PFI:AIR - TT: Microbial Capacitive Desalination for Produced Water Reuse and Energy Production

该PFI：空气技术转化项目专注于转化微生物电容海水淡化(MCD)技术，以满足使用水力压裂和水平钻井的新兴石油和天然气行业对高能效、模块化和移动式水管理解决方案的需求。目前的现场处理和再利用技术非常耗能和成本高。因此，大量受污染的水未经处理就被运输和重新注入，这一做法正引起公众和监管机构的注意。MCD很重要，因为它解决了采出水(废水)运输、回注和地下水污染的环境问题，它可以回收数十亿加仑的水用于有益的用途，同时从化学反应中获取能量。该项目将产生一个原型MCD系统，在实际环境条件下具有更好的性能。该产品具有以下独特功能：它是一个更小的移动系统，在去除碳氢化合物、盐和金属的同时产生能量，而不是消耗能量。与该市场领域领先的竞争性水管理实践相比，这些功能提供了更高的效率和更低的成本。该项目在从研究发现转化为商业应用的过程中解决了以下技术差距。它实现了先进制造、自动化控制和工艺工程的集成，以实现模块化系统开发和扩展。它还为不同条件下的水力、机械和环境特性提供了测试平台，为系统的优化和应用提供了关键信息。此外，参与该项目的人员，包括博士后研究人员和学生，将通过技术开发和转移获得技术和创业经验。该项目与制造公司和石油和天然气公司合作，确定从研究发现到商业现实的技术转化过程中的商业化路径和测试环境。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating microbial capacitive desalination (MCD) technology to fill the need for energy efficient, modular, and mobile water management solutions for the emerging oil and natural gas industry using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Current technologies for on site treatment and reuse are very energy and cost intensive. Consequently, large quantities of contaminated water are transported and re-injected without treatment, an approach that is attracting public and regulatory attention. The MCD is important because it solves the environmental problems of produced water (wastewater) transportation, re-injection, and groundwater contamination, and it can recycle billions of gallons of water for beneficial use while harvesting energy from the chemical reactions. The project will result in a prototype MCD system with improved performance under real environmental conditions. This product has the following unique features: it is a smaller, mobile system that generates rather than consumes energy while removing hydrocarbons, salts, and metals. These features provide much higher efficiency and lower cost when compared to the leading competing water management practices in this market space. This project addresses the following technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. It enables the integration of advanced manufacturing, automation control, and process engineering for modular system development and scale up. It also provides a testing platform for hydraulic, mechanical, and environmental characterizations under different conditions, which provides crucial information for system optimization and application. In addition, personnel involved in this project, including postdoctoral researchers and students will gain both technological and entrepreneurship experience through technology development and transfer.The project engages manufacturing companies and oil and gas companies to identify commercialization pathways and test environment in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality.