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

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为干旱是日常现实的世界设计和开发的技术的发展，同时它也提供了一个有前途的可持续性努力，以及对成本上升和未来短缺的明智对冲。该技术规模化后可以为没有中央污水系统的农村和偏远地区以及小社区提供灌溉，洗涤和冲洗用水。客户发现活动将测试这一假设，即该技术可以通过生产可用于不同目的的高质量灰水而在真实的时间内使用。该项目的结果可以通过找到处理后的废水再利用的方法来帮助恢复水资源。这个I-Corps项目是基于废水流配置的开发，其具有显著增强的渗透通量，因为它减少了膜表面上的胞外聚合物的沉积，从而减少了膜污染。此外，这种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、可渗透膜的应用和基于电气的策略。该系统包括膜过滤、厌氧消化性能和经济可行性的增强和优化，提供了一个有前途的可持续性努力，以及对成本上升和未来短缺的明智对冲。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 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.