I-Corps: Water Treatment using Electrically Regenerated Ion-exchange

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供一种负担得起的有效方法，从咸淡水来源生产淡水供应。淡水短缺迫使许多社区越来越依赖地下水供应。全世界有数亿人已经面临严重的用水压力，随着淡水供应因需求增加而减少，预计他们的人数还会增加。虽然可用的新鲜地下水含水层有限，但仍有相当数量的低至中等盐度的半咸淡地下水资源未得到利用。不幸的是，现有的海水淡化技术要么太耗能，要么水回收率低，要么太贵。对于能够有效地将半咸淡水含水层转化为可行的淡水供应的新技术，有很大的需求和商业机会。该项目旨在开发一种强大、低成本、节能的微咸水脱盐技术，其潜在用途不仅包括饮用水处理，还包括食品加工、农业和其他工业应用。I-Corps项目将评估一种新技术的商业化潜力，与现有替代方案相比，该技术将通过减少资本、运营和维护以及废物管理成本，有可能降低微咸水处理的成本。较低的资本成本是通过使用使用廉价和工业化规模的前体开发的新型复合电极材料来实现的。由于新型电极实现了独特的工作模式，从而降低了操作和维护成本。新的操作模式也消除了对刺激性化学物质的需求，而是在电极从被处理的水中捕获溶解的盐后，使用低压电力来再生电极。再生会产生浓盐水的废液流，而吸附会产生处理后的淡水流（含盐量低于进水）。该系统中较高的水回收率可最大限度地减少产生的废物量，从而节省废物管理成本。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is providing an affordable and effective means to produce freshwater supplies from brackish water sources. Freshwater shortages have pushed many communities to increasingly rely on groundwater supplies. Several hundred million people worldwide already experience serious water-stress, and their numbers are expected to increase as freshwater availability declines owing to increasing demand. While available fresh groundwater aquifers are limited, there exist considerable amounts of low-to-intermediate salinity brackish groundwater sources that remain unused. Unfortunately, existing desalination technologies are either too energy intensive, have low water recovery rates, or are prohibitively expensive. There is a significant need and commercial opportunity for new technologies that can efficiently convert brackish aquifers into viable freshwater supplies. This project allows for the development of a robust, low cost, energy efficient brackish water desalination technology with potential use beyond drinking water treatment, including food processing, agriculture, and other industrial applications.This I-Corps project will evaluate the commercialization potential of a new technology that will potentially lower the cost of brackish water treatment by reducing the capital, operation and maintenance, and waste management costs compared to existing alternatives. The lower capital cost is achieved by using novel composite electrode materials developed using inexpensive and industrially-scaled precursors. The reduction in operation and maintenance costs are benefits from realizing unique operating modes made possible by the novel electrodes. The new operating modes also eliminate need for harsh chemicals, and instead use low-voltage electricity to regenerate the electrodes after they have captured the dissolved salts from the water being treated. The regeneration leads to a reject stream of concentrated brine, while the adsorption leads to a stream of treated water that is fresh (less saline than the inlet water). The higher water recovery rates in this system minimize the amount of waste generated, subsequently allowing for cost savings in waste management.