SBIR Phase I: Development and Evaluation of Novel Polymeric Sheet Membranes for Membrane Bioreactors

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于，它提供了一种新型聚合物膜过滤材料，该材料可抵抗膜生物反应器（MBR）中处理的废水中存在的粘性有机物的污染。 膜污染是MBR系统中遇到的主要问题，并且现有技术服务不佳。与市售MBR中使用的常规聚合物膜相比，由所提出的工程聚合物材料制成的过滤膜可以显著更耐污染，易于清洁，并且显示出增强的化学弹性。全球MBR应用市场处于早期增长阶段，没有明显的主导技术和市场领导者。本研究项目的技术目标是开发一种具有（1）高透水性、（2）亲水性和超疏油性表面特性、（3）高机械/热/酸/碱耐受性和（4）高抗氧化性的平板膜。具有高透水性的膜需要较低的操作压力（较低的能量需求）。非常亲水的膜更耐污染，高度疏油的膜更耐油。机械、热和化学（酸、碱、氯）耐受性对于实现侵蚀性膜清洁至关重要。氧化剂耐受性是特别需要的，以使膜在高纯氧膜生物反应器（HPO-MBR）中起作用，其中高有机负载在持续较高的氧化电位（高溶解氧）介质中保持。因此，具有更好的长期抗氧化剂性的聚合物膜可以在HPO-MBR工艺中表现出更长的寿命，以及更低的清洁频率和停机时间。该项目旨在分子设计主链聚合物实体的侧链功能，以创建这样的耐氧化膜。具有这些规格的聚合物膜从未被制造出来，但对于需要在先进的MBR工艺中处理具有高化学需氧量（COD）的废水的客户来说将非常有吸引力。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is that it delivers a novel polymeric membrane filtration material that is resistant to fouling by sticky organic matter present in wastewaters treated in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Membrane fouling is a leading problem encountered in MBR systems, and is poorly served by incumbent technologies. Filtration membranes made from the proposed engineered polymer material could be significantly more fouling resistant, easily cleanable, and display enhanced chemical resilience compared to conventional polymeric membranes used in commercially available MBRs. The global MBR applications market is at its early growth phase, with no clear dominant technology and market leader. The proposed membrane technology will be highly differentiated and is expected to substantially improve the economics and reliability of MBRs.The technical objectives of this Phase I research project are to develop a flat sheet membrane with (1) high water permeability, (2) hydrophilic and super-oleophobic surface properties, (3) high mechanical/thermal/acid/base resistance, and (4) high oxidant resistance. Membranes with high water permeability require lower operating pressures (lower energy requirements). Membranes that are extremely hydrophilic are more fouling resistant, and membranes that are highly oleophobic are more oil-tolerant. Mechanical, thermal, and chemical (acid, base, chlorine) tolerance are critical for enabling aggressive membrane cleaning. The oxidant tolerance is specifically desired to render the membranes functional in high purity oxygen membrane bioreactors (HPO-MBR), where high organic loading is maintained in persistently higher oxidation potential (high dissolved oxygen) media. Thus, polymeric membranes with better long-term oxidant resistance could exhibit longer lifetimes, and lower cleaning frequencies and downtime in an HPO-MBR process. This project aims to molecularly design the side chain functionality of the backbone polymer entity to create such an oxidation tolerant membrane. A polymeric membrane with these specifications has never been made, but would be very attractive to customers that need to treat wastewater with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in advanced MBR processes.