KIST develops next-generation materials for integrated solutions to water treatment challenges

The water we use every day is purified in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers, and in recent years, the reuse of treated water for domestic and industrial use has been expanding to solve the water shortage problem. The purification process removes various harmful substances, including phosphorus, which causes green algae, and disinfects microorganisms such as total coliform. Phosphorus is an essential component of domestic and industrial waste, including fertilizers, detergents, and animal manure, but when it remains in the water, it causes algae blooms in rivers and lakes.

A research team led by Dr. Jae-Woo Choi and Dr. Kyungjin Cho of the Center for Water Cycle Research at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a new water treatment material that can recover phosphorus in a short time with high efficiency and disinfect harmful microorganisms at the same time. The developed material has the dual function of effectively inactivating total coliform in water and quickly removing and recovering phosphorus, which causes algae blooms. The recovered phosphorus can be recycled into various industrial materials such as fertilizers, cleaning agents, and detergents, contributing to the realization of a circular economy beyond simple purification.

In particular, the team utilized a "sea urchin-shaped" nanostructure to achieve world-class phosphorus recovery performance. The developed material can recover about 1.1 kilograms of phosphate per kilogram of material in just five minutes, which is extremely fast and efficient compared to existing technologies.

In particular, the technology is designed as an eco-friendly system operable without electricity. By utilizing the magnetic field of an external magnet, the movement of the material can be precisely controlled, reducing energy consumption by more than 99% compared to conventional water treatment technologies. This also reduces carbon emissions and energy costs, making it a promising alternative technology to combat water scarcity and the climate crisis.

The new materials and control technology developed are applicable to a variety of water treatment environments, including sewage treatment plants, water purification plants, livestock and industrial wastewater treatment sites. In particular, it is possible to simultaneously remove algae-causing substances and recover resources at industrial and agricultural sites with high concentrations of nutrients such as phosphorus. The technology also has a disinfection function, which is effective in obtaining safe water resources. It can be installed and operated without additional power or complex facilities, making it easy to utilize in areas lacking energy infrastructure or in rural areas.

In the future, it is expected to be applied to portable water treatment devices, emergency purification systems for natural disasters, and mobile facilities for underdeveloped countries, and it can also be used in various eco-friendly technology-based industries such as smart farms, precision agriculture, and eco-friendly industrial parks, as well as public water and sewage systems.

"This research is significant because it integrates the two processes of phosphorus removal and microbial sterilization into one, which enables us to present a low-energy water treatment solution that can be applied to various water quality environments," said Dr. Jae-Woo Choi of KIST. "This study is significant in that it shows that we can effectively disinfect total coliform without chlorine or electricity, and it can be developed into an energy-saving disinfection technology in the future," said Dr. Kyungjin Cho, another co-corresponding author of the study.

"The key to our research is the rapid recovery of phosphorus from sea urchin structural materials and the implementation of a process that precisely controls particles in water with magnetic fields," said Dr. Youngkyun Jung, first author of the study, adding, "It holds strong potential for future expansion into multifunctional water treatment platforms"

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KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://www.kist.re.kr/eng/index.do

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Yoo Sang-im) through the KIST Institutional Program and the Sejong Science Fellowship Program for Outstanding Emerging Research (RS-2023-00209565). The research was published in the latest issue of the international journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials (IF 23.2, JCR field 1.4%).