1.1 Background and Purpose
A growing number of pollutants of human health and environmental concern are entering Canadian and global water and wastewater systems. Membrane separation is currently the most effective technology for purifying water, but conventional membranes are insufficient for the efficient separation of emerging pollutants. Furthermore, membranes lack the ability to destroy recalcitrant pollutants.
The proposed research addresses these environmental challenges by leading advancements in a new frontier in membrane science - active membranes. Previous research has lead to the development of electrically conductive/active polymer nanocomposite membranes able to perform aqueous solute separations with high efficiency. The proposed research aims to advance the field by developing a novel suite of active membranes for both separation and catalytic reduction of emerging pollutants. These novel active membranes will be able to both separate and treat solutes in situ. Not only will the study and development of such membranes push the boundaries of membrane science and expand the applications of membranes as the foremost separations technology, but their use in water and wastewater treatment will improve the quality of Canadian waters and wastewater at greater efficiency and lower cost, thereby improving the health of Canadians, providing economic savings, protecting our environment, and adding innovation to the Canadian water industry.
1.2 Scope/Objective
The requested instrument is part of the SURFACE ANALYSIS SUITE awarded by a CFI-JELF award and is critical for understanding the most important properties of the studied nanoparticles, membranes, and nanocomposites. This requested instrument – a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) device with physi- and chemi-sorption capabilities – is used to analyze the total bulk pore volume and pore sizes of the produced membranes. This instrument is combined with physical and chemical adsorption analyses to determine the total surface area of materials and their physical and chemical affinity for various gases through adsorption. Total pore volume is critical to calculating a membrane’s internal resistance to water and solute flux, while pore size is crucial to understanding the ability of the membranes to separate specific molecule size fractions, as well as to understand the potential for fouling. Total surface area, and physical and chemical adsorption, are fundamental measurements for understanding catalyst, sorbent, and nanoparticle surface characteristics and reactivity.
