Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** opportunity: nitrate…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** opportunity: nitrate contamination has emerged as the most pervasive groundwater pollutant in north america, predominantly originating from agricultural activities and shifting nitrogen inputs to land surfaces. In the united states, over 7 million people rely on community water systems (CWS) with nitrate concentrations exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL). A rigorous, peer-reviewed study by the environmental working group indicates that nitrate pollution in US drinking water may contribute to up to 12,500 cancer cases annually, with associated healthcare costs reaching $1.5 billion. Current nitrate treatment technologies for cwss generate highly concentrated nitrate brine residuals, rendering them constrained by expensive brine disposal and management processes. Moreover, with over 35 million acres of sub-surface drained land in the US, no technology has yet established a significant market share for nitrate removal from agricultural drainage. Given the vast extent of nitratecontamination in community water systems and the increasing necessity to curtail nitrogen loads from tile drainage, the market potential for effective nitrate removal solutions is substantial.project objectives: the main technical objective of this project is to demonstrate and validate a highly efficient photocatalytic denitrification unit for the sustainable removal of nitrates from wastewater at a lower cost than incumbent technologies. In phase i, the team successfully developed materials and systems that exhibit superior nitrate removal and conversion efficiencies, exceeding 95%. These materials demonstrated a photon-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 2.5% and remained stable for 100 hours of operation. In phase II, the down-selected materials and systems from phase i will undergo extensive optimization, testing, and operation in lab-scale and mini-scale prototypes, aiming to achieve photonic efficiencies greater than 10%, nitrate conversion efficiencies surpassing 95%, and stability exceeding 1000 hours. To accomplish these objectives, the team will refine the physical and chemical composition of the phase i catalyst to enhance its photoactivity and stability. Furthermore, they will employ operando tools developed during phase i to investigate the catalyst's selectivity and corrosion mechanisms and assess their performance in lab-scale and mini-pilot plant-scale reactors. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis will also be conducted to identify pathways for successful commercialization.anticipated results. By the end of phase II, pani clean INC. Will have developed a small engineering-scale nitrate treatment unit that boasts nitrate conversion efficiencies and selectivity exceeding 95%, eliminates brine disposal issues, and costs less than $1.5 per 1000 gallons of treated water. This represents a two-to-five-fold decrease in cost compared to incumbent technologies.potential commercial applications. The immediate addressable market for pani clean INC.&#,39; s innovative nitrate treatment unit comprises the 1600+ community water systems (CWS) that have recently experienced violations of nitrate levels, primarily due to agricultural practices. In the near term, point-of-use (POU) nitrate treatment systems for individual residences with nitrate-contaminated private wells will be targeted, as well as treating nitrates at the edge-of-field practices.