SBIR Phase II: Sustainable Decentralized Greywater Recycling System

SBIR第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是为现场水再利用提供了一个负担得起的可持续解决方案。对更好的用水效率和再利用技术的需求正在迅速增长。由于环境变化导致缺水和干旱，在不可持续的用水和人口快速增长的推动下，美国和世界各地的地下水含水层正在枯竭。对于全世界近10亿人来说，缺水威胁着生命。该项目将开发一种天然水处理系统，该系统可以清洁家庭灰水，以便在家庭和花园中安全地重复使用，将家庭总用水量减少高达40%，同时提供诱人的户外植物便利设施。该处理系统将使用紧凑型模块化容器，可以快速部署并轻松扩展，以适应任何规模的家庭和任何水基础设施昂贵、稀缺或受损的地方。该系统将远程监测水质和系统性能，以确保安全和可靠。该项目将开发一种新的生态处理工艺，将自然湿地的生物系统与火山土的净化特性相结合，以清洁和回收家庭灰水，以便在家庭和花园中安全地重复使用。该系统将使用嵌入式传感器远程监控水质和系统性能，以确保安全可靠。该项目测试了各种植物物种和自然基质，以最大限度地提高功能和美学价值，并提高对恶劣气候和阴凉的耐受性。将测试创新的管理策略，如微生物接种和循环流动，以改善系统健康和处理效率。该项目将优化处理性能，以满足监管标准。它还将评估对常见灰水污染物的改善处理，如有毒化学品、重金属、清洁产品、脂肪、油、油脂和尿液。除了灰水处理，还将探索其他水处理应用，如农村化粪池系统和城市雨水径流的脱氮。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 of this SBIR Phase II project is an affordable and sustainable solution for onsite water reuse. The need for better water efficiency and reuse technology is growing quickly. Driven by unsustainable water use and rapid population growth, groundwater aquifers across the United States and around the world are drying up as environmental change causes water scarcity and drought. For almost one billion people worldwide, water scarcity is life-threatening. This project will develop a natural water treatment system that cleans household greywater for safe reuse in the home and garden, reducing total household water consumption up to 40% and simultaneously providing an attractive outdoor plant amenity. The treatment system will use compact, modular containers that can be quickly deployed and easily scaled for any size home and anywhere water infrastructure is expensive, scarce, or compromised. The system will remotely monitor water quality and system performance to ensure safety and reliability. This project will develop a novel ecological treatment process that combines the biological systems of natural wetlands and the purifying properties of volcanic soils to clean and recycle household greywater for safe reuse in the home and garden. The system will use embedded sensors to remotely monitor water quality and system performance to ensure safety and reliability. The project tests a variety of plant species and natural substrates to maximize functional and aesthetic value and to improve tolerance to harsh climates and shade. Innovative management strategies, such as microbial inoculation and recirculating flow, will be tested to improve system health and treatment efficiency. This project will optimize treatment performance to meet regulatory standards. It will also assess improved treatment of common greywater contaminants such as toxic chemicals, heavy metals, cleaning products, fats, oils, grease, and urine. In addition to greywater treatment, alternative water treatment applications, such as nitrogen removal for rural septic systems and urban stormwater runoff, will be explored.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.