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

I-Corps：使用电再生离子交换进行水处理

• 批准号: 1745725
• 负责人: Ashok Gadgil
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1745725&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Water; Treatment; using; Electrically

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.

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供一个负担得起的和有效的手段，从半咸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。全世界已有数亿人面临严重的缺水问题，而且由于需求增加，淡水供应量减少，预计缺水人数还会增加。 虽然可用的淡水含水层有限，但仍有相当数量的低至中等盐度微咸地下水源未得到利用。不幸的是，现有的海水淡化技术要么过于能源密集，水回收率低，要么过于昂贵。对于能够有效地将半咸水含水层转化为可持续淡水供应的新技术，存在着巨大的需求和商业机会。该项目允许开发一种强大的，低成本的，节能的微咸水淡化技术，其潜在用途超出饮用水处理，包括食品加工，农业和其他工业应用。该I-Corps项目将评估一种新技术的商业化潜力，该技术通过减少资本，运营和维护，与现有替代品相比，废物管理成本。较低的资本成本是通过使用廉价的和工业规模的前体开发的新型复合电极材料来实现的。操作和维护成本的降低得益于通过新型电极实现的独特操作模式。新的操作模式还消除了对苛刻化学品的需求，而是在电极从被处理的水中捕获溶解的盐之后使用低压电力来再生电极。 再生导致浓缩盐水的废弃流，而吸附导致新鲜的经处理的水流（比入口水含盐量少）。该系统中较高的水回收率可最大限度地减少废物产生量，从而节省废物管理的成本。