47
Nanopore-Silica Reactive Adsorbent--Industrial
Science and Technology Network, Inc., 2101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 21, York,
PA 17404-1754; 717-843-0300
Dr. Arthur Yang,
Principal Investigator
Dr. Arthur J. M. Yang,
Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER83020
Amount: $99,997
The cost of treating
heavy metal ions in a waste stream is increasing due to a stricter control on
the discharge limits. A high-efficiency
and high-capacity adsorbent is needed for the cost-effective treatment of heavy
metal ions. For precious metals, a
reactive treatment to recover the metal out of the waste is most economical and
preferred. A reactive adsorbent will be
made by embedding reactant particles in the silica structure of a
high-efficiency nanopore adsorbent such as CSMG (Chemically Surface Modified
Gel). Such a reactive adsorbent can
raise the speed and capacity of the waste treatment several times higher than
those achieved separately by the two individual components. The reactive adsorption allows the recovery
of valuable raw material during the waste treatment. New reactive adsorbents will be synthesized to separate and
recover heavy metals out of a waste stream.
An integrated treatment system that can restore the waste solution (for
example, a photographic fixer solution) to its original form for reuse will be
designed and evaluated.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits
as described by the awardee: A reactive
adsorbent can reduce the cost of waste treatment several times lower. It can be used to recover a valuable raw
material during a waste treatment operation.
Additionally, an integrated reactive adsorption system may be used to
regenerate a waste solution for repetitive uses therefore minimizing the amount
of waste discharge to the environment.
A high-efficiency reactive adsorbent can be used to treat water
resources such as the polluted rivers and lakes.