WO2016128793A1 - Procédé et appareil de purification d'eau - Google Patents

Procédé et appareil de purification d'eau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016128793A1
WO2016128793A1 PCT/IB2015/051026 IB2015051026W WO2016128793A1 WO 2016128793 A1 WO2016128793 A1 WO 2016128793A1 IB 2015051026 W IB2015051026 W IB 2015051026W WO 2016128793 A1 WO2016128793 A1 WO 2016128793A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
water
catalyst
copolymer
solar still
support
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2015/051026
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ed Chen
Tara CRONIN
Original Assignee
Ed Chen
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ed Chen filed Critical Ed Chen
Priority to PCT/IB2015/051026 priority Critical patent/WO2016128793A1/fr
Publication of WO2016128793A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016128793A1/fr

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/44—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis
    • C02F1/447—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis by membrane distillation
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/02—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by heating
    • C02F1/04—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by heating by distillation or evaporation
    • C02F1/14—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by heating by distillation or evaporation using solar energy
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/30—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by irradiation
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/72—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by oxidation
    • C02F1/725—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by oxidation by catalytic oxidation
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/44—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis
    • C02F1/441—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis by reverse osmosis
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/46—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by electrochemical methods
    • C02F1/461—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by electrochemical methods by electrolysis
    • C02F1/46104—Devices therefor; Their operating or servicing
    • C02F1/46109—Electrodes
    • C02F2001/46152—Electrodes characterised by the shape or form
    • C02F2001/46157—Perforated or foraminous electrodes
    • C02F2001/46161—Porous electrodes
    • C02F2001/46166—Gas diffusion electrodes
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
    • C02F2101/10—Inorganic compounds
    • C02F2101/20—Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
    • C02F2103/08—Seawater, e.g. for desalination
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2303/00—Specific treatment goals
    • C02F2303/04—Disinfection
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2305/00—Use of specific compounds during water treatment
    • C02F2305/10—Photocatalysts
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A20/00—Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
    • Y02A20/20—Controlling water pollution; Waste water treatment
    • Y02A20/208—Off-grid powered water treatment
    • Y02A20/212—Solar-powered wastewater sewage treatment, e.g. spray evaporation
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A50/00—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather
    • Y02A50/20—Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W10/00—Technologies for wastewater treatment
    • Y02W10/30—Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies
    • Y02W10/37—Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies using solar energy

Definitions

  • Water purification is a developing field that currently involves many elaborate filtration systems to remove contaminates to make water safe for drinking.
  • the most basic process for water purification is boiling contaminated water. This method is primarily used to create water that is safe to drink because it kills bacteria and other harmful organisms found in the water.
  • This method does not purify the water. It only kills biological contaminates.
  • One method of producing water free of heavier contaminates is to capture the steam - water vapor - created by boiling water and condense it back into liquid form. This involves heating the contaminated water using some external heat source. Thus, this process consumes high amounts of heat as energy which is most often derived from fire or electric current used to produce heat.
  • MFD multistage flash desalinators
  • RO reverse osmosis
  • More advanced technologies include pervaporative membrane distillation, which lowers the vapor pressure of the system to lower the boiling points of the brine water.
  • the salinity of the open sea may be regarded as 3.5% and these technologies have difficulties with salinities much higher than that. These technologies also suffer from the environmental hazards and costs of discharging post-processed salt water back into the sea, at significantly higher concentrations of salt of 6.5% with varying effects of the ecology of that environment. Furthermore, in order to run these desalination plants, fossil fuels have to be consumed to provide the heating energy. These technologies can also be relatively expensive for some applications.
  • a photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer comprises a first monomer and an electroconductive monomer that is indissolubly and covalently bonded, ionically bonded, or both covalently and ionically bonded to the first monomer.
  • the first monomer in various embodiments, may be selected from a protein enzyme or a metabolic factor or an organometallic component.
  • the technique presents a process for the manufacture of a photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer.
  • One particular embodiment of the process comprises mixing a first monomer selected from a protein enzyme a metabolic factor, or an organometallic component with an electroconductive monomer. The mixture is then prepared in a solution comprising alcohol and water which is then dried to yield a crystal ized photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer.
