AQUASTECH

Team Leader:  Dr. Chim. Mihai ȘTEFĂNESCU

Short description: The aim of the project is to develop two experimental models/technologies, validated on laboratory level, for drinking water treatment from groundwater and surface sources.

These goals were established taking into account the specific of water sources on national level (specific objective 1 – technology for groundwater sources with arsenic content especially) and the situation of drinking water treatment technologies in Romanian water treatment plants and at international level (specific objective 2 – applicable technology in all cases where chlorine disinfection is used and there is a high potential of THMs and HAAs generation.

These technologies which will be developed in this project are as following:

• Experimental model A: Optimized filtration technology for advanced removal of arsenic and heavy metals using alternative filtration support materials;
• Experimental model B: Technology for removal of chlorine disifection byproducts (trihalomethanes – THMs, haloacetic acids
• HAAs) by ultrasonication and reduction/dehalogenation with zerovalent iron (ZVI).

Technologies will be created gradual following the below mentioned research steps:

• the study of physical-chemical behavior of target micropollutants (arsenic III, V, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids) in aqueous system and the present technological level regarding the possibilities of their removal from raw waters (As) and inadequate treated (THMs, HAAs);
• preliminary tests performing for each type of pollutant in order to find the operational parameters and determinant factors for their removing from synthetic aqueous solutions;
• experiments performing in order to establish optimal and type of operating system;
• performing of demonstrative tests of functionality for both proposed experimental models;
• validation of these two experimental models/technologies for water potabilization.

It will be considered the developing of novelty and innovation aspects (for each experimental model) in two directions: using of new filtering support materials for the treatment step of filtration/sorption of raw water from underground source, as a component of classic potabilization technology in water treatment plants and creatin of a new technology, on national level, for advanced removal of chlorine disinfection byproducts from drinking water.

The impact of the project results will be in the realm of theoretical and practical research but in economic and social domain taking inti account the water is indispensable to life and a resource for industry and agriculture and must be efficient used in the context of social and economical changes in the future.