STTR Phase I: Pilot-scale Advanced, High-Rate Wet Weather Treatment Scale-up and Optimization

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是证明可行性，并确定一种创新的先进的高速率潮湿天气处理技术的能力，通过消除下水道溢出和地下室备份，在高强度降雨事件期间以具有成本效益的方式保护环境和公共健康。废水公用事业行业已经证明，作为强调大型资本项目的昂贵长期计划的替代方案，对可靠、具有成本效益的管道末端潮湿天气处理的需求很大。在该项目中，正在进行规模化和优化的创新方法旨在在35分钟内实现与传统废水处理在10-14小时内实现的相同或更高水平的处理。更短的处理时间意味着更小的系统占地面积，并最终为公用事业和纳税人节省成本。该技术将通过识别潜在的下水道溢流“热点”来满足客户的需求，这些“热点”在暴雨事件期间充当公用事业下水道中的“排水管”。每一种排水解决方案都将通过处理潮湿天气的水流并将其安全地释放到水道中来减轻负担过重的收集、输送和处理系统。这项创新技术也可以应用于水回收设施，以处理超载或作为一个移动的单位在救灾工作。 该STTR第一阶段项目提出了新概念的评估，包括高级氧化工艺（AOPs）在潮湿天气处理中的应用，快速固体去除技术与AOPs的结合，以及使用可持续的废物材料作为催化臭氧化中增强羟基自由基生产的催化剂。上述方面均未在商业上实现。拟议的工作将证明先进技术具有成本效益地应用于潮湿天气处理的能力，通过提供符合或超过清洁水法排放标准的快速潮湿天气处理的可行选择，破坏了部分联合下水道溢流处理的标准。这些概念将应用于中试规模处理真实的废水，以确定商业可行性的技术和化学缩放因子。研究计划中的成功因素包括积极的传统污染物去除目标，增加流量以减少整体处理时间和占地面积，以及有针对性的成本（$/加仑处理）分析，以确保在市场上的竞争优势。预计结果将进一步证明在AOP之前去除固体的重要性，催化臭氧化的实施将证明随着技术规模的增加而提高的效率和灵活性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project is to demonstrate feasibility and determine the capacity of an innovative advanced, high-rate wet weather treatment technology to cost-effectively protect environmental and public health during high-intensity rain events by eliminating sewer overflows and basement back-ups. The wastewater utility industry has demonstrated a great unmet need for reliable, cost-effective, end-of-pipe wet weather treatment as an alternative to expensive long-term plans that emphasize large capital projects. The innovative approach being scaled and optimized during this project seeks to achieve the same or higher level of treatment in 35 minutes as conventional wastewater treatment achieves in 10-14 hours. A lower treatment time means a smaller system footprint and, ultimately, cost savings for the utility and ratepayers. The technology will address customer needs by identifying potential sewer overflow "hotspots" that act as "drains" in the utility sewershed during storm events. Each drain solution would alleviate overburdened collection, conveyance, and treatment systems by treating wet weather flows and safely releasing them into waterways. This innovative technology can also be applied at a water reclamation facility to handle overburden or as a mobile unit during disaster relief efforts. This STTR Phase I project proposes the evaluation of novel concepts including the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for wet weather treatment, the combination of rapid solid removal technologies with AOPs, and the use of a sustainable waste material as a catalyst for enhanced hydroxyl radical production in catalytic ozonation. None of the above aspects have been commercially implemented. The work proposed will demonstrate the ability for advanced technologies to be cost-effectively applied for wet weather treatment, disrupting the standard of partial combined sewer overflow treatment by providing a viable option for rapid wet weather treatment that meets or exceeds Clean Water Act discharge standards. These concepts will be applied at a pilot scale treating real wastewater to determine the technical and chemical scaling factors for commercial feasibility. Metrics for success within the research plan include aggressive conventional contaminant removal goals, increased flowrate for overall decreased treatment time and footprint, and a targeted cost ($/gallon treated) analysis to ensure competitive edge in the market. It is expected that the results will further demonstrate the importance of solids removal ahead of AOPs, and the implementation of catalytic ozonation will demonstrate increased efficacy and flexibility as the technology scales.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.