  • a method comprises: contacting a gaseous feedstock, an aqueous electrolyte, and a catalyst in a reaction area, the catalyst comprising a first component selected from protein enzymes, metabolic factors, organometallic compounds and combinations thereof; and a second component bonded to the first component, wherein the second component is selected from fluorinated sulfonic acid based polymers, polyaniline and combinations thereof; and activating the gaseous feedstock in an aqueous electrochemical reaction in the reaction area to yield a product.
  • a reaction area comprises: at least one reaction zone into which, during operation, an aqueous solution is introduced.
  • One embodiment may also comprise a pair of reaction electrodes disposed within the reaction area, at least one of the reaction electrodes including a catalyst and at least one of the reaction electrodes including a photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer.
  • the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer comprises a protein enzyme or a metabolic factor or an organometallic component.
  • Figure 2 illustrates one embodiment of the apparatus using electric current to activate the copolymer catalyst.
  • Figure 3 depicts an alternative embodiment of the apparatus in which electromagnetic waves are used to activate the catalyst.
  • Figure 4a and Figure 4b depict possible embodiments of the apparatus where the catalyst is put into contact with the catalyst support material.
  • Figure 5a and Figure 5b depict possible embodiments where the catalyst is put into contact with the catalyst support material.
  • Figure b illustrates an embodiment where the catalyst support is a micron to nanometer scale and is in contact with the catalyst.
  • Figure 6 illustrates the various effects of a desalination membrane as used in some aspects of the presently disclosed technique.
  • Figure 7A- Figure 7B depict a potential green house as may be realized in some aspects of the present invention.
  • Figure 8 depicts one particular embodiment in which the presently disclosed technique can also be used for temperature control in a bui lding.
  • Figure 9 is a partially exploded view of a rev erse osmosis pipe such as may be used in the embodiment of Figure 8.
  • the presently disclosed technique provides a a technique by which contaminated or otherwise impure water may be purified in the sense that the resultant water is significantly freer of the contaminants and impurities that the body of water from which it is derived.
  • the technique general ly involves reacting an electromagnetically activated catalyst with a body of contaminated water to yield the elemental components of the water in a gaseous or vapor state. The elemental components are then captured and allowed to react again back into water.
  • the technique includes not only the method generally described above, but also an apparatus therefor.
  • the technique employs an apparatus such as the one illustrated in Figure 1 .
  • the apparatus generally comprises an electromagnetic energy source 100 of, for example, electromagnetic radiation or electric current.
  • the electromagnetic energy is contacted with the copolymer catalyst 101.
  • the copolymer catalyst 101 is in contact with the catalyst support material 1 02.
  • the copolymer catalyst 101 reacts with a body of contaminated or impure water 1 03 with which it is in contact.
  • the reaction creates a product comprising elemental components 1 04 of the impure water 103.
  • Part or all of these components 1 04 are captured by a capture dev ice 105, whereupon they again react to form water, or water vapor.
  • the purified water 1 06 may then be collected. In the il lustrated embodiment, the purified water 1 06 is collected into a vessel 107.
  • the copolymer catalyst 101 is photocata lytic, electrocatalytic, or both, and may comprise any of the substances set forth abov e. Those in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that whether the choice of whether the copolymer catalyst 101 is photocatalvtic or electrocatalytic will depend to some degree on the nature of the electromagnetic energy available from the electromagnetic energy source 100. In one embodiment discussed more fully below, the electromagnetic energy is a form of light, and so the copolymer catalyst 101 is photocatalvtic. In a second embodiment, also discussed more fully below, the electromagnetic energy is electricity, and so the copolymer catalyst 101 is electrocatalytic.
  • the copolymer catalyst may include phthalocyanines, and other porphyrins.
  • the copolymer catalyst may be formed in a variety of manners.
  • the copolymer solution may impregnate a conductive or non-conductive catalyst support, or maybe immobilized onto a fine dispersion such as graphite, nanotubes, alumina, buckyballs, or other micron to nanometer scale catalyst support.
