UCF Researchers to
Develop Water Purification System for Hurricane Relief
October 21, 2005
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has asked two University of
Central Florida researchers to quickly develop a unique water
purification system to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina and
other disasters.
The professors were awarded a $10,000 startup grant from NSF
this month as part of a rapid response program designed to
support research that can directly benefit those affected by
Katrina. The researchers will submit their research results to
NSF in six months. The agency is also encouraging the scientists
to connect the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other
agencies directly tied to disaster relief for immediate
application of any useable technology.
Professors Sudipta Seal from the Department of Mechanical,
Materials and Aerospace Engineering and James Taylor from Civil
and Environmental Engineering combined their expertise in
developing coated nanoparticles and water purification systems,
respectively, to propose a portable method for producing safe
drinking water from any source.
The key to the process is a naturally created nanoparticle
that can kill bacteria that foul membranes used as filters to
produce drinking water. In catastrophic situations such as
Hurricane Katrina or the recent earthquake in Pakistan, the
membranes become so fouled by bacteria that they become unusable
for water treatment.
"By introducing nanoparticles into a mobile integrated
membrane system, we can create potable water from a variety of
sources," said Seal, who also works with the Advanced Materials
Processing and Analysis Center.
Taylor, who has conducted water treatment research since
1975, said drinking water could be consistently produced even
from wastewater if the fouling bacteria could be killed. Taylor
is responsible for more than $10 million in project funding at
UCF, including a major desalination effort for Tampa Bay Water
and the American Water Works Association Research Foundation.
UCF was able to respond immediately to the need for a water
purification system because of the quality research those
scholars were already conducting, said M.J. Soileau, vice
president for research. Seal and Taylor are part of a team that
UCF is assembling to address alternative water sources for
Florida, as water issues for the Central Florida region and the
state are approaching crisis proportions.
With the seed funding, the researchers hope to develop an
adaptable method for producing quality water in any kind of
emergency.
Source: University of Central Florida
October 21, 2005 |