and resist clogging, are chemically inert to ozone, and have 30 times the flux rate of other nonporous membranes. The postulated mechanism of ozone transfer from the membrane into water is such that it may bypass or minimize the normally rate limiting gas- liquid transfer step. If successful, development of much improved ozone injection devices would eliminate much of the cost disadvantage of ozone treatment and allow wider use of this intrinsically advantageous disinfectant, with an associated reduction in the incidence of cancer due to THMs. This technology would be equally useful for the final stage of wastewater treatment.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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