  • N A FT ON beads may be powdered and then bonded with chlorophyllin or another catalytic agent described in the aforementioned patents above. Any colloidal substance that floats on water and also immobilizes the photocatalvtic and electrocatalytic copolymer catalyst may be used.
  • the copolymer catalyst includes from 20 wt.% to
  • 80 wt.% first component and from 20 wt.% to 80 wt.% second component.
  • first component and from 20 wt.% to 80 wt.% second component.
  • second component For example one may use 5 grams of Chlorophyllin mixed with 20 grams of NATION, 10 grams of ferritin with 20 grams of Nafion or 20 grams of B12 mixed with 5 grams of NATION. These components are then mixed with 20 grams of multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
  • One or more embodiments may also add micropowders such as zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and other hydrogen catalysts to speed up the reaction.
  • micropowders such as zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and other hydrogen catalysts
  • other micro and nanoparticles may be added to the catalyst in the same manner as nanotubes, such as Titanium Dioxide.
  • the presently disclosed technique admits wide variation in the catalyst support. Any combination of multi-walled, single walled, or other catalyst support such as powdered alumina, zeolites, and another micro or submicron absorptive material may be used.
  • the catalyst support material 102 will be a function not only of the end use for the apparatus but also the implementation of the copolymer catalyst 101.
  • the support material includes a nanoparticulate material.
  • nanoparticulate material refers to a material having a particle size smaller than 1,000 nm.
  • Exemplary nanoparticulate materials include, but are not limited to, a plurality of fullerene molecules (i.e., molecules composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere (e.g., buckyballs), ellipsoid or tube (e.g., carbon nanotubes), a plurality of quantum dots (e.g., nanoparticles of a semiconductor material, such as chalcogenides (selenides or sulfides) of metals like cadmium or zinc (CdSe or ZnS, for example)), graphite, a plurality of zeolites, or activated carbon.
  • any catalyst support known to those skilled in the art may be used depending upon implementation-specific design considerations. Accordingly, other embodiment
  • the impure water 1 03 may comprise water contaminated with organic matter, brine water, brackish water, salt water, water contaminated with heavy metals, or some combination thereof Given that the disclosed technique operates through reaction rather than evaporation or filtration, the nature and concentration of the contamination is immaterial . As a practical matter, cleaner water is preferred as a starter material, but the technique should operate without regard to the nature of the contamination.
  • the electromagnetic energy may be electricity or some form or electromagnetic radiation in some embodiments. For example, light or other electromagnetic radiation may be used to catalyze the reaction between atmospheric oxygen and hydrogen in impotable water.
  • the electromagnetic radiation may be in the range of infrared (1 CT 4 m wavelength ) to ultraviolet (10 "9 m wav elength) in these embodiments. Howev er, the inv ention is not so limited and other types of electromagnetic energy may be used to activate the catalyst.
  • the capture device 105 may be any suitable means to catch the elemental components
  • a plastic sheet may be used to collect the freshly produced water.
  • Figure 1 may be construed to represent an open system in which the elemental components 1 04 would escape to the ambient atmosphere but for the presence, operation, and efficiency of the capture device 105. Howev er, the technique is not so limited. Some embodiments might implement a closed system in which the elemental components 1 04 are fully contained and cannot escape.
  • the presently disclosed technique does not filter or evaporate the contaminated water to obtain the produced water. It instead reacts the contaminated water 1 03 with the copolymer catalyst 101 (activated by the electromagnetic energy) to yield its elemental components 1 04 which then recombine to produce the new, " purified " water 105. Because the activated water 105 is newly formed from elemental components, and not evaporated water, it contains fewer impurities than even distilled and deionized water.
  • the reaction may cause some contaminants 1 08 to settle out to the bottom of the impure water 1 03 in some cases.
  • some embodiments may wish to provide ways in which such settled contaminants 1 08 may be removed from the system. This may be, for example, by period cleaning or draining as a slurry. Howev er, this may be necessary or even useful in all embodiments.
