You are here

High Flux Nanofiltration Membrane for Emerging Contaminant Control

Award Information
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Branch: N/A
Contract: EP-D-16-001
Agency Tracking Number: B14P2-0002
Amount: $300,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: 13-NCER-A1
Solicitation Number: SOL-NC-15-00005
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2015
Award Year: 2015
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2016-02-01
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2018-01-31
Small Business Information
184 Cedar Hill St
Marlborough, MA 01752-3017
United States
DUNS: 012925504
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Mark Fokema
 (508) 481-5058
 fokema@aspensystems.com
Business Contact
 Mark Fokema
Phone: (508) 481-5058
Email: fokema@aspensystems.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

A variety of organic and inorganic contaminants originating from municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater sources are being found at increasing frequency in the Nation’s natural and drinking water supplies. These “emerging contaminants” include pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, steroids/hormones, flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, personal care products, and herbicides/pesticides. While the concentrations of these emerging contaminants, is very low, the effects on human and aquatic health of persistent exposure to these compounds are not well understood and a source of concern. Existing technologies that remove these contaminants have high capital and operating costs, thereby limiting their use in drinking water production.
A high-flux, fouling-resistant nanofiltration membrane that rejects these emerging contaminants while simultaneously addressing conventional drinking water treatment requirements is being developed in the proposed program. The membrane produces water at five to ten times the throughput of conventional nanofiltration membranes, facilitating operation at significantly reduced feed pressures with fewer membrane elements. The lower energy consumption and reduced capital costs enables low-emerging contaminant, nanofiltration-quality, drinking water to be produced at as little as 67% of the cost of current membrane technologies.
The Phase I program demonstrated the high water productivity and fouling resistance of the composite membrane structure in a subscale demonstration. The Phase II program will refine the membrane structure, scale-up membrane fabrication, produce intermediate-scale membrane elements, and demonstrate long-term membrane element operation on surface water sources.
The market for nanofiltration systems is currently estimated to be $0.4 billion and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 16%, primarily due to a rising demand for potable water, reduced freshwater sources, environmental restrictions on industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and increased demand for water reuse. Although water and waste water treatment accounts for three quarters of the current nanofiltration market, nanofiltration is also being used with greater frequency in food and beverage, chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical and biomedical, metalworking, agriculture, textiles, and solid waste management markets.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government