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

这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是证明其可行性，并确定一种创新的先进、高效率的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，在高强度降雨期间经济有效地保护环境和公众健康。污水公用事业行业对可靠、经济高效的管道末端湿天气处理的巨大需求尚未得到满足，以此作为强调大型基建项目的昂贵长期计划的替代方案。在该项目期间进行扩展和优化的创新方法寻求在35分钟内实现与传统废水处理在10-14小时内达到相同或更高水平的处理。较短的处理时间意味着较小的系统占地面积，并最终为公用事业公司和差饷缴纳人节省成本。这项技术将通过识别潜在的下水道溢出“热点”来满足客户的需求，这些“热点”在暴风雨期间充当公用事业排水沟的“排水沟”。每种排水溶液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缓解收集、运输和处理系统的超负荷。这项创新技术还可以应用于水回收设施，以处理覆盖层，或在救灾工作期间作为移动单元使用。这个STTR第一期项目提出了对新概念的评估，包括应用高级氧化工艺(AOPS)进行湿天气处理，将快速固体去除技术与AOPS相结合，以及使用可持续的废物作为催化剂，在催化臭氧氧化中增强羟基自由基的产生。上述方面都没有商业化实施。拟议的工作将证明先进技术能够经济高效地应用于潮湿天气处理，通过为达到或超过《清洁水法》排放标准的快速潮湿天气处理提供一个可行的选择，从而扰乱部分联合下水道溢流处理的标准。这些概念将在处理实际废水的中试规模上应用，以确定商业可行性的技术和化学结垢因素。研究计划内成功的衡量标准包括积极的传统污染物去除目标，为总体减少处理时间和足迹而增加的流量，以及确保市场竞争优势的目标成本(每加仑处理成本)分析。预计结果将进一步证明AOPS之前固体去除的重要性，随着技术规模的扩大，催化臭氧的实施将展示出更高的效率和灵活性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.