Description:

Low-Cost Polymer-clay Composites for Urban Stormwater Treatment 

Abstract:
Stormwater runoff is a major component of the urban water cycle and acts as a large nonpoint source pollution due to the presence of elevated concentrations of trace contaminants from anthropogenic activity. Existing stormwater management practices primarily designed to reduce surface runoff volume are not suited for contaminant removal. To passively remove contaminants during stormwater infiltration, we developed and characterized functionalized polymer-clay composite as a potential media amendment in low-impact stormwater developments. Montmorillonite clays were functionalized with either polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) or poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) (PVPcoS) to enhance organic compound sorption using a simple, scalable synthesis method. A suite of representative trace organic compounds and metals were employed to assess the polymer-clay composite performance in batch and column filtration studies. In this talk, I will describe the removal mechanisms of the clay composites and biochar (a commercial adsorbent) in synthetic stormwater with emphasis on stormwater infiltration applications.  

Biography:
Dr. Jessica Ray joined the University of Washington Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering as an Assistant Professor in January 2019. Previously, Dr. Ray was a Miller Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley investigating low-cost engineered adsorbents for removal of trace contaminants in urban stormwater. Jessica received her B.S. (Chemical Engineering, 2009) and Ph.D. (Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, 2015) from Washington University in St. Louis. As a graduate student, Dr. Ray’s research examined nanomaterial fate and transport by employing advanced surface chemistry analytical techniques for which she received the Environmental Protection Agency Students to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship to support her research. At the University of Washington, Jessica plans to design, characterize and apply low-cost composites (e.g., adsorbents, functionalized polymers, modified membranes) for selective removal of contaminants in stormwater and wastewater. In the future, Dr. Ray plans to expand the portfolio of composites to investigate ways to recover nutrients and other valuable materials from wastes.