SBIR Phase I: Research and Development for the A-Pod HAB Trap and Removal Process

这项小企业创新研究（第一阶段）项目的更广泛影响是减少有害藻华（HABs）对水资源造成的人类和环境健康风险。全国各地的社区都分配了大量的财政资源来解决水体中的有害藻华，因为有害藻华可能具有极大的毒性。然而，这个生态问题可以被视为一个生态采矿的机会，因为赤潮是微小的生态矿工，冲刷、收集和集中水体中多余的营养物质。拟议的技术是一种生态敏感的采矿技术，旨在收集、捕获和永久清除这些有害藻华、它们的毒素，以及它们所含的通常是矿级浓度的营养物质。该项目将推进一项技术，以永久和可持续地去除有害藻华、它们的毒素和它们所含的过量营养物质。作为一种完全可扩展、可快速部署、具有成本效益的技术，它将快速解决HAB损伤和相关的健康风险。拟议项目的智力优点是针对有害藻华，通过机械过滤捕获它们，通过浮选分离它们，并监测和测试出水的毒素。提出的研究重点是开发远程和自动操作能力，以进一步减少与有害藻华的潜在接触。该过程可以在不到一天的时间内部署，以包围和控制小型或非常大的有害藻华区域，不需要陆地处理区域，也不需要电力或高容量泵送系统来工作。它可以主动或被动地捕获和清除有害藻华。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 of this Small Business Innovation Research (Phase I) project is to reduce human and environmental health risks posed by Harmful Algae Bloom (HABs) impacts to water resources. Communities across the nation allocate substantial financial resources to address HABs in their water bodies as HABs can be extremely toxic. However, this ecological problem can be treated as an eco-mining opportunity because HABs are tiny eco-miners that scour, collect, and concentrate excess nutrients in water bodies. The proposed technology is an eco-sensitive mining technology designed to harvest, trap, and permanently remove these HABs, their toxins, and the often ore-grade concentration of nutrients they contain. This project will advance a technology to permanently and sustainably removing the HABs, their toxins and the excess nutrients they contain. As a fully scalable and rapidly deployable, cost-effective technology, it will rapidly resolve HAB impairments and related health risks.The intellectual merit of the proposed project is to target HABs, trap them through mechanical filtration, separate them through flotation, and monitor and test the effluent water for toxins. The proposed research is focused on development of remote and automatic operation capabilities to further minimize potential contact with HABs. The process can be deployed in less than one day to surround and control small or very large areas of HABs, does not require a land-based treatment area, and does not need electricity or high capacity pumping systems to work. It can trap and remove HABs actively or passively.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.