  • the newly formed water 106 that is purified remains pure or uncontaminated until collection will be a function of the system design.
  • the collection device 105 is a plastic sheet deployed in the outdoors, contaminants such as dust and pollen may be deposited on the collection device through natural processes such as exposure to wind.
  • the purified water 105 consequently may become contaminated prior or during collection.
  • the term "purified" therefore means not that the purified water 1 05 is free of any measurable contaminants upon collection, but rather that it is significantly freer of the contaminants 108 with which it was originally contaminated before the reaction.
  • FIG. 2 depicts a possible embodiment in which electric current in the lead 200, either AC or DC current, is fed from the electrical source 204 to at least one reaction electrode 201 .
  • the electric current is contacted with the copolymer catalyst (not otherwise shown) of the reaction electrode 201 .
  • the copolymer catalyst (not otherwise shown) may be in contact with a catalyst support material (not shown).
  • the electrode may serve as the support material wherein the copolymer catalyst may be painted onto the electrode. Alternativ ely, the electrode may be in contact with a supporting material which, in turn, is connected to the copolymer catalyst.
  • the reaction electrode 201 is partially immersed in the contaminated water 203.
  • the copolymer catalyst is electrocatalytic, and is activated by the electricity from the electrical source 204. This causes the copolymer catalyst and contaminated water 203 to react, releasing the elemental components 205 for capture by the capture dev ice 206.
  • This embodiment will typically be in a closed system in which the contaminated water 203 and the electrodes 201 , 202 are housed inside some kind of reactor vessel (not shown).
  • Figure 3 depicts an alternative embodiment in which a source of electromagnetic wave radiation 300 produces electromagnetic radiation which is received by the copolymer catalyst 301.
  • the copolymer may be connected to a support material by a variety of ways.
  • the activated catalyst copolymer reacts with a body of water 302 composed of water contaminated with organic matter, brine water, brackish water, salt water, water contaminated with heavy metals, or a combination thereof. This reaction produces, in part or in whole, elemental components of the contaminated water 303 which are captured by a capturing device 304.
  • Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrate possible configurations connecting the catalytic support material to the copolymer catalyst.
  • Figure 4a depicts a copolymer catalyst 401 in connection with a support material 402 wherein the copolymer catalyst 401 completely or nearly completely encompasses the support material 402.
  • Figure 4b depicts a copolymer catalyst 401 in connection with a support material 402 wherein the copolymer catalyst 401 is in contact with a single side of a support material 401. This illustrates embodiments where the catalyst is place on a support material, for example, if the support material was an electric cathode.
  • Figure 5a depicts a copolymer catalyst 501 in connection with a support material 502 wherein the copolymer catalyst in connected on both sides of the support material.
  • This embodiment includes, for example, placing the copolymer catalyst on an electrically conductive support material.
  • Figure 5b depicts a copolymer catalyst 501 in contact with a fine dispersion catalytic support 502.
  • the copolymer catalyst is bound to a support material to form a supported catalyst.
  • Typical support materials may include talc, inorganic oxides, clays and clay minerals, ion- exchanged layered components, diatomaceous earth components, zeolites or a resinous support material, such as a polyolefin, for example.
  • Specific inorganic oxides include silica, alumina, magnesia, titania and zirconia, for example.
  • this copolymer catalyst is painted onto a cathodic conductor such as a carbon conducting paper, or a sheet of woven porous metal to form a gas diffusion surface that forms a three phase interface between the liquid being purified and air.
  • a cathodic conductor such as a carbon conducting paper, or a sheet of woven porous metal to form a gas diffusion surface that forms a three phase interface between the liquid being purified and air.
  • the reaction that forms a three phase interface between an electrolyte containing hydrogen at the cathode and exposed to oxygen in air will form water in this process.
  • This aqueous electrochemical reaction may include a reaction that proceeds at room temperature and pressure, although conditions of higher temperatures and pressures may be used.
  • temperatures may range from -10°C to 240°C, or from -10°C to 1000°C
  • pressures may range from 0.1 ATM to 10 ATM, or from 0.1 ATM to 100 ATM.
