SBIR Phase II: An Advanced, Mobile, High-Rate Water Treatment System

SBIR第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是展示可行性，并确定一种新型先进、高速废水处理技术的能力，通过消除下水道溢出和地下室备份，在高强度风暴事件期间保护环境和公众健康。污水公用事业公司需要可靠、成本效益高、分散的废水处理，作为强调大型基建项目的昂贵长期计划的替代方案。该项目将扩大和优化一种新的方法，在不到35分钟的时间内实现相当于传统方法的治疗，而目前的做法是8-14小时。较短的处理时间意味着较小的系统占地面积，并最终为公用事业公司和差饷缴纳人节省成本。这项技术将识别下水道溢出的“热点”，在那里，未经处理的污水在暴风雨期间被排放到接收水体中，作为地下室备份的替代方案。在溢流处实施这一新的解决方案，将通过处理潮湿天气的水流并安全地将其排放到水道中，减轻收集、运输和处理系统的负担。这项创新技术还可以应用于水回收设施，以处理覆盖层，或在救灾工作期间作为移动单元使用。SBIR第二阶段项目提出了对新概念的评估，包括应用高级氧化工艺(AOPS)进行废水处理，将快速固体去除技术与AOPS相结合，以及使用可持续的废物和带有催化剂的定制色带支架，以在催化臭氧氧化中增强羟基自由基生成。这些方法都没有商业化实施过。拟议的工作将证明先进技术能够经济高效地应用于废水处理，通过为达到或超过《清洁水法》排放标准的快速潮湿天气处理提供一个可行的选择，从而扰乱部分联合下水道溢流处理的标准。这些概念将在与行业相关的试点规模上应用，以确定全面系统的技术和化学结垢因素，并展示在处理真实废水时所需的处理水平。研究计划内成功的衡量标准包括积极的污染物清除目标，提高自动化和能源效率，以及目标成本(每加仑处理成本)分析，以确保在市场上的竞争优势。该项目的结果将证明，分散许可级别的治疗是可行的、可靠的和具有成本效益的，从而使全面实施得以开始。这一奖项反映了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 of this SBIR Phase II project is to demonstrate feasibility and determine the capacity of a novel advanced, high-rate wastewater treatment technology to protect environmental and public health during high-intensity storm events by eliminating sewer overflows and basement backups. Wastewater utilities need reliable, cost-effective, decentralized wastewater treatment as an alternative to expensive long-term plans that emphasize large capital projects. This project will scale and optimize a novel approach to achieve treatment equivalent to conventional methods in less than 35 minutes, compared to the current practice of 8-14 hours. A lower treatment time means a smaller system footprint and, ultimately, cost savings for the utility and ratepayers. The technology will identify sewer overflow “hotspots” where raw sewage is discharged into receiving bodies of water during storm events as an alternative to basement backups. Implementing this novel solution at overflow locations would alleviate overburdened collection, conveyance, and treatment systems by treating wet weather flows and safely discharging them into waterways. This innovative technology can also be applied at a water reclamation facility to handle overburden or as a mobile unit during disaster relief efforts. This SBIR Phase II project proposes the evaluation of novel concepts including the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for wastewater treatment, the combination of rapid solid removal technologies with AOPs, and the use of a sustainable waste material and custom cartridge supports with a catalyst for enhanced hydroxyl radical production in catalytic ozonation. None of these approaches have been commercially implemented. The work proposed will demonstrate the ability for advanced technologies to be cost-effectively applied for wastewater treatment, disrupting the standard of partial combined sewer overflow treatment by providing a viable option for rapid wet weather treatment that meets or exceeds Clean Water Act discharge standards. These concepts will be applied at an industry-relevant pilot scale to determine the technical and chemical scaling factors for a full-scale system and to demonstrate required levels of treatment while treating real wastewater. Metrics for success within the research plan include aggressive contaminants of emerging concern removal goals, increased automation and energy efficiency, and a targeted cost ($/gallon treated) analysis to ensure competitive edge in the market. The results of the project will demonstrate that decentralized permit-level treatment is feasible, reliable, and cost-effective, allowing full-scale implementations to begin.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.