Developing Water Purification System for Hurricane Relief

At the request of the National Science Foundation two of our researchers are fast tracking development of a unique water purification system to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.

The professors were awarded a $10,000 startup grant from NSF to support research that can directly benefit those affected by Katrina. The agency is also encouraging the scientists to connect the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies directly tied to disaster relief for immediate application of any useable technology.

Professors Dr. Sudipta Seal from Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering and Dr. James Taylor from Civil and Environmental Engineering combined their expertise in developing coated nanoparticles and water purification systems, respectively, to propose a portable method for producing safe drinking water from any source.

"By introducing nanoparticles into a mobile integrated membrane system, we can create potable water from a variety of sources," said Seal, who also works with the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC).

Taylor, who has conducted water treatment research since 1975, said “drinking water could be consistently produced even from wastewater, if the fouling bacteria could be killed.” Taylor is responsible for more than $10 million in project funding at UCF, including a major desalination effort for Tampa Bay Water and the American Water Works Association Research Foundation.

The key to the process is a naturally created nanoparticle that can kill bacteria that foul membranes used as filters to produce drinking water. In catastrophic situations such as Hurricane Katrina or the earthquake in Pakistan, the membranes become so fouled by bacteria that they become unusable for water treatment.