SBIR Phase I: Early detection of Bulking and Foaming in Wastewater Treatment using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnostics

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种低成本的诊断方法，通过向工厂运营商提供早期预警，允许采取预防措施，来结束污水处理厂（WTTP）中的膨胀和起泡事件。 活性污泥法是处理污水的现代方法，于1900年初开发，以防止疾病的传播，因为工业革命期间人们迁往城市，水传播疾病造成许多人死亡。 活性污泥依靠生物过程从废水中去除悬浮固体进行处理，因此清洁的水或流出物返回到地表沃茨供人类和环境使用。 当某些罪魁祸首细菌的生长与细菌总数不成比例时，就会发生膨胀或起泡，导致未经处理的污水与污水一起排放。 极端事件可能会使污水处理厂在合规罚款、工厂或设备损坏以及运营成本方面损失数十万美元。 如果海滩或码头在活动期间关闭，会产生更广泛的经济成本。 膨胀和起泡事件的早期检测将提供强有力的工具，以促进废水处理厂更有效的运行。第一阶段研究项目的目标是开发一种使用聚合酶链式反应（PCR）技术的分子测试，该技术可由污水处理厂（WTTP）人员在现场进行，以提供膨胀和起泡事件的早期预警-长达三周的提前预警，使污水处理厂运营商能够采取预防措施，以避免经济成本，能源生产损失和对公共健康的威胁。 膨胀和起泡是由28种罪魁祸首细菌引起的。目前，该行业依赖于显微镜，这是主观的，需要大量的研究和培训，并提供最多一两天的警告-没有足够的时间采取预防措施。 实际上，大多数情况下，直到污水处理厂开始膨胀或起泡才进行检测。 本项目拟开发的诊断工具将研究专门针对这些细菌的分子鉴定技术，并提供一种分析测试，以合理的成本产生真实的时间结果，以帮助有效地操作和优化废水处理厂的工艺。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is the development of a low-cost diagnostic to end bulking and foaming events in wastewater treatment plants (WTTP) by providing early warning to plant operators allowing preventative action. The activated sludge process the modern method to treat sewerage was developed in the early 1900 to prevent the spread of disease as people moved to the cities during the industrial revolution and waterborne disease caused many deaths. Activated sludge relies on a biological process to remove suspended solids from wastewater for treatment so clean water or effluent is returned to surface waters for human and environmental use. Bulking or foaming occurs when certain culprit bacteria grow out of proportion to total bacteria, resulting in raw sewerage being discharged with the effluent. An extreme event can cost a wastewater treatment plant several hundreds of thousands of dollars in compliance fines, damage to plant or equipment, and operational costs. Broader economic costs occur if beaches or marinas are closed during an event. Early detection of bulking and foaming events will provide for powerful tools to facilitate more effective operation of wastewater treatment plants. The objective of this Phase 1 research project is to develop a molecular test using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques that can be done on site by wastewater treatment plant (WTTP) personnel to provide early warning of bulking and foaming events - up to three weeks advance warning allowing WWTP operators to take preventative action to avoid economic costs, loss of energy production and threats to public health. Bulking and foaming is caused by 28 culprit bacteria. Currently the industry relies on microscopy which is subjective; requires significant study and training; and provides at most a day or two of warning -not enough time for preventative action. In reality, most often, detection is not made until the WWTP begins bulking or foaming. The proposed diagnostic tools to be developed in this project will investigate molecular identification techniques to specifically target these bacteria and provide an analytical test that yields real time results at reasonable costs to help effectively operate and optimize processes in wastewater treatment plants.