New Approaches for Sustainable Water and Energy Processes, and Teaching Sustainability
Grant
Overview
abstract
1-Sustainable Water: Catalytic Oxidation, Reactive Filtration of Wastewater. We will continue testing the catalytic oxidation process at the bench and pilot scale. Two of our patents forward reactive filtration into the arena of catalytic oxidation using HFO as a sacrificial, heterogeneous-homogeneous f-orbital catalyst with ozone, for advanced oxidation water treatment. In full deployment, the technology is designed to fully sterilize degraded water, neutralize odor and color, remove suspended solids and nutrients, and mineralize emerging contaminants of concern. The aim of this technology is well beyond the current wastewater treatment paradigm of nutrient removal and disinfection (not sterilization). The research is necessitated by increasing demands on water and its reuse, as well as the emergence of TrOCs of concern in wastewater discharge,
such as pharmaceutical and metabolite residues, and hormonally active substances, in addition to antibiotic resistant microorganisms. 2-Sustainable Energy Processes: Acoustic Cell Disruption, Lipid Extraction and Trans-esterification of Algae Biofuel. For assessment of serial-flow, acoustic algal cell disruption, lipid extraction and trans-esterification efficacy, we will use novel multi-focal, parabolic collimators mounted in individual tubes or in serial multi-tube process apparatus. The multi-focal parabolic collimators operate with a range of transducers at multiple power levels, individually modified for target process frequencies. The collimators have demonstrated the ability to apply a focused beam of megasonic energy (980 kHz) in a tube reactor configuration eliminating energetic loss on reactor boundaries. 3-Teaching Sustainability: Principles of Sustainability. Principles of
Sustainability is an online course that uses multiple modes of technology to assist in student learning. Doculectures in each of the learning areas form the basis of this experimental pedagogy. A doculecture is a university level lecture, formalized in content, and supported with active media such as subject themed video, photographs, animations, and text, coupling information intensity with the audiovisual warmth and intensity of a documentary film. The visuals are chosen to help the student experience the subject dimensionally beyond a typical Power Point based lecture. Music and sound are added to assist in this dimensionality. The lectures and background sounds are often filmed in stereo to better the learning experience with the virtually enhanced audio dimension of the production. The doculectures are available in streaming SD and HD (720p) embedded on the Principles of
Sustainability course site, and will be available in full 1080p and cell phone format for download.
