NSF Award
9761236
*** 971236 Hartsough This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of direct electrochemical reduction of nitrate in drinking water. Current commercial treatment technologies produce large volumes of waste streams or add unwanted chemicals to the water and are not amenable to use in small scale, point of use systems. Direct electrochemical reduction of nitrate as proposed offers a potentially selective and cost effective treatment method. No chemicals are added to the water and no waste streams are produced. Electrochemical cells will be designed to directly reduce nitrate to nitrogen, ammonia, or nitrous oxide. The cells will be safe, simple and inexpensive to operate, compact, and maintenance free, making them ideal for use in home and other point of use systems. Four million people drink from private water supply wells contaminated with nitrate exceeding the US limits established for public health concerns. One to two percent of public water supplies also contains levels of nitrate exceeding these limits. The proposed technology would be readily scaleable for point of use systems to remedy this potential health risk. ***
