SBIR-STTR Award

Present OilWater Separator (OWS) technologies for ships have been proven to be unreliable and require high maintenance. The U.S. Navy has stated a need to provide their ships with a bio-mechanical OWS technology that can be operated with very little maintenance, is highly reliable and can process influent that has detergent and/or emulsified wastes. EnSolve Biosystems has developed a biomechanical OWS that is semi-automatic and currently processes up to 2 gallons-per-minute (GPM) of oily bilgewater with an average oil discharge concentration of about 10 ppm . This system does not currently meet the needs of the U.S. Navy. EnSolve Biosystems proposes to build on its experience with bio-mechanical OWS systems to design an automated bio-mechanical OWS capable of cleaning oily water to levels below 5 ppm with process rates up to 10 GPM. A series of laboratory tests and mechanical alterations to an existing biomechanical OWS will help define the elements that become incorporated into the prototype conceptual design to be prepared in Phase I. Actual design and construction drawings of the prototype system will be prepared in the Phase I Option.

Keywords:
OWS, Bio-mechanical, Water, Bioremediation, Pollution, oil water separator, biomechanical, emulsion, separator, Oil, bilgewater

Traditional Oil Water Separators (OWS) on ships have been unreliable in processing emulsified oils in bilgewater. Oil/Water separation has become more difficult in recent years, with the newer generation of ships with drier bilges, and thus a higher concentration of oil, detergents, and chemical wastes in the bilgewater. The proposed biomechanical OWS must meet the U.S. Navy's requirements for discharge limits below 5 ppm, flow rates up to 10 GPM, and minimal crew interaction. EnSolve will construct an OWS based on the Phase I Option design that will meet the pre-stated goals. The system will be fully automated, allowing 30 days of hands-free operation, and it will be thoroughly tested with actual shipboard bilgewater and shipboard chemicals. The system will effectively remove free-phase oils, and the biological chamber will consume the emulsified hydrocarbons and target organic chemicals