Research Terms
Director |
Ni-bin Chang |
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Phone | 407-823-1375 | |
Website | https://stormwater.ucf.edu/ | |
Mission |
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This technology is available for sale and distribution by a UCF licensee. For more information, please contact Andrea Adkins.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a filtration system that effectively removes nitrogen and phosphorus from water and transforms the compounds into reusable byproducts: ammonia and aluminum phosphate. The UCF aluminum-based green environmental media, AGEM(TM), compositions can co-treat stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent, and agricultural discharge.
When agricultural nutrients (like nitrogen and phosphorous) flow into bodies of water, an overgrowth of plant life results, depleting the water of oxygen that aquatic animals need to breathe. Stormwater runoff and wastewater effluent also contribute to eutrophication. Along with this environmental issue, phosphorus reserves used for agricultural food production are declining. Moreover, the costs to replace and dispose of fertilizers (media) can account for about 80 percent of the cost of water treatment. UCF’s AGEM(TM) offers a sustainable solution to these issues. AGEM(TM) mixes are green, cost-effective, environmentally benign, and forward-looking. The media mixes are beneficial for both treating water at the regional and urban scale as well as emergency response during hazardous events such as harmful algal blooms in essential lakes. In one example application, the technology can support a new industrial sector such as urban farming in a food-water nexus.
Technical Details
The UCF AGEM(TM) invention comprises a filtration system and methods for using the system to treat water containing nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. Examples of water include stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent and agricultural discharge. The AGEM(TM) technology uses a synergistic mixture of iron filings, clay particles, and aluminum particles to provide improved filtration and reuse byproducts of the filtration process. The invention includes two new aluminum-based sorption media: AGEM-1 (which uses aluminum flakes) and AGEM-2 (which uses aluminum powder). Tire crumb and sand can be included, depending on the composition. For both compositions, the removal process encompasses absorption, adsorption, reduction-oxidation, ion exchange and precipitation.
During the filtration process, the clay particles in the synergistic composition attract the nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which are then absorbed onto the surface of the iron filings and the clay particles. The aluminum particles react with the nitrogen compounds via oxidation to form ammonia compounds; the particles react with the phosphorus compounds to produce aluminum phosphate. Thus, the synergistic relationship between the iron filings, clay particles and aluminum particles remove nitrogen and phosphorus compounds from water and recover the compounds in usable forms, namely, ammonia and aluminum phosphate. In an isotherm study, AGEM-2 removed more than 80 percent nitrate and 90 percent phosphate. Moreover, both media mixes exhibited elevated phosphate absorption within the sorption process, with AGEM-2 removing 98 percent of the total phosphate for recovery.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.
Synergistic effects of aluminum/iron oxides and clay minerals on nutrient removal and recovery in water filtration media, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 275, 2020, 122728, ISSN 0959-6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122728
Adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics of Advanced Green Environmental Media (AGEM) for nutrient removal and recovery in agricultural discharge and stormwater runoff, Environmental Pollution, Volume 266, Part 1, 2020, 115172, ISSN 0269-7491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115172
The University of Central Florida invention is a low-maintenance and low-cost filtration media (ZIPGEM: Zero-valent-iron and Perlite Based Green Sorption Media). Population growth and climate change have impacted our resources, requiring a continual increase in clean drinking water. This necessitates the development of new, cost-effective treatment technologies to remove distinct types of contaminants. The invention can be implemented near a water location source as a pre-treatment to remove tannic or humic acid (color) from dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) or in industrial wastewater treatment operations.
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is seeking partners for licensing and/or research collaboration.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.
Color removal for large-scale interbasin water transfer: Experimental comparison of five sorption media, Environmental Research, Volume 212, Part A, 2022, 113208, ISSN 0013-9351, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.113208.
