Recipient Organization
HARRIS ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS CORPORATION
141 WASHINGTON STREET
EAST WALPOLE,MA 02032-1155
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Drinking-water sources are vulnerable to a broad range of contamination. This project examines the synergistic effectiveness of acoustic cavitation with reduced chlorine doses to enhance waterborne pathogen inactivation.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Water-quality problems affect both the rural population and the agricultural sector. Unsafe bacterial or chemical levels would affect human health if treatment is not used. Poor-quality water also affects agricultural production. Diversification options such as food or non-food processing such as dairy operations are simply not possible or practical without adequate water treatment to ensure the safety of the water for the processing and cleaning operations. Water quality can interfere with animal feed mixes and livestock health, and animal weight gain may be impaired. The objective of this multi-phase SBIR project is to develop a drinking-water disinfection system using a synergistic combination of chlorination and acoustic cavitation. The system will leverage of the fact that the combined system will use 50% or even less chlorine than is used currently and thereby reduce the levels of DBPs. Yet the system will be more effective against a wide range of pathogens that
are immune to chlorine treatment alone.
Project Methods
The Phase II goal is to validate the use of robust piezoelectric ceramic elements (in a novel configuration) for generating acoustic cavitation and to demonstrate the practicality of integration with chlorine. The approach is to: (1) design a prototype flow-through cavitation chamber with a chlorine-injection system; (2) demonstrate the required inactivation of protozoa, bacteria, and viruses; (3) demonstrate destruction of trichloroethylene, methyl-t-butyl ether and atrazine; (4) test the prototype for inactivation of indigenous microorganism found in natural waters; and (5) assess potential economic benefits of deploying the new technology in rural communities.