Granted Patent B2

US 12,577,129 · App. 18/303,973 · Granted Mar 17, 2026

Inventor: Ni-Bin Chang (Orlando, FL)

Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.

C02F1/288B01J20/0225B01J20/106B01J20/28011B01J20/28059C02F1/281C02F2101/308

Abstract

Claims (37)

1 . A filtration media comprising:

at least one silicon atom;

at least one aluminum atom;

at least one zero-valence-iron (hereinafter “ZVI”) atom;

wherein the filtration media comprises a composition of at least 85% sand, at most 5% clay, at most 6% ZVI atom, and at most 4% perlite by percent volume;

wherein the ratio of the at least one ZVI atom to the at least one grain of sand is at most 0.071 by percent volume;

wherein the filtration media comprises a surface area of at most 3.00 m 2 ·g −1 ;

wherein the filtration media comprises a porosity of at least 29.0% of percent surface area;

wherein the filtration media construct comprises a density of at least 2.50 g·cm −3 ; and

wherein the filtration media comprises a saturated hydraulic conductivity of at least 10 −5 m·s −1 .

2 . The filtration media of claim 1 , wherein the filtration media further comprises at least one potassium atom, at least one calcium atom, or both.

3 . The filtration media of claim 1 , wherein the filtration media comprises a heterogenous morphological structure.

4 . The filtration media of claim 1 , wherein the filtration media is configured to maintain an effluent concentration below 40 color units of the Platinum-Cobalt Scale (hereinafter “Pt—CO”).

5 . The filtration media of claim 1 , wherein the filtration media is configured to inhibit ponding, clogging, or both within at least one pour of the filtration media for at least 40,000 minutes.

6 . The filtration media of claim 1 , wherein the filtration media is configured to maintain an adsorption capacity of at least 25.0 mg Pt—Co·g −1 .

7 . A method of optimizing a color removal reaction within a water sample, the method comprising:

incorporating a filtration media into the water sample, the filtration media comprising:

at least one silicon atom;

at least one aluminum atom;

at least one zero-valence-iron (hereinafter “ZVI”) atom;

wherein the filtration media comprises a composition of at least 85% sand, at most 5% clay, at most 6% ZVI atom, and at most 4% perlite by percent volume;

wherein the ratio of the at least one ZVI atom to the at least one grain of sand is at most 0.071 by percent volume;

wherein the filtration media comprises a surface area of at most 3.00 m 2 ·g −1 ;

wherein the filtration media comprises a porosity of at least 29.0% of percent surface area;

wherein the filtration media construct comprises a density of at least 2.50 g·cm −3 ; and

wherein the filtration media comprises a saturated hydraulic conductivity of at least 10 −5 m·s −1 ; and

wherein the incorporation of the filtration media to the water sample thereof optimizes the color removal reaction within the water sample.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the filtration media is configured to operate continuously in the water sample for at least 14,000 minutes.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the filtration media is configured to inhibit ponding, clogging, or both within at least one pour of the aluminum-doped ZVI-quartz construct for at least 40,000 minutes.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the filtration media configured to maintain an adsorption capacity of at least 25.0 mg of Pt—Co·g −1 .

11 . A method of synthesizing a filtration media, the method comprising:

providing at least one zero-valent iron (“ZVI”) material;

mixing the ZVI material with sand, clay, and perlite in proportions of at least 85% sand, at most 5% clay, at most 6% ZVI, and at most 4% perlite by percent volume; and

subjecting the mixture to heat treatment to produce a filtration media having a porosity of at least 29%, a BET specific surface area of at most 3.0 m 2 ·g −1 , a density of at least 2.50 g·cm −3 , and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of at least 10 −5 m·s −1 .

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment is conducted at a temperature of at least 850° C.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment is configured to promote formation of a heterogeneous morphological structure within the filtration media.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the filtration media synthesized is configured to inhibit ponding, clogging, or both within at least one pour of the filtration media for at least 40,000 minutes.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (49)