Purification System Uses Future Technology
water purification system developed for
use in future space missions has already found down-to-Earth applications.
Micro-Bac International, Inc., of Round Rock, Texas, under a NASA Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, has developed a phototrophic cell
for water purification systems. Phototrophic processes use light as the
principle energy source and do not require aeration.
The cell has been used for several industrial applications since the project's completion in September 1995, and it is now marketed as a liquid purification product, called Mega-BacTF™. Thus, less energy is needed than for competitive water treatment systems. The cell was initially developed for use aboard future space stations and inhabited off-Earth colonies on the Moon and beyond.
The cell is exclusively licensed and manufactured by Micro-Bac International, a full-service research and development company that specializes in manufacturing environmentally friendly biological solutions for bioremediation, microbially enhanced oil recovery, wastewater treatment, food processing and animal waste collection systems. The product is an all natural, nonpathogenic, environmentally friendly bacterial solution that does not require special clothing or equipment for treatment. Other treatment processes require the use of goggles, gloves and laboratory coats.
Metabolic processes produce the enzymes necessary for degrading septic wastes and reducing odor. Such processes work on the degradation of fat, oil, fecal material and other biologically derived wastes. They do not require aeration, use sunlight as an energy source and do not generate carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulfide.
The company has successfully used its product in the treatment of municipal wastewater systems, farm ponds and industrial lagoons, as well as in food processing and animal waste collection systems. Other potential applications include septic tanks in individual homes, wastewater facilities at isolated military installations and pools at chemical manufacturing firms.
Micro-Bac International embarked on the project in 1991 to develop a wastewater treatment system for the Controlled Environment Life Support Systems module for a four-person lunar base. Advanced life support is a critical technology for long-duration human presence in Earth orbit, on the Moon, on Mars or beyond, and wastewater treatment is a key aspect of resource recovery.
This cell represents a new concept in waste treatment, with significant differences from and advantages over existing systems that require oxygen (aerobic) and those that do not (anaerobic), according to Dr. Dennis R. Schneider, Micro-Bac International's vice president for research and development. "It offers flexibility, safety, cost effectiveness and performance," he said.
For more information, contact Bob Lessels at Marshall Space Flight Center.
Call (256) 544-6539, Fax: (256) 544-3278, E-mail: robert.lessels@msfc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
