Prof. Westerhoff presents for the Third Coast Water Seminar series on Chemical Free Water Treatment: Disinfection, softening and oxidation using light-enabled optical fibers. The presentation would not have been possible without Contributors: Zhe Zhao, Chao Zheng, Mariana Lopes, Shahnawaz Sinha.
Many traditional water treatment processes require chemical addition, making them suitable and economically viable to be used at centralized water treatment facilities. However, as water systems become increasingly decentralized and fit-for-purpose water quality needs grow there are growing needs for smaller footprint water technologies that use zero chemicals and produce almost now waste residuals or aqueous chemical by-products. Electrified water treatment processes are readily integrated into decentralized systems, and when used to drive chemical reactions can achieve unique functionality and tunability in module treatment technologies. This presentation introduces a light-emitting-diode (LED) optical fiber technology platform that is readily integrated into decentralized, fit-for-purpose water applications for potable water, health-care applications, beverage industries, cooling-tower industries. The focus will be on the the platform, and its development for mitigating biofilm growth on surfaces for NASA and membrane applications and then expand into applications involving catalysis, softening and even atmospheric water harvesting. Principles of light physics, nanotechnology and polymer chemistry will be discussed in the development, patenting, and start-up commercialization of this technology.
You can access the recording here.