SBIR Phase I: Sustainable Decentralized Greywater Recycling System

这个SBIR第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种负担得起的、可持续的解决方案来处理和回收家庭灰水。节约淡水，减少浪费是至关重要的。家庭灰水回收可以通过处理温和使用的水并将其重复用于日常清洁和个人卫生来减少用水量。该项目将开发和优化用于家庭使用的新型植物灰水处理系统的几种配置。该系统使用紧凑的模块化容器部署在任何地方，以便于扩展，并使用嵌入式传感器远程监控水质和系统性能。处理后的水将达到饮用水标准，以植物为基础的系统也可以用作私人花园或公共绿地。这项技术可以提高社区对缺水的适应能力。这款SBIR第一阶段产品使用紧凑、模块化的容器推进了系统的转换，这些容器可以部署在水基础设施昂贵、稀缺或受损的地方。该系统保护人们免受致病细菌的侵袭，减少氮和磷的流失，有助于防止藻类大量繁殖和水道富营养化。使用无线传感器远程监控水质和系统性能。该项目的研究和开发将包括：1)优化处理性能以实现家庭规模的操作；2)制作专门的模块化容器的原型；以及3)测试集成传感器。为了优化处理性能，常用的污水处理关键植物将种植在由不同尺寸的浮石组成的自然过滤介质中，然后经过不同类型和体积的灰水。在模块化容器中，将测试各种配置的管道、堰和空气泵，以优化氧气、过滤和流量。在运营期间，将结合使用传感器读数和专业实验室测试来分析和验证水质，以及确定对现场操作和远程监测最关键的水质参数。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 SBIR Phase I project is to develop an affordable and sustainable solution for treating and recycling household greywater. It is vital to conserve fresh water and reduce water waste. Household greywater recycling can reduce water consumption by treating gently used water and reusing it for everyday cleaning and personal hygiene. This project will develop and optimize several configurations of a novel plant-based greywater treatment system for household use. The system uses compact, modular containers to be deployed anywhere for easy scaling, and it uses embedded sensors to monitor water quality and system performance remotely. The treated water will meet drinking water standards and the plant-based system can also serve as a private garden or public green space. This technology can improve community resilience to water scarcity.This SBIR Phase I product advances the translation of a system using compact, modular containers that can be deployed where water infrastructure is expensive, scarce, or compromised. The system protects people from pathogenic bacteria and reduces nitrogen and phosphorus run-off, helping to prevent algal blooms and eutrophication of waterways. Water quality and system performance are monitored remotely using wireless sensors. Research and development for this project will include: 1) optimizing treatment performance to operate at a household scale; 2) prototyping specialized, modular containers; and 3) testing integrated sensors. To optimize treatment performance, key plants commonly used for wastewater treatment will be grown in a natural filtration media composed of various sizes of pumice, then subjected to various types and volumes of greywater. Within the modular containers, various configurations of plumbing, weirs, and air pumps will be tested to optimize oxygenation, filtration, and flow rates. During operation, a combination of sensor readings and professional laboratory testing will be used to analyze and validate water quality, as well as identify water quality parameters most critical for field operation and remote monitoring.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.