SBIR-STTR Award

The broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR Phase I project is to develop an affordable and sustainable solution for treating and recycling household greywater. It is vital to conserve fresh water and reduce water waste. Household greywater recycling can reduce water consumption by treating gently used water and reusing it for everyday cleaning and personal hygiene. This project will develop and optimize several configurations of a novel plant-based greywater treatment system for household use. The system uses compact, modular containers to be deployed anywhere for easy scaling, and it uses embedded sensors to monitor water quality and system performance remotely. The treated water will meet drinking water standards and the plant-based system can also serve as a private garden or public green space. This technology can improve community resilience to water scarcity.This SBIR Phase I product advances the translation of a system using compact, modular containers that can be deployed where water infrastructure is expensive, scarce, or compromised. The system protects people from pathogenic bacteria and reduces nitrogen and phosphorus run-off, helping to prevent algal blooms and eutrophication of waterways. Water quality and system performance are monitored remotely using wireless sensors. Research and development for this project will include: 1) optimizing treatment performance to operate at a household scale; 2) prototyping specialized, modular containers; and 3) testing integrated sensors. To optimize treatment performance, key plants commonly used for wastewater treatment will be grown in a natural filtration media composed of various sizes of pumice, then subjected to various types and volumes of greywater. Within the modular containers, various configurations of plumbing, weirs, and air pumps will be tested to optimize oxygenation, filtration, and flow rates. During operation, a combination of sensor readings and professional laboratory testing will be used to analyze and validate water quality, as well as identify water quality parameters most critical for field operation and remote monitoring.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.

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.