I-Corps: Wastewater Treatment Using Anaerobic Membranes Bioreactor with Electrolyte Regeneration

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为干旱成为日常现实的世界而设计和开发的技术的开发，同时它还提供了一种有希望的可持续努力，以及一种应对成本上升和未来短缺的聪明对冲。在规模化后，该技术可以为农村和偏远地区以及小型社区提供灌溉、洗涤和冲厕用水，这些地区无法接入中央污水系统。客户发现活动将检验这样一个假设，即通过生产可重复用于不同目的的高质量灰水，这项技术可以实时使用。该项目的结果可以通过找到重新利用处理后的废水的方法来帮助回收水资源。这个i-Corps项目基于废水流结构的开发，渗透通量显著增加，因为它减少了细胞外聚合物在膜表面的沉积，从而减少了膜污染。此外，这项以水回收和再利用为目的的废水处理技术，采用了优化的操作条件、防污染膜的应用和基于电气的策略。该系统包括膜过滤、厌氧消化性能的增强和优化，以及提供有前景的可持续努力的经济可行性，以及针对不断上升的成本和未来短缺的智能对冲。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 I-Corps project is the development of technology designed and developed for a world where droughts are an everyday reality, while it also offers a promising sustainability effort, as well as a smart hedge against rising costs and future shortages. The technology when scaled can provide water for irrigation, washing, and flushing in rural and remote areas with no access to central sewage systems as well as in small communities. The customer discovery activities will test the hypothesis that this technology can be used in real time by producing high quality grey water that can be reused for different purposes. Results from the project could help recovery of water resources by finding ways to reuse the treated wastewater.This I-Corps project is based on the development of wastewater stream configuration with considerably enhanced permeate flux, as it reduced the deposition of extracellular polymeric substances on the surface of the membrane, leading to a reduction in membrane fouling. Moreover, this technology for wastewater treatment with the purpose of water recovery and reuse, employs optimized operational conditions, application of antifouling membranes, and electrically based strategies. The system consists of enhancement and optimization of membrane filtration, anaerobic digestion performance, and economic feasibility offering a promising sustainability effort, as well as a smart hedge against rising costs and future shortages.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.