  • the copolymer catalyst for the desalination cell of the electrolytic cell may form a part of a gas diffusion electrode.
  • a gas diffusion electrode may be deployed as the reaction electrode as shown in Figure 2.
  • the surface of the electrode will be exposed to air and aquatic chemistry simultaneously to define a three-phase interface.
  • a gas diffusion electrode as described above may be deployed in an electrolytic desalination cell in which the source is a radiation source, as shown in Figure 2.
  • the radiation source could be the sun, in which case the electromagnetic radiation is sunlight.
  • the surface of the copolymer catalyst and catalyst supporting membrane forms a three phase interface with the air, surface of the electrolyte and membrane. It may also be colloidal particles infused with electrocatalytic catalyst such as titanium dioxide or NAFION infused with hydrogen producing catalyst. This allows the desalination and purification of water at rates higher than evaporation, and with energies lower than conventional desalination.
  • a gas diffusion electrode comprises a hydrophobic layer that is porous to elemental components of water but is impermeable or nearly impermeable to aqueous electrolytes.
  • a lmil thick advcarb carbon paper treated with TEFLON® (i.e., polytetrafluoroethylene) dispersion is coated with the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic membrane by any means, such as painting, dipping or spray coating.
  • PVA glue 90% H20 mixture Allow excess glue to drip off paper. Place glue soaked carbon sheets, one on top of the other, between two sheets of TEFLON®. Press at 350°F for about 3 minutes or until temperature returns to 350°F. Remove paper from TEFLON® sheets immediately after removing from heat. Apply chlorophyllin copolymer catalyst to top of paper and let dry for 1 hour.
  • this electrocatalytic membrane is interspersed on a nanoscale support and then applied.
  • the copolymer catalyst is supported upon a wax- covered carbon fiber paper and disposed upon the surface of a body of contaminated water. Because the carbon fiber paper is covered in wax, it will float on the surface. This exposes the copolymer catalyst to both the contamination water and the ambient atmosphere at the same time.
  • the copolymer catalyst is then energized by either light or electricity. In one particular embodiment, it is energized by exposing it to sunlight.
  • the copolymer catalyst supported by the carbon fiber paper form, in this particular embodiment, the cathode.
  • the contaminated water then reacts with the copolymer catalyst to combust into its elemental components.
  • the elemental components are then collected, e.g., the umbrellas discussed above or some other type of collector such as translucent plastic sheeting disposed above the copolymer catalyst and the body of water. The collected elemental components are then reacted to create a new water product.
  • a surface area of one square meter of copolymer catalyst produces 2.5 gallons of clean water.
  • the energy source is sunlight and the water product is newly reacted water.
  • the membrane comprised of the copolymer catalyst and the support i.e., the carbon fiber paper
  • the membrane comprised of the copolymer catalyst and the support is not an osmotic membrane
  • the water is not processed in the traditional way that desalination membrane technology works.
  • the produced water is free of bacteria, including being free of e- coli contamination as the process destroys bacteria, viruses, volatile organic compounds (“VOC”), and leaves behind heavy metals, as newly formed water molecules.
  • the produced water is also free of solid precipitates for ionic species such as heavy metals, salts, and radioactive material.
  • One particular embodiment applies pulses of electrical power to a galvanic cell with the supported copolymer catalyst as an electrode is exposed to the air, and it will produce 15 liters per square meter per day for about lkWh per 1000 liters.
  • the portable water does not have the flat taste of reverse osmosis water and heat distilled water as the dissolved gases, which give water its attractive taste to the palette, are maintained.
  • This process also generates heat as it desalinated, unlike the current technologies, which lose heat to evaporation.
  • this system also generates fresh water through evaporative transfer due to a large temperature gradient between the daytime generated heat and the nighttime temperatures.
  • the membrane is also a salt crystallizer; the production rates do not change significantly with salinity.
  • the environmental problems of brine rejection, as well as other problems from the outflow of current desalination plants can also be treated and further desalinated with this process to produce crystal salt and fresh water, providing two products that help to recover the low capital cost of our system very quickly.
