An Innovative Technology for Water Treatment with Sustainable Energy Implications

The author has developed a chemical and biological free, innovative technology for providing effective water and wastewater treatment paired with sustainable energy implications. The technology utilizes minimal electrical energy to treat and remove biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrogen (TN), phosphorous, and coliforms from domestic sewage to produce a high-quality effluent suitable for either reuse of direct discharge. The process releases hydrogen gas like that of a fuel cell, and the low energy, direct current system is conducive to being powered by solar thereby reducing its carbon footprint. The technology has been demonstrated to and accepted by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD). In 2020, the EPA purchased a pilot system for use at its Testing and Evaluation Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pilot tests have also proven effective in removing iron from groundwater; ammonia, nitrate, phosphorous, and coliforms from domestic wastewater; petroleum oil and solids from frack water; ammonia and iron from landfill leachate; heavy metals from acid mine drainage; blood and protein from slaughtering wastewater; ammonia and TSS from hog raising lagoons; and soaps and detergents from laundry water. In a 2021 pilot test, the technology showed promise by reducing PFOS and PFOA from contaminated soil wash water by 64.5% and 37.75%, respectively. Presently, a pilot program is underway to test the effectiveness of reducing total dissolved solids (TDS) and sulfates from quarry water to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) standards, and a system will be installed in the Alabama Black Belt to mitigate a failed residential drainfield in December. The system is versatile, mobile, scalable, cost-effective, and can be deployed in nearly any setting, including harsh environments and remote and hard-to-reach locations.