SBIR Phase I: Mobile Produced Water Recycling for Reducing Costs in Natural Gas Production

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响和商业潜力是，通过回收废水，为国内天然气生产商节省大量成本，否则将通过昂贵的运输和永久注入地下进行处理。虽然国内天然气生产是向清洁能源经济转型的核心支柱，但一种有害的副产品是受污染的废水，即采出水，它与天然气大量混合在一起。在Marcellus盆地（美国最大的天然气储量）等地区，唯一可行的选择是将这些水长途运输到处理井，在那里重新注入，成本占运营预算的很大一部分。通过开发一种新技术，在井场处理和再利用这些水，该项目旨在提供一种低成本、环境可持续的解决方案。这样做可以减少高达50%的水管理成本，降低天然气生产成本，并通过重复使用节省数十亿加仑的水，否则将会损失。这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发一种新型过滤膜技术，能够去除采出水中的关键污染物，同时提供所需的耐用性、最小的占地面积、流动性和可行的成本，从而为天然气生产商实现商业水循环利用。目前，对于采出水的经济回收，还没有合适的技术解决方案。本项目重点研究一种新型的超耐用硅膜，它结合了聚合物膜的过滤能力和低成本以及陶瓷的弹性。通过对膜制造方法的策略操作，包括催化剂沉积和化学蚀刻工艺参数，将致力于减小膜的孔径和增加膜的孔隙密度。这项工作的主要目标是能够从采出水中去除关键污染物，并最大限度地提高过滤吞吐量，以确保占地面积小。该项目的成功完成将导致该技术进入现场测试阶段。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to realize significant cost savings for domestic natural gas producers, enabled by recycling wastewater that would otherwise be disposed of via expensive transportation and permanent injection into the ground. While the domestic production of natural gas is a central pillar in the transition to a cleaner energy economy, a detrimental by-product is contaminated wastewater, known as produced water, which comes to the surface in large volumes mixed with the gas. In regions such as the Marcellus Basin, the largest natural gas reserve in the United States, the only viable option is to truck this water long distances to disposal wells, where it is re-injected, for a cost that comprises large portions of the operational budget. By developing a new technology for the treatment and re-use of this water at the well-site, this project aims to provide a low-cost, environmentally sustainable solution. Doing so would reduce water management costs as much as 50%, lowering gas production costs, and conserving billions gallons of water through re-use that would otherwise be lost.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project aims to develop a new type of filtration membrane technology capable of removing critical contaminants from produced water, while providing the required durability, minimal footprint, mobility, and feasible cost to enable commercial water recycling for natural gas producers. Currently, no suitable technical solution exists for the economical recycling of produced water. This project focuses on a new type of ultra-durable silicon membrane that combines the filtration ability and low-cost of polymeric membranes with the resilience of ceramic. Through the strategic manipulation of the membrane fabrication approach, including catalyst deposition and chemical etching process parameters, efforts will focus on reducing pore size and increasing pore density in the membrane. The primary objective of the work is to enable the removal of critical contaminants from produced water, and to maximize filtration throughput in order to ensure a small footprint. Successful completion of the project will result in the advancement of the technology to the field-testing stage.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.