{"682918":{"#nid":"682918","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GTRI\u2019s Nanoparticle Technology Enhances Water Purification","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has demonstrated that its nanoparticle technology improves efficiency and reduces waste in municipal wastewater treatment, ensuring safer discharge or reuse, with the potential to reduce operational energy costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn recent pilot tests conducted at the City of Woodstock\u2019s wastewater treatment plant in Georgia, GTRI\u2019s solution effectively removed pollutants, including suspended solids, organic waste, nitrogen and phosphorous species, while reducing chemical use and the amount of waste produced. The tests proved that the nanoparticles and key nutrients could be recovered and reused, and that the technology has potential to be implemented on a larger scale.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe were pleased with the results,\u201d said Jie Xu, a GTRI Regents\u2019 Researcher who is leading the project. \u201cCompared to traditional water treatment processes that require multiple steps, our approach streamlines the process and require less space, which speeds up the process efficiency significantly. Our system also removed contaminants without requiring additional chemicals, which was a huge cost-saving factor.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne major purpose of wastewater treatment is to remove contaminants from wastewater, making it safe to return to the environment or be reused. The process is crucial for protecting both public health and the environment by reducing the concentration of harmful pathogens such as bacteria and viruses along with removing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can contaminate drinking water sources and pose health risks. Wastewater treatment also prevents excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, from entering the environment, maintaining the health of water resources.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrent wastewater treatment uses chemicals for phosphorus reduction and to promote the clumping of fine particles, making it easier to remove contaminants from the wastewater. However, this process generates a byproduct called \u2018sludge,\u2019 which consists of organic matter, solids and microorganisms that remain after the water has been treated.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe main concern with sludge is its potential to contain harmful pollutants that pose risks to the environment and human health if not properly disposed of or handled.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the biggest issues in wastewater treatment is dealing with sludge,\u201d said Xu. \u201cRight now, sludge can be processed into biosolids for land applications for beneficial use including nutrient recycling and soil conditioning, but that process has come under scrutiny due to concerns about contaminants like PFAS, known as \u2018forever chemicals\u2019, and pathogens.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGTRI\u2019s nanoparticle technology uses tiny particles with magnetic properties that bind to and remove contaminants from water quickly and efficiently. This process reduces reliance on potentially harmful chemicals, lowers sludge production, and improves overall treatment effectiveness. In many cases, nanoparticles can be recovered and reused, further reducing costs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMichael Rhoads, the plant manager at the Woodstock facility, expressed confidence that GTRI\u2019s nanoparticle technology could reduce excess chemical use, reducing costs for businesses and ultimately benefiting consumers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur partnership with GTRI is huge for our industry and bridges the gap between the lab and actual everyday operations in leaps and bounds,\u201d Rhoads said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe average cost of wastewater treatment in the U.S. can range from $2 to $5 per 1,000 gallons, depending on factors such as facility size, treatment methods, and local regulations, according to recent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.waterandwastewater.com\/wastewater-treatment-cost\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eestimates\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. That would amount to costs as high as $5 million per year for an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/tools\/DataTrends_Wastewater_20150129.pdf\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eaverage-sized plant\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and potentially much higher for larger facilities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EXu said her team treated about one gallon of water per minute \u2013 and over 300 gallons per day \u2013 at the Woodstock facility. However, she noted that typical municipal wastewater treatment plants process millions of gallons per day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELooking ahead, GTRI aims to scale up its water treatment to meet these requirements and expand its testing to industrial wastewater treatment facilities such as poultry processing plants and paper mills.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMunicipal wastewater treatment is one application, but industrial wastewater treatment presents different challenges, so we want to validate our system in those settings as well,\u201d Xu said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGTRI also partnered in this project with water treatment companies Xylem and EOM. The companies provided critical equipment for the pilot, specifically a dissolved air flotation unit that is widely used in wastewater treatment to separate pollutants from the water.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis pilot effort was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), building upon original research funded by GTRI\u2019s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EATRP drives transformational innovation, developing new methods and systems specifically designed for poultry, agribusiness, and food manufacturing applications. These innovations are created to maximize productively and efficiency, advance safety and health, and minimize environmental impacts. ATRP\u2019s goal is to transition technologies from concept to commercialization as quickly and economically as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn recent pilot tests conducted at the City of Woodstock\u2019s wastewater treatment plant in Georgia, GTRI\u2019s solution effectively removed pollutants, including suspended solids, organic waste, nitrogen and phosphorous species, while reducing chemical use and the amount of waste produced. The tests proved that the nanoparticles and key nutrients could be recovered and reused, and that the technology has potential to be implemented on a larger scale.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"GTRI has demonstrated that its nanoparticle technology improves efficiency and reduces waste in municipal wastewater treatment, ensuring safer discharge or reuse, with the potential to reduce operational energy costs."}],"uid":"35874","created_gmt":"2025-06-27 13:13:29","changed_gmt":"2025-06-27 13:16:47","author":"Anna Akins","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-06-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-06-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677301":{"id":"677301","type":"image","title":"The GTRI team from L to R: Undergraduate co-op students Kortney Martin and Austen Monteith; GTRI Principal Research Engineer Aklilu Giorges; GTRI Regents\u0027 Researcher and project lead Jie Xu.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe GTRI team pictured at the Woodstock wastewater treatment plant next to the dissolved air flotation unit it used to test its nanoparticle technology during a recent pilot test.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1751030031","gmt_created":"2025-06-27 13:13:51","changed":"1751030031","gmt_changed":"2025-06-27 13:13:51","alt":"A group of GTRI researchers pose for a photo at a test site. ","file":{"fid":"261186","name":"2025_0307_image_ATAS_Nanoparticle-Technology-Water-Purification_Woodstock_65.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/27\/2025_0307_image_ATAS_Nanoparticle-Technology-Water-Purification_Woodstock_65.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/27\/2025_0307_image_ATAS_Nanoparticle-Technology-Water-Purification_Woodstock_65.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":20276568,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/06\/27\/2025_0307_image_ATAS_Nanoparticle-Technology-Water-Purification_Woodstock_65.JPG?itok=5smoV2l8"}}},"media_ids":["677301"],"groups":[{"id":"1276","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMedia Inquiries: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Egtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Anna Akins \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:anna.akins@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eanna.akins@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}