This technology is available for sale and distribution by a UCF licensee. For more information, please contact Andrea Adkins.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed an efficient and easier means of removing phosphorous, nitrates, and bacteria from domestic wastewater and stormwater runoff. The sorption and filtration media makes use of chemical, mechanical and biological means to remove or reduce the levels of various nutrients and bacteria. Levels of nitrates, ammonia, and other pollutants in drinking water are strictly enforced by the EPA and must be kept to a minimum. Current methods to remove these nutrients often require expensive treatment or removal systems, land availability and regular maintenance. These current methods are costly to implement and in some cases have provided limited improvement on the water quality.
Technical Details
Using UCF's proprietary media compositions, methods and systems, contaminated wastewater and stormwater can be treated for beneficial uses. The sorption and filtration media makes use of chemical, mechanical and biological means to remove or reduce the levels of various nutrients and bacteria. Several different mixtures of sorption media were found to reduce high levels (5ppm or higher) of nitrate, nitrite, and phosphates by over 90% after a suitable retention time. By proper utilization of vegetation in retention ponds the quality of water can be improved upon further by remediation and filtration.
The creation of green roofs is another embodiment of this technology, where a roof is designed with sorption media as well as vegetation to reduce runoff and increase water remediation. The water would then be collected from the roof into a cistern and reused for irrigating the roof plants or ground level landscapes. This green roof technology has proven to not only reduce nutrient and contaminant concentration but also neutralize the pH of polluted water. These media and processes require limited electrical energy, minimal maintenance, are both efficient and inexpensive and have a long life expectancy.
The University of Central Florida invention, BIPGEM, efficiently removes microcystin LR (MC-LR) from water. MC-LR is a naturally occurring toxin produced by Microcystis a genus of cyanobacteria. Recent recurring harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by nutrients in eutrophic water bodies have increased concerns about the presence of cyanobacterial toxins, especially MC-LR, and their effects on human health.
In response, UCF researchers developed BIPGEM (Biochar-Zero-Valent-Iron and Perlite Based Green Environmental) sorption media. BIPGEM provides real-world engineers with a cost-effective and sustainable solution to treat eutrophied water when the nutrient concentrations are high during HABs.
Besides its use as a pretreatment to reduce operating and manufacturing costs in water treatment, BIPGEM can also be used for stormwater treatment or environmental remediation. BIPGEM can be deployed to any type of landscape environment without sophisticated control schemes.
Partnering Opportunity: The research team is seeking partners for licensing, research collaboration, or both.
Stage of Development: Prototype available.
The University of Central Florida invention focuses on the simultaneous removal of both long-chain and short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environments. The frequent detection of PFAS, classified as one of the contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in sources of drinking water has raised a serious public health concern.
Nearly 200 million people across all 50 U.S. states are reported to be exposed to long-chain PFAS via drinking water with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) concentration at or above 1 ng/L-1. However, short-chain PFAS (such as perfluorobutanoic acid, PFBA, and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, PFBS), have even higher mobility and persistency than long-chain PFAS. As a solution, the UCF invention uses a hybrid engineering process in which green sorption media (GSM) pretreatment is integrated with a nanofiltration (NF) membrane.
Technical Details: In one example application of the UCF invention, two long-chain (PFOA and PFOS) and two short-chain (PFBA and PFBS) PFAS were selected. Two GSMs served as the pretreatment: Clay-Perlite and Sand sorption media (CPS) and Zero-valent Iron and Perlite based Green Environmental Media (ZIPGEM). The GSM pretreatment led to significant removal of long-chain PFAS (up to 100 percent) in addition to natural organic matter (NOM) and Ca2+ from the source water (canal water); however, the removal rate of the short-chain PFAS (PFBA and PFBS) was up to approximately 25 percent only. It signifies that the membrane plays a complementary role in enhancing the overall removal efficiency of PFAS. In addition to contributing to PFA removal from the source water, GSM pretreatment can help reduce NF membrane fouling/scaling by removing NOM and cations.
Partnering Opportunity: The research team is seeking partners for licensing, research collaboration, or both.
Stage of Development: Prototype available.
The effect of green sorption media pretreatment on nanofiltration during water treatment for long- and short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removal, Separation and Purification Technology, Volume 324, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124548.