Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010NJ219B

Development of Sustainable Biosorbents to Recover Nutrients from Water

Institute: New Jersey
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $24,491 Total Non-Federal Funds: $48,982

Principal Investigators: Mahmoud Wazne

Abstract: The proposed research entails an integrative approach to develop lignocellulosic anion exchange resins to remove nitrate and phosphate from water. The developed resins could be used in packed bed configuration or could be weaved into filtrations coir and placed on top of bioretention basins to augment the basins’ nitrate and phosphate removal capacity. Upon exhaustion, the spent resins can be composted and recycled as fertilizer. The proposed route to the formation of these materials is by etherification of the cellulosic moiety of agricultural waste products using ammonium salts in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. Quaternary amines will be reacted with the –OH functional groups in the cellulosic moiety to yield the resins. Cationic substitution up to 0.5 moles of quaternary nitrogen per mole of glucose unit can be achieved. Anion selectivity can be achieved by varying the starting amines, including aliphatic and cyclic amines. If implemented, this practice would be a truly green and sustainable process, where lignocellulosic waste materials are used to recover nutrients that are otherwise pollutants and recycle them back to farm land.