STTR Phase I: Solar-driven, thermally responsive membranes for off-grid water purification

STTR 第一阶段：用于离网水净化的太阳能驱动热响应膜

• 批准号: 2213218
• 负责人: Michael Brown
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: AQUAPAO, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2213218&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Solar; driven; thermally

The broader impact of this STTR Phase I project will be the development of a solar-based water purification solution that has the potential to overcome the persistent barriers to safe drinking water access plaguing the more than 81 million Americans living in counties with elevated water quality issues. As the frequency of climate-related natural disasters and the prevalence of contaminated drinking water supplies (e.g., from detection of per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ‘forever chemicals’) increases, there is an urgent need for easily implementable water treatment options to maintain access to safe drinking water. Offering an off-grid, cost effective, energy-free approach, this technology is suited to provide a safe drinking water solution that can be cost-effectively deployed without requiring a water infrastructure overhaul. In contrast to existing water treatment approaches, which rely on energy inputs and infrastructure investment, the proposed technology is both sustainable and reliable, and has the flexibility, modularity, and scalability needed for facile deployment. Potential commercial impact of this disruptive technology is high, considering the number of communities currently seeking water treatment solutions that would be easily met with the technology, and the subsequent jobs created related to installation and maintenance. The technical innovation of this project comes from the development of a solar absorber gel (SAG) membrane that passively purifies water using natural sunlight or a waste heat source. This system is designed to selectively capture clean water at low temperatures and release it under natural sunlight at higher temperatures. Compared to other passive solar water purification methods, which rely on the energy-intense evaporation and condensation processes, this technology does not rely on a phase transformation but instead absorbs and releases liquid water due to minor temperature swings and can achieve the critical temperature for water release within a matter of minutes. This system holds promise for both modular and stationary water purification in a sustainable manner. Phase I project will focus on demonstrating performance capabilities to meet drinking water standards, improving water collection rates, and enhancing the durability of the membranes. The objectives include: 1) investigating the properties and performance of SAG membranes with an open-cell membrane structure that dramatically improves the water purification rate; 2) performing detailed investigation on the SAG rejection rate to harmful mixed impurities and meeting National Sanitation Foundation standards; and 3) assessing the long-term reusability of the SAG membrane, including on accelerated degradation studies.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.

STTR 第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将是开发基于太阳能的水净化解决方案，该解决方案有可能克服困扰生活在水质问题严重的县的超过 8100 万美国人的安全饮用水获取的持续障碍随着与气候相关的自然灾害的发生频率和饮用水源污染的普遍存在（例如，检测到全氟烷基物质/多氟烷基物质（PFAS）“永远的化学物质”），迫切需要易于实施的水源该技术提供了一种离网、经济高效、无能源的方法，适合提供安全的饮用水解决方案，无需对水基础设施进行检修即可经济高效地部署。与依赖能源投入和基础设施投资的现有水处理方法相比，拟议的技术既可持续又可靠，并且具有轻松部署所需的灵活性、模块化和可扩展性，考虑到这种颠覆性技术的潜在商业影响很大。目前寻求水处理的社区数量该项目的技术创新来自太阳能吸收凝胶（SAG）膜的开发，该膜可利用自然光或废物被动净化水。该系统旨在选择性地在低温下捕获干净的水，并在较高温度下在自然阳光下释放它，与其他依赖于能源密集型蒸发和冷凝过程的被动式太阳能水净化方法相比，该技术不需要热源。依赖相变相反，由于较小的温度波动，可以吸收和释放液态水，并且可以在几分钟内达到释放水的临界温度。该系统有望以可持续的方式实现模块化和固定式水净化。满足饮用水标准、提高水收集率并增强膜的耐用性的目标包括：1) 研究具有开孔膜结构的 SAG 膜的特性和性能，可显着提高水净化率； 2) 进行详细调查SAG 对有害混合杂质的截留率并符合国家卫生基金会标准；3) 评估 SAG 膜的长期可重复使用性，包括加速降解研究。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用评估被认为值得支持。基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。