SBIR Phase II: An Advanced, Mobile, High-Rate Water Treatment System

该SBIR二期项目的更广泛影响是证明可行性，并确定一种新型先进、高速率废水处理技术的能力，通过消除下水道溢流和地下室堵塞，在高强度风暴事件中保护环境和公众健康。废水公用事业需要可靠的、具有成本效益的、分散的废水处理，以替代强调大型资本项目的昂贵的长期计划。该项目将扩展和优化一种新方法，在不到35分钟的时间内实现与传统方法相当的处理，而目前的做法需要8-14小时。更短的处理时间意味着更小的系统占用空间，并最终为公用事业公司和纳税人节省成本。该技术将识别下水道溢出“热点”，在风暴期间，未经处理的污水被排放到接收水体中，作为地下室备份的替代方案。在溢流位置实施这种新颖的解决方案，可以通过处理潮湿天气的水流并将其安全地排放到水道中，从而减轻收集、输送和处理系统的负担。这项创新技术也可以应用于水回收设施，以处理覆盖层或作为救灾工作中的移动设备。该SBIR二期项目提出了对新概念的评估，包括在废水处理中应用高级氧化工艺（AOPs），将快速固体去除技术与AOPs相结合，以及在催化臭氧化中使用可持续废物和定制滤筒支架来增强羟基自由基的产生。这些方法都没有商业化实施。提出的工作将证明先进技术在污水处理方面具有成本效益的能力，通过提供一种符合或超过《清洁水法》排放标准的快速湿天气处理的可行选择，打破了部分联合污水溢流处理的标准。这些概念将应用于工业相关的中试规模，以确定全面系统的技术和化学结垢因子，并在处理实际废水时展示所需的处理水平。在研究计划中，成功的指标包括积极去除新出现的污染物，提高自动化和能源效率，以及目标成本（每加仑处理美元）分析，以确保在市场上的竞争优势。该项目的结果将证明，分散的许可级处理是可行的、可靠的、具有成本效益的，可以开始全面实施。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 of this SBIR Phase II project is to demonstrate feasibility and determine the capacity of a novel advanced, high-rate wastewater treatment technology to protect environmental and public health during high-intensity storm events by eliminating sewer overflows and basement backups. Wastewater utilities need reliable, cost-effective, decentralized wastewater treatment as an alternative to expensive long-term plans that emphasize large capital projects. This project will scale and optimize a novel approach to achieve treatment equivalent to conventional methods in less than 35 minutes, compared to the current practice of 8-14 hours. A lower treatment time means a smaller system footprint and, ultimately, cost savings for the utility and ratepayers. The technology will identify sewer overflow “hotspots” where raw sewage is discharged into receiving bodies of water during storm events as an alternative to basement backups. Implementing this novel solution at overflow locations would alleviate overburdened collection, conveyance, and treatment systems by treating wet weather flows and safely discharging 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 SBIR Phase II project proposes the evaluation of novel concepts including the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for wastewater treatment, the combination of rapid solid removal technologies with AOPs, and the use of a sustainable waste material and custom cartridge supports with a catalyst for enhanced hydroxyl radical production in catalytic ozonation. None of these approaches have been commercially implemented. The work proposed will demonstrate the ability for advanced technologies to be cost-effectively applied for wastewater 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 an industry-relevant pilot scale to determine the technical and chemical scaling factors for a full-scale system and to demonstrate required levels of treatment while treating real wastewater. Metrics for success within the research plan include aggressive contaminants of emerging concern removal goals, increased automation and energy efficiency, and a targeted cost ($/gallon treated) analysis to ensure competitive edge in the market. The results of the project will demonstrate that decentralized permit-level treatment is feasible, reliable, and cost-effective, allowing full-scale implementations to begin.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.