Charles Redmond

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

May 17, 1993
(Phone: 202/358-1757)

Linda Ellis
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland
(Phone: 216/433-2900)

RELEASE: 93-86

LEWIS SPACE RESEARCH SPAWNS WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM

A new material for removing toxic metals from water may benefit
hundreds of industries that produce large amounts of contaminated
waste water.

Researchers at NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, have

developed an ion exchange material that in laboratory tests can
effectively remove contaminants from water such as mercury, lead,
cadmium, silver, copper, zinc, nickel, yttrium and chromium.

"The tests also show that the new material is easy to use and
inexpensive to produce. It is strong, flexible and chemically
very stable in storage," according to Dr. Warren H. Philip, Senior
Research Chemist in the Materials Division. He and Ken Street,
Head of the Chemical Sampling and Analysis Branch of the Lewis
Office of Environmental Programs, invented the material.

The ion exchange membrane originally was developed as a

separator in batteries for use in space flight. The separator can
be made in many different forms and sizes including thin films,
coatings, pellets and fibers for use in larger systems.

These various forms allow the material to be usable in many

different applications, including woven fiber filters for home
water filters, packed columns of pellets for industrial use and
coatings on screens which can be drawn through ponds and lakes
needing cleaning.

Drs. Phillip and Street point out that another important

feature of the ion exchange material is that adsorbed or collected
metals can be easily reclaimed by either a destructive or
non-destructive process.
- more -
-2-

Through the destructive process, the used ion exchange material

is ashed and produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. Oxides of
the adsorbed metals remain as ash and can be recycled.

With the non-destructive process, the heavy metals are removed

from the ion exchange material and reclaimed by an acid stripping
process. The material then is reusable, and the metal concentrate
can be recycled.

To extend the effort beyond the laboratory, Lewis officials

have signed a space act agreement with Aetna Plating Company,
Cleveland, to validate the ion exchange material in an industrial
setting.

Under terms of the agreement, Aetna will allow testing of the

ion exchange material in their industrial electroplating operation
to assess the material's effectiveness as an agent for removing
heavy metals.

The Lewis Technology Utilization Office is responsible for

project management. Cooperating and assisting on the project are
the Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing Program's Advanced
Manufacturing Center and Cleveland State University.

This ion exchange material is an example of technology transfer

_ technology developed for one purpose that can be applied to uses
different from the original intent.

Through its Technology Utilization Program, NASA seeks to

encourage greater use of the knowledge bank by providing a link
between the NASA research community and those that might develop
the product of that research into a commercial technology or
product.

-end-