Electrochemical Processes for Resource Recovery

Electrochemical water treatment replaces chemical inputs with electricity, allowing for fine-tuning of unit processes through control of applied current and potential. These modular systems are flexible to varying degrees of centralization and robust to handle intermittent flows and shock loadings. Excess nitrogen and sulfur in water pose a spectrum of health and environmental concerns including pipe corrosion, eutrophication, and toxic drinking waters. However, these same elements are crucial nutrients for agriculture. The Tarpeh Lab develops reactive-separation processes in order to selectively recover nitrogen and sulfur as value-added products from wastewaters. For example, we have developed electrochemical stripping (ECS), a novel alternative to conventional ammonia stripping that selectively isolates nitrogen based on charge (NH4+) and volatility (NH3) using electricity, a cation exchange membrane, and a gas permeable membrane. Our current research frontiers include investigating electrochemical nitrate reduction, sulfur oxidation, and further developing ECS.