SBIR-STTR Award

The objective of this proposal is to improve the capability of the Army to sustain independence and self-sufficiency at expeditionary bases.Specifically, the current and future demands of highly mobile, resource limited, Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) require advancements in technologies for wastewater treatment.Potable water and greywater (wastewater that does not contain body or food wastes, i.e. from showers and laundries) account for a substantial percentage of the logistics support convoys in current (FOBs). Therefore, reducing water demand, by treating greywater and reclaiming potable water, is needed to reduce the number of convoys necessary to deliver potable water and remove greywater from the field. 1.2 Technological advances which can create a more consistent filtration, smaller footprint, lighter weight and longer life will support this need.

Filter technology has not undergone any significant changes in the last 40 years. The footprint and power consumption requirements for high flow filter applications at less than 1 micron are cost an resource prohibitive. This proposal examines the use of 3 dimensional injection molded disks for submicron filtration. The goal of this application is to improve the efficiency of RO systems in greywater recovery applications. By reducing the overall TOC’s, reducing turbidity and improving SDO, the efficiency of the RO membrane can be dramatically improved. The ability to utilize current generation production equipment coupled with advanced injection mold manufacturing allows our technique to be cost competitive and more effective than current pleated filter solutions. Using a 3 dimensional filter channel significantly increases the effective surface area for filtration over current 2 dimensional solutions and minimizes the footprint of the filter to less 20% of current pleated filters. The channel design of the disk significantly reduces flow inductance to 5% of current filters and provides disc loading reservoirs which results in consistence flow inductance throughout the operational life of the filter.