I-Corps: Auto-flocculation technology for wastewater treatment

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是发展污水处理技术。目前，污水处理厂（WWTPs）消耗了该市使用的能源的三分之一以上，其中曝气操作使用了高达80%的能源。污水处理厂也是最大的温室气体排放源之一，其直接排放量估计占全球总排放量的1.6%。提出的技术使用自动絮凝来加强废水处理的初级澄清，这是所有废水处理应用中的基本单元操作。采用所提出的自絮凝技术加强一级澄清，可以减少二级处理过程的有机和营养负荷。因此，该技术有可能减少处理基础设施支出、活性污泥曝气的能源成本和废水处理的碳足迹。这个I-Corps项目是基于自动絮凝技术的发展，以提高废水处理中的初级澄清。目前，在初级澄清中，颗粒是通过重力沉降从散装水中去除的。这种初级治疗过程的疗效通常约为50%。在初级澄清之后，废水要进行二级处理，如活性污泥，这对基础设施要求很高，能源消耗高，温室气体排放大。此外，废水的强化初级处理通常需要调节化学品，这是不可持续的，并且通常会损害下游生物过程，并且/或对传统澄清器进行重大改造。然而，废水具有显著的自聚集潜力，这是目前在常规废水处理中尚未实现的。拟议的自絮凝工艺不需要化学品或澄清剂的改造，而是在澄清前对废水进行搅拌，使初级处理效果达到80-90%。在初级处理阶段，通过拟议的自动絮凝技术捕获更多的富碳固体有望使污水处理厂朝着碳中和工业的方向发展。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/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of wastewater treatment technology. Currently, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) consume greater than a third of the energy used by the municipality, with aeration operation utilizing up to 80% of this energy. WWTPs also are one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters with their direct emissions estimated at 1.6% of global inventory. The proposed technology uses auto-flocculation to enhance primary clarification of wastewater treatment, a basic unit operation in all wastewater treatment applications. Enhancing primary clarification by using the proposed auto-flocculation technology may reduce organic and nutrient loading to secondary treatment processes. Therefore, the technology has the potential to reduce treatment infrastructure outlay, energy cost for aeration in activated sludge, and carbon footprint of wastewater treatment.This I-Corps project is based on the development of auto-flocculation technology for enhanced primary clarification in wastewater treatment. Currently, in primary clarification, particles are removed by gravity-based sedimentation from the bulk water. The efficacy of this primary treatment process is typically about 50%. Following primary clarification, wastewater is subjected to secondary treatment, such as activated sludge, requiring intense infrastructure requirements, high energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, enhanced primary treatment of wastewater often requires conditioning chemicals, which is unsustainable and often compromises downstream bioprocesses, and/or significant retrofitting of conventional clarifiers. However, wastewater possesses significant self-aggregating potential, which is currently unrealized in conventional wastewater treatment. The proposed auto-flocculation process does not require chemicals nor clarifiers' retrofit but employs agitation of wastewater prior to clarification, which enables 80-90% of primary treatment efficacy. Greater capture of carbon rich solids by the proposed auto-flocculation technology at the primary treatment stage is expected to render wastewater treatment plants with a path toward carbon neutral industry.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.