Recipient Organization
ONVECTOR LLC
3700 HORIZON DR
KING OF PRUSSIA,PA 194062642
Performing Department
Onvector LLC
Non Technical Summary
The overall goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a new type of reactor thatwould be an inexpensive and reliable means to treat non-traditional (e.g, high BOD and high COD) source waters for subsequent use in agricultural drip irrigation. This would allow for replacement of chemicals and of chemical dosing systems currently used for such purpose. This initial phase of the project will design, construct, and evaluate a prototype bench-scale reactor in the laboratory.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
Where it is difficult to meet agricultural water demand with conventional resources, use of non-traditional water sources often represents a viable option. Non-traditional water sources for agricultural irrigation include industrial wastewater, agricultural return flows, and produced water from minerals extraction. However, there are several problems that limit the application and scope for such non-traditional water sources, including presence of plant pathogens, unwanted chemicals, heavy metal ions, and high salinity. Plant pathogens in irrigating water are one of the major sources for diseases of numerous nurseries, fruit, and vegetable crops. Accordingly, one or more members of almost every major pathogen group have been implicated in waterborne movement in crop production systems. The plant pathogen problem in irrigating water presents an excellent opportunity for use of non-thermal plasma technology, as plasma is a well-demonstrated tool for efficient inactivation of microorganisms. Where pathogens in non-traditional water sources are inactivated by plasma treatment, some of the non-traditional water can be safely and cost-effectively used for the optimum growth of crops. Additional related problems such as potentially hazardous chemicals in wastewaters also present an opportunity for plasma technology, as the advanced oxidation and chemical reduction capabilities of plasma can neutralize the harmful effects of many unwanted chemicals in non-traditional water sources. For example, produced water from oil and gas production often contains various hydraulic fracturing chemicals.Due to limitations of existing technologies for treatment of non-traditional sources of water for agricultural purposes, such as filtration, there is a need for a non-chemical method without ongoing consumable expenses and additional costs. Thisproject will utilizeplasma treatment technology to providean in-situ non-chemical solution without recurring expenses for the disinfection of irrigation water. Unlike filtration, the pressure drop across the plasma reactor is relatively smalland the plasma device never becomes a site for the accumulation of pathogen due to the biocidal power and high temperature (> 2,000K) of arc plasma. The proposed plasma treatment technology is a highly efficient, physics-based, non-chemical approach, which requires only electricity as an operating expense. It is expected to improve consistency of disinfection performance while reducing costs relative to chemical injection.The overall objective of this Phase I SBIR project is to practically demonstrate the concept of aventuri-based plasma discharge system for agricultural water treatment. Specific technical objectives of the project are as follows:Objective 1: Determine anoptimum venturi reactor geometry and construct venturi reactor(s) that can operate in a water flow rate range of 10 - 50 gallons per minute (gpm).Objective 2: Mechanically integrate the HV electrode within the venturi tube reactor. A key technical question is whether or not the fittings around the HV electrode can have adequate lifetime, given the intense heat of arc plasma without leakage.Objective 3: Construct and demonstrate proper operation of a water circulating test facility including a venturi-based plasma reactor.Objective 4: Experimentally determine the ignition characteristics of arc plasma and determine ranges of conditions under which arc plasma can be ignited and sustained stably.Objective 5: Conduct validation experiments for bacterial inactivation and demonstrate the efficacy of venturi-based plasma treatment of water. The technical question is whether or not the systemcan attain > 90% inactivation of microorganisms, preferably in a once-through flow mode. Also conduct limited experimentation to evaluate the simultaneous chemical (COD) degradation capabilities of venturi-based plasma treatment of water dosed with hazardous chemicals.The proposed device to be developed willprovide a more reliable and more economic method for microbiological effects elimination in drip irrigation lines as compared to currently available technology that requires chemical dosing and handling. Benefits to the nation include availability of a product that can utilize many types of wastewaters as direct feed for irrigation water preparation and the resulting potential improvement in water utilization efficiency in many regions that are arid and prone to drought. These characteristics will have indirect social benefits in providing a more secure food supply, lessening the potential for food-borne illnesses, and potentially increasing acreage and associated job opportunities that can be economically employed for cultivation of agricultural crops. A monetary estimation of the total benefits of this approach is difficult to make but is many multiples of the anticipated total cost to successfully develop the proposed product.
Project Methods
This project will use engineering design concepts to design and construct a novel reactor to treat non-traditional water sources for agricultural uses. The novel reactor will be evaluated systematically in laboratory studies using simulated water akin to the anticipated actual water sources. Electrical, chemical and biological activity measurements will be made to determine the performance of the reactor.