Membrane Foulant Treatment Using Photo-Catalyzed Titanium Dioxide
The Spring 2005 ChE 415 Team Consists of:
Tucker "El guapo" Selko Reactor Materials Coordinator Micah "Coffee for Blood" Leis Reactor Constructor Samuel "Luciferous" Phillips Analytical Instrumentation Expert Braondon "Remember the Maine" Temple Titanium Dioxide Synthesizer
Project Purpose:
Filtration is a typically necessary stage in water treatment and filter membrane fouling is a dominating factor in treatment inefficiency. As filter membranes become smaller, on the nano scale, fouling minimization becomes critical for optimal operating conditions. This project serves to introduce a unique and possibly very effective solution to this dilemma: oxidation to break-down organics. The use of photo-catalyzed Titanium Dioxide to degrade typical organic membrane foulants is not well researched, and small-scale studies could provide useful information about its viability as a solution. In short, this project introduces some foundational analysis for a new approach to minimizing membrane fouling in order to assess its viability.
Objectives:
Any useful results and conclusions will not come automatically. First and foremost, a suitable reactor needs to be constructed. Specifically, this reactor should maximize the use of a UV light catalyzed oxidant, provide sufficient Oxygen to the system, and be able to provide analytical data, including pH, temperature, conductivity, amount Carbon Dioxide formed from complete degradation of organics. A schematic of the reactor we intend to build can be found below. The project experimentation also needs to be designed such that the reaction kinetics can be determined from available analytical instrumentation. For more information about the scope of this project, please refer to the project proposal. For updates on the progress of the experiment, please continue to the Weekly Updates.
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