Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the economic viability of a system designed for carbon capture and water treatment at power plants. The project will measure the performance of a novel forward osmosis (FO) membrane in combination with a carbon-dioxide based switchable draw. Forward osmosis technology excels in processing difficult-to- treat waters, such as blow down waters created by power plants. Poriferas novel FO membrane has higher flux and reduced reverse salt flux compared to conventional membranes. It is more chemically stable, enabling the development of a system that uses a draw solute which can capture carbon dioxide from flue gas. The draw solute can obtain high osmotic pressure and is recyclable for reuse within the system. Compared to other state of the art technologies, the system will have higher water recovery and treat more problematic water, all while using less energy. Energy production requires significant quantities of fresh water for cooling, emitting greenhouse gases, and generating wastewater. This proposal will enable the development of a system that will synergistically capture carbon and treat wastewater at power plants. The system will have higher water recovery and treat more problematic water using less energy compared to state of the art technologies. The system will capture carbon dioxide to treat wastewater at power plants that currently require extremely expensive and energy intensive methods. The system will reduce the volume of waste water, reduce the energy costs to treat wastewater, expand the capabilities of water treatment, and reduce the cost of carbon capture from flue gas.