Passive membrane technology validation and scale-up

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Filterboxx provides package and modular water and wastewater solutions. Unfortunately, no viable water**treatment solution currently exists for small/remote/rural (SRR) communities. Available technologies are to**complex, costly and/or ineffective. Filterboxx seeks an effective, simple and low-cost solution for water**treatment in SRR communities so that it can expand its client base.**Ultrafiltration (UF) is a well-established technology for water treatment. UF membranes are particularly**appealing because they can achieve effective removal of contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria, protozoa**and viruses. However, the adoption of this technology in SRR communities is currently hindered by the**complexity and cost of UF membrane systems. Most of the complexity is associated with the auxiliary**processes used for fouling mitigation, notably backwashing, scouring and chemical cleaning. Recent laboratory**studies at UBC demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce the need for complex auxiliary fouling**control approaches. Instead of complex mechanical and chemical systems, the novel passive membrane concept**uses gravity as the driving force for frequent hydraulic cleaning and microorganisms for final**polishing/cleaning. Passive membrane are not only much simpler than conventional membrane systems, but a**preliminary economic analysis suggests that for communities of less than approximately 200 inhabitants, the**capital cost is also much less than that of conventional membrane systems.**In partnership with Filterboxx, we will engineer a water treatment solution for SRR communities (i.e.**prototype passive membrane system), demonstrate the effectiveness of passive membranes, and identify**potential 'limits of the technology' that need to be addressed to enable the technology to be used for potable**water treatment in SRR communities.