Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

With rapid increases in population growth over the preceding decades, the demand for drinking water, especially in heavily developed urban areas, has increased tremendously. Conventional membrane technologies have been extensively utilized for drinking water treatment; however, this approach is subject to fouling by natural organic matter (NOM) and hampered by high operating costs. Chlorination of water containing high NOM concentrations can generate harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs). Our proposal addresses these issues, beginning with the refinement of a UV/visible light-sensitized TiO2 nanowire membrane with robust mechanical properties that will allow its deployment under realistic scenarios. We will further elucidate the photocatalytic capacities of these new membrane configurations against a variety of compounds, including conventional and emerging contaminants as well as disinfection by-products (DBPs) within a variety of water sources. This project falls within the strategic target area of Environmental Science and Technologies, specifically, the research topic of Ensuring Secure Community Water Systems. The proposed TiO2/Ag nanowire membranes represent a comprehensive, energy efficient, innovative solution to longstanding technical challenges which will benefit Canadian business and municipal interests (i.e., Trojan Technologies, Regions of Peel, York and Peterborough), while meeting emerging drinking water treatment challenges.