Jefferson Lab studies new ways to clean wastewater

At the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s treatment plants, officials have several tried-andtrue methods to clean the wastewater. They mix ozone and hydrogen peroxide to kill off a certain chemical, for example, and other processes with names like granular activated carbon to target another.

But many of these are costly — literally and to the environment in the long term.

So when scientists at the federal government’s Jefferson Lab in Newport News floated a concept a few years ago, HRSD agreed to see where it went.

They have slowly been making progress on a potential new way to treat wastewater: Blasting it with electrons — those tiny particles found in pretty much everything. And they’re gearing up to see if their methods actually will work.

“We seldom get to work with physicists,” said Charles Bott, HRSD’s director of water technology and research. “It’s a really cool opportunity. … Radically different from normal.”

The centerpiece of the Newport News lab is its particle accelerator, which got a $338 million overhaul a few years ago.

Located underground to shelter it from passing vibrations, it’s a sort of racetrack for electrons, sending them around to gain mass and research how they interact.

The general concept of using an accelerator to treat wastewater with electrons is not new. Decades of research, including a large pilot program in MiamiDade County, has shown it can help remove chemicals and other microorganisms.

The electron beams work by breaking down water molecules into smaller charged particles that can get at most contaminants. But the tools used have not been small or cost-effective enough to get the wastewater industry on board.

Enter the physicists in Newport News. A few years ago, they started working on potential solutions.

The devices they use require cooling, but physicist Gianluigi “Gigi” Ciovati had an idea. Instead of costlier methods such as liquid helium, they could incorporate something already on the commercial market: a cryocooler — in other words, a refrigerator that goes to very low temperatures.

“We just saw these pieces of the puzzle and decided it was worth trying to put them together,” Ciovati told the Daily Press at the time.

The project is now getting new life with John Vennekate, a research fellow who recently came to the lab from Germany. He has a background in industry as well as science, so he’s hoping to be the bridge that makes the technology feasible for industry.

“I understand quite well the motivation for scientists to want to (use) their fancy new technology,” he said. “But you have to align that with something robust and reliable for industry application.”

The next step will come over the summer, when HRSD starts sending samples of wastewater — likely about gallon jug sized — to the lab. There, Vennekate and his colleagues will assess whether their accelerators do what they should.

A few specific contaminants will be targets of the electron beam. One’s an industrial chemical found in deodorants, shampoos, cosmetics, dyes, greases, antifreeze and other fluids. Another possibility is a notorious group of chemicals found in common items like cookware and food packaging.

Bott’s not sure the election project will change anything at HRSD anytime soon. Those in the wastewater industry know what works, and there’s plenty of competition for new technology in development. But he’s fascinated by the possibility.

“We’re all interested and cautiously optimistic, but it’s a long way from practical application compared to the default technology we use,” he said.

Vennekate sees Bott’s reservations as a call to action.

“We hope to be able to compete and replace existing treatment mechanisms,” he said.

That’s scientist-speak for, “challenge accepted.”