  • Greenhouse gass sources may include, for example, offgas 615 from landfills, flue gasses 620, or even flatulence 625 from domesticated animals.
  • energy for the reaction may be light from a light source, such as ambient sunlight 630 from the sun 635, or an electrical source, such J3.S 6XCGSS electricity 640 from a local municipal power grid 645.
  • the materials in one particular embodiment may include a standard closed desalination box and a catalytic membrane which contacts saltwater of any salinity, and the ambient air.
  • Closed desalination boxes are a very simple and old system for collecting water which consists of a closed-off transparent dome with salt water introduced at the bottom of the closed chamber.
  • One such closed desalination box is the greenhouse 700, shown in Figure 7A, which defines a chamber 705.
  • the floor 710 comprises the catalytic membrane 71 5 mounted upon a rigid support
  • soil 720 (not separately shown) atop of which soil 720 is disposed.
  • Some flora 730 is shown growing in the soil 720 for purposes of illustration.
  • the soil 720 may be distributed in any pattern or even randomly. There are at least two considerations regarding the distribution of the soil 720.
  • the soil 720 should be sufficient in quantity and distribution to support the cultiv ation of the flora 730 of choice.
  • the soil 720 should also, as mentioned above, leave a sufficient amount of the catalytic membrane 71 5 exposed to permit the flow of the reacted constituents 725 in sufficient amount that the water collected is sufficient for the cultivation of the flora 730.
  • Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will be able to balance these types of factors for any particular implementation.
  • the saltwater 61 2 is stored in a cistern 735 under the floor 710.
  • the cistern 735 may be in-ground or above-ground depending on the implementation. However, in many areas, above-ground may be preferred to take advantage of ambient heat to vaporize the saltwater 612.
  • the saltwater 61 2 may be from sourced from many different types of sources. Sources may be natural, such as saltwater from the ocean or brackish water from a marsh or estuary. Sources may also non-natural, such as brine released or residual from industrial processes like other desalination plants.
  • the penetrating sunlight 630 also activates the catalyst (not otherwise shown) which then defines a three-phase interface at which the water vapor 725, the catalyst, and the ambient atmosphere of the chamber 705.
  • the ambient atmosphere may comprise, for example, air from the outside atmosphere and, in this embodiment, does.
  • the reaction yields the constituent components 712 of the water vapor 725.
  • the constituent components 71 2 then react again to form new water vapor 745.
  • the new water vapor 745 continues to rise until it contacts the interior of the roof 740, whereupon it condenses into new water 750.
  • the new water 750 then flows down the slanted roof 740 and down the wall 755 to the floor 710 for collection. Note that alternative collection mechanisms may be used in alternative embodiments.
  • the photocatalytic membrane is a copolymer catalyst described in further detail in U.S. Application Serial No. 1 3 837,372, entitled, “Method and Apparatus for a Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Copolymer " , filed March 1 5, 201 3, in the name of the inventors Tara Cronin and Ed Chen.
  • the copolymer catalyst may include phthalocyanines, and other porphyrins. Since the catalyst in this embodiment is photoactivated, the catalyst membrane comprises a photocatalytic membrane.
  • the saltwater may be pumped from the ground surface to a solar still positioned on top of a building.
  • the saltwater may then be used to thermally insulate the building as it is pumped to the solar still.
  • the saltwater may be pumped through a "reverse osmosis tube " or a "reverse osmosis pipe” such as that shown at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/vuma/facilities/vdp/yao ydp operations ro.html. which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. Note, however, that any RO pipe known to the art may be used. Fresh water is separated from the saltwater, leaving the saltwater even saltier.
  • This saltier saltwater will be referred to herein as brine.
  • the separated fresh water and the brine are then pumped to the solar still and into the reaction volume.
  • the solar still then desalinates both the "fresh water " and the brine.
  • the brine will be fully desalinated into rock salt and fresh water in the still. No brine will be dumped as it will all be processed by the solar still.
  • a building may be temperature controlled either by cooling or by heating.
