NSF Convergence Accelerator Track K: Electrokinetic water purification system for point-of-use applications

NSF Convergence Accelerator Track K：用于使用点应用的动电水净化系统

• 批准号: 2344398
• 负责人: Robbyn Anand
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: Iowa State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Electrokinetic

The overarching goal of the project is to develop a portable fit-for-purpose water purification system to address water insecurity. Such a system would circumvent limitations in regions where there is limited basic water infrastructure and water quality monitoring, or frequent shortages or interruptions caused by climate change or natural disasters, such as drought and hurricanes. Water insecurity and insufficient water quality are detrimental to social and economic growth, especially in regions like Puerto Rico and Colonias near the U.S.-Mexico border. The young population is compelled to migrate away from these areas to seek better living conditions and employment, while the elderly who are unable to leave, are subjected to deteriorating living conditions, which result in poor mental and physical health. A fit-for-purpose water purification system will alleviate some of the water insecurity burden in these regions and in turn, address these societal issues. The few portable membrane-based water purification systems that are commercially available require continuous maintenance, high-pressure, and water preconditioning steps, which limit deployment flexibility and increase cost. This two-phase project aims to develop a portable, membrane-free water purification and monitoring system where no water preconditioning is necessary, and the removal of salts and contaminants is achieved using an electric field. The specific technology employed has the distinct advantage that the rate of water output can be readily scaled to meet demand. The focus of Phase I is to determine community needs and demonstrate feasibility of the proposed technology. First, by bringing together various stakeholders, the research will evaluate the landscape of water insecurity in impacted regions and identify key variables, needs, and design preferences that will guide the development of a pre-prototype device. Second, a coupled computational and experimental approach will expedite technology development and demonstrate practical feasibility. Third, a recently developed sensing technology amenable to point-of-need applications will be adapted for in-line continuous monitoring of water contaminants identified by stakeholders as being high priority. Lastly, Phase I of the proposed project will identify key partnerships for further advancement of technology and its adaptation in the field in Phase II.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.

该项目的总体目标是开发一种便携式拟合式净水系统来解决水不安全感。这样的系统将在基本水基础设施和水质监测有限的区域中避免限制，或者由于气候变化或自然灾害（例如干旱和飓风）造成的频繁短缺或中断。水不安全感和水质不足对社会和经济增长有害，尤其是在美国 - 墨西哥边境附近的波多黎各和科尔尼亚斯等地区。年轻人被迫远离这些地区寻求更好的生活条件和就业，而无法离开的老年人则遭受恶化的生活条件，导致精神和身体健康不良。适合用途的水净化系统将减轻这些地区的一些水不安全感负担，然后解决这些社会问题。可商购的少数便携式膜净化系统需要连续维护，高压和水预处理步骤，从而限制了部署灵活性并提高成本。这个两相项目旨在开发不需要水预处理的便携式，无膜的水净化和监测系统，并使用电场去除盐和污染物。所采用的特定技术具有明显的优势，即可以很容易地扩展水输出速度以满足需求。第一阶段的重点是确定社区需求并证明拟议技术的可行性。首先，通过将各种利益相关者汇总在一起，该研究将评估受影响区域中水不安全感的景观，并确定将指导前型设备开发的关键变量，需求和设计偏好。其次，耦合的计算和实验方法将加快技术开发并证明可行性。第三，最近开发的感应技术可容纳需要对需要点的应用程序，以在线连续监测利益相关者确定为高优先级的水污染物。最后，拟议项目的第一阶段将确定关键的合作伙伴关系，以进一步进步技术及其在第二阶段中的适应。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响来评估的评估值得支持的。