Water Technology
Our location in the College of Engineering and long-term relationship with the Ohio Water Development Authority enables us to orient research toward technology development. The promotion of innovative technologies to combat water issues in Ohio allow our researchers to seek repeatable methods and implementable solutions that can serve as a standard for future water research on a national and even global scale. Our funded researchers are developing innovative technologies to treat microcystin, nutrients and other emerging contaminants in drinking water and wastewater. Furthermore, Ohio WRC is working with stakeholders, to make emerging water treatment technologies more accesible for small water treatment systems in the state.
CURRENT PROJECTS
"Impact of Filter Upset During Conventional Surface Water Treatment on UV Disinfection Efficacy"
Dr. Natalie Hull, The Ohio State University
“Developing Design Standard to Enable the Use of Innovative Technology in Ohio Public Systems”
Dr. Zuzana Bohrerova and Dr. Linda Weavers, Ohio Water Resources Center, Ohio State University
"Capillary Trapping of Buoyant Particles by Cylindrical Collectors and its Application in Transport of Floating Fertilizers in Overland Flow
RECENT PAST PROJECTS & IMPACTS
For list of completed projects and their reports visit publication tab.
“Design of a Self-Cleaning Membrane-Assisted Bioreactor for Enhanced Removal of Nutrients from Wastewater”
Dr. Soryong Chae, University of Cincinnati
The results allow for development of novel engineering solutions for the mitigation of membrane fouling and/or recovery from membrane fouling that eventually increase performance of membrane bioreactor systems and also reduce HABs’ risks to public health and the environment.
“Concentration-Discharge Behavior of Dissolved and Particulate Metals in a Mining Impacted Stream”
Dr. Elizabeth Herdnon, Kent State University
They determined that limestone constructed treatment system can act as ephemeral tributary to the stream and control concentration discharge behavior at the stream outlet. Overall, the treatment system effectively neutralized acidity and reduced contaminant loads in the tributary, but only under high flow conditions. In the stream, the base cations and sulfate behaved chemostatically when exiting the catchment while AMD-derived metals (Fe, Mn, Al) showed dilution behavior.
“Remediation of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid by Trace Element Extraction”
Dr. Susan Welch, Dr. Julia Sheets & Dr. David Cole, Ohio State University
Hydraulic fracturing of lateral wells to extract unconventional hydrocarbon resources is generating enormous quantities of natural gas, with approximately 744 billion cubic feet produced from 2011 through the 1st quarter of 2015 in Ohio alone. The mineralogical composition of precipitates varies with the type and concentrations of chemical additions mixed with the flowback fluids. As expected, sulfates precipitate with the introduction of sulfuric acid, and carbonates precipitate with introduction of sodium bicarbonate. But in the case of sulfuric acid addition, the concentration of the acid determines the phases that precipitate. This result has important implications for the sequestration of cations with large atomic radii into the sulfate, including some that are of environmental concern, such as radium.