  • the building 800 shown in Figure 8 is cooled by pumping cold salt water 805 through channels 810 which insulate the building 800 to the desalinator 815 on top of the building 800.
  • the desalinator 81 5 is a solar still constructed and operated in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.
  • the channels 810 will typically, although not necessarily, be embedded in the walls of the building 800 to facilitate this cooling function. They are shown external to the building for ease of illustration.
  • the daytime temperature of buildings can in this manner be effectively shielded from the sun due to the high specific heat of water, while also taking advantage of the relatively colder sea surface temperatures compared to the land temperatures during the day, cutting cooling costs and insulation costs significantly.
  • the channels may be implemented using rev erse osmosis pipes such as the one shown in Figure 9, which is reproduced from http://www.usbr.gov/lc/vuma/facilities/vdp/yao ydp operations ro.html. More particularly.
  • Figure 9 shows a section 900 of a reverse osmosis pipe in which a fiberglass membrane shell 903 encasing a membrane structure 906 is nested within a fiberglass pressure vessel 909.
  • the membrane structure 906 comprises a reverse osmosis membrane coating a fabric backing, neither of which is separately shown.
  • the membrane structure furthermore includes a plasticized tricot 912 containing grooves through which dasalinated water can flow to an exit tube 915.
  • the membrane structure 906 and a brine spacer 91 8 are then wound about the exit pipe 91 5 and sealed using a sealant 921.
  • saltwater 81 5 is pumped through the pipe under pressure.
  • the pressure drives at least some of the saltwater 8 1 5 through the membrane structure 906.
  • the membrane of the membrane structure 906 separates the water from the salt and other contaminant.
  • the separated water now fresh, flows through the grooves of the tricot 912 to the exit pipe 91 5.
  • the separated salt (and other contaminants, if any) remains in the general flow with the rest of the saltwater 8 1 5 that has not been driven through the membrane structure.
  • both a separated water stream 924 and a saltwater stream 927 are available for use.
  • thermodynamics of evaporation is based upon the heat of evaporation.
  • Evaporation is an endothermic reaction, explaining why heat is lost in the process of evaporation in solar stills as well as other processes involving evaporation such as salt production. Because of the endothermic nature of evaporation, as well as the colligative properties of ionized salts in water, the higher the salinity of water, the more heat is required to change the state of water form liquid to vapor. The thermodynamics of evaporation are well discussed in other papers and will not be discussed here for the sake of brevity and so as to avoid obscuring the present invention.
  • the presently disclosed technique also uses conventional low- pressure reverse osmosis membranes to take advantage of additional desalination available due to the pumping energy required to push the water to the top of the building.
  • the remaining brine which reaches the desalinator and or greenhouse at the top of the building, will be further desalinated in the solar desalination unit(s) located on the roof.
  • the thermodynamics of reverse osmosis-based systems are also equally endothermic and require large amounts of energy input, roughly equivalent to the solv ation energy required to dissolve salt into water, plus the additional heat generated by friction to push water through the membrane.
  • the thermodynamics of reverse osmosis will not be disclosed in detail either, although many papers will discuss this topic.
  • thermodynamics of the presently disclosed system in one in which a partial dipole on the water molecule absorbed to the three phase membrane, makes a partially ionized hydrogen atom with a free energy of hydrogen bond formation between an available hydrogen and a oxygen molecule is estimated to be between 3 kJ/mol to 32kJ/mol.
  • the desalinator 815 in Figure 8 may be implemented as the greenhouse shown in Figure 7A- Figure 7B.
  • a greenhouse can be placed on top of MEN A buildings to provide a cooling mechanism, as well as additional agricultural productivity which does not require an active input of energy.
  • the fresh water produced, as well as the food produced would augment the water and agricultural needs as well as provide a solution to the large use of freshwater for crop growth in MEN A regions. Additionally, the design of the system allows for water to insulate buildings, which install this system during the day and night.
  • This technique may be used on a larger scale to terraform the deserts in MEN A regions, reduce air toxins, and improve the current desalination technologies. It also makes green roofs and self sufficient water production at low energy ' s and costs feasible on a large scale. It may be coupled with RO technology to eliminate brine wastes while also crystallizing salt, another valuable commodity.
