Passive membrane technology validation and scale-up

Filterboxx提供成套和模块化的水和废水解决方案。不幸的是，目前没有可行的水处理解决方案存在于小/偏远/农村（SRR）社区。现有技术过于复杂、昂贵和/或效率低下。Filterboxx寻求一种有效、简单和低成本的解决方案，用于SRR社区的水处理，以便扩大其客户群。超滤（UF）是一种成熟的水处理技术。超滤膜特别吸引人，因为它们可以有效地去除污染物，如病原菌，原生动物和病毒。然而，在SRR社区采用这种技术目前受到UF膜系统的复杂性和成本的阻碍。大部分的复杂性与用于减轻污垢的辅助工艺有关，特别是反冲洗、冲刷和化学清洗。UBC最近的实验室研究表明，有可能显著减少对复杂的辅助污垢控制方法的需求。新型被动膜概念 ** 不使用复杂的机械和化学系统，而是使用重力作为频繁液压清洁的驱动力，并使用微生物进行最终抛光/清洁。被动膜不仅比传统膜系统简单得多，而且 ** 初步经济分析表明，对于居民少于200人的社区，** 资本成本也比传统膜系统低得多。我们将与Filterboxx合作，为SRR社区设计水处理解决方案（即 **原型被动膜系统），证明被动膜的有效性，并确定需要解决的潜在"技术限制“，使该技术能够用于SRR社区的饮用水处理。

Filterboxx provides package and modular water and wastewater solutions. Unfortunately, no viable water**treatment solution currently exists for small/remote/rural (SRR) communities. Available technologies are to**complex, costly and/or ineffective. Filterboxx seeks an effective, simple and low-cost solution for water**treatment in SRR communities so that it can expand its client base.**Ultrafiltration (UF) is a well-established technology for water treatment. UF membranes are particularly**appealing because they can achieve effective removal of contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria, protozoa**and viruses. However, the adoption of this technology in SRR communities is currently hindered by the**complexity and cost of UF membrane systems. Most of the complexity is associated with the auxiliary**processes used for fouling mitigation, notably backwashing, scouring and chemical cleaning. Recent laboratory**studies at UBC demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce the need for complex auxiliary fouling**control approaches. Instead of complex mechanical and chemical systems, the novel passive membrane concept**uses gravity as the driving force for frequent hydraulic cleaning and microorganisms for final**polishing/cleaning. Passive membrane are not only much simpler than conventional membrane systems, but a**preliminary economic analysis suggests that for communities of less than approximately 200 inhabitants, the**capital cost is also much less than that of conventional membrane systems.**In partnership with Filterboxx, we will engineer a water treatment solution for SRR communities (i.e.**prototype passive membrane system), demonstrate the effectiveness of passive membranes, and identify**potential 'limits of the technology' that need to be addressed to enable the technology to be used for potable**water treatment in SRR communities.