Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Chlorination is a primary method of disinfection of water supplies worldwide. The presence of natural natural organic matters (NOM), also known as ""DBP precursors"", react with the residual chlorine and form various types of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in the drinking water systems. More than 500 DBPs have been reported in the scientific literature but the trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) are the two largest groups of DBPs in chlorinated water. Long term exposure to DBPs at levels higher than the specified regulatory limit is harmful to human health. In Newfoundland and Labrador, about 25% of the water supply systems have higher level of THMs and 40% have higher level of HAAs than the levels defined by Health Canada. Although there are several treatment technologies available to reduce DBPs in drinking water,most are not economically feasible and difficult to operate in small communities. This research will focus on the development of affordable and easier to operate filtration technology to remove precursors from intake water and improve drinking water quality in small and rural communities. The developed technology will be applicable to water utilities where chlorine is used as a disinfectant. Low cost adsorbent will be extracted from carbon rich waste such as oil fly ash generated as a result of burning of crude oil and heavy fuel oil to meet the growing energy demands.  Oil fly ash (OFA) usually contains 85-90% of unburned carbon by weight. It also contains metals such as nickel and vanadium and other impurities with potential environmental hazards and risk to human health and ecosystems. This research aims to develop new methods to extract clean carbon from OFA which will not only help in reducing risk and waste volume significantly  but it will also convert waste into valuable products. The research will develop more cost-effective and environmentally sound technology to extract carbon. The research also aims to improve the quality of the extracted clean carbon through different methods of cleaning and activation processes. The research will also focus on improving surface area, porosity, and hardness of the materials for filtration technology. Both batch and column tests will be conducted and isotherms will be developed to help in assessing removal efficiency of NOM, color, and other impurities from  intake sources in various communities. Regeneration of used carbon, leaching test, and integration of filtration technology into the existing water systems at affordable cost and easy to operate and maintain systems will also be investigated. The proposed study will support Canada to achieve its environmental and sustainability mandates. It will also train highly qualified personnel (HQP) in sustainable waste management and in the development of affordable filtration technology to reduce DBPs in the drinking water in small and rural communities.