  • the inputs of the process are water of any salinity as well as any other heavy metal or ionic contaminants such as dissolved cadmium or lead. The addition of sunlight or electricity along with oxygen will power the membrane providing the activation energy to force the process to begin.
  • This technology may also augment existing desalination technologies which produce a large effluent of brine. In many plants, this effluent makes up more than 50% of the operating costs of a desalination plant. The only technology at present to reduce those costs require chemicals which as just as costly. The presently disclosed technology can, in some embodiments. take any salinity water and precipitate out the salt as crystal and remove the water as vapor, saving existing RO and MFD plants up to 50% in their operating costs.
  • the presently disclosed technique includes in one particular aspect a solar still that employs a photocatalytic membrane to form a three- phase interface in a closed desalination box as described further below.
  • this closed desalination box is operated at a lower than conventional pressure to facilitate evaporation and faster desalination at low heats.
  • the solar still may comprise a part of a system that pumps water through a reverse osmosis membrane to the top of a building where the solar still sits. This pumping pressure further desalinates the water, and the water also insulates the building during the day and night, regulating the temperatures.
  • Electrolytic Cell Including a Three-Phase Interface to React Carbon-Based Gases in an Aqueous Electrolyte " , filed March 1, 201 3, in the name of the inventor Ed Chen and commonly assigned herewith.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
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Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé de décontamination d'eau qui consiste : à exposer un catalyseur copolymère à l'eau contaminée et une atmosphère ; à activer le catalyseur à l'aide d'énergie électromagnétique ; à faire réagir l'eau et le catalyseur afin d'obtenir les composants élémentaires de l'eau contaminée ; à collecter les composants élémentaires de l'atmosphère ; et à faire réagir les composants élémentaires collectés afin d'obtenir un produit à base d'eau.
PCT/IB2015/051026 2015-02-11 2015-02-11 Procédé et appareil de purification d'eau WO2016128793A1 (fr)

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US3262869A (en) * 1961-09-28 1966-07-26 Gen Electric Process of producing potable water from urine by electrochemical means
US20040141740A1 (en) * 2002-10-30 2004-07-22 Guillet James E. Water soluble biodegradable polymeric photocatalysts
US20050269254A1 (en) * 2004-05-24 2005-12-08 Roitman Lipa L [Air and Water Purifying System And Filter Media]
WO2007059573A1 (fr) * 2005-11-22 2007-05-31 Queensland University Of Technology Purification de fluide à l'aide de la photocatalyse
US20100304266A1 (en) * 2005-12-21 2010-12-02 Mookkan Periyasamy Membrane electrode assembly for organic/air fuel cells
US20130327654A1 (en) * 2012-06-11 2013-12-12 Viceroy Chemical Method and apparatus for a photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer

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US3262869A (en) * 1961-09-28 1966-07-26 Gen Electric Process of producing potable water from urine by electrochemical means
US20040141740A1 (en) * 2002-10-30 2004-07-22 Guillet James E. Water soluble biodegradable polymeric photocatalysts
US20050269254A1 (en) * 2004-05-24 2005-12-08 Roitman Lipa L [Air and Water Purifying System And Filter Media]
WO2007059573A1 (fr) * 2005-11-22 2007-05-31 Queensland University Of Technology Purification de fluide à l'aide de la photocatalyse
US20100304266A1 (en) * 2005-12-21 2010-12-02 Mookkan Periyasamy Membrane electrode assembly for organic/air fuel cells
US20130327654A1 (en) * 2012-06-11 2013-12-12 Viceroy Chemical Method and apparatus for a photocatalytic and electrocatalytic copolymer

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN107162161A (zh) * 2017-05-25 2017-09-15 南开大学 一种分离式文丘里管式混合电催化臭氧化方法与装置
CN107162161B (zh) * 2017-05-25 2020-09-18 南开大学 一种分离式文丘里管式混合电催化臭氧化方法与装置

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