NASA SBIR 2008 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Lynntech, Inc.
7610 Eastmark Drive
College Station, TX 77840 - 4023
(979) 693-0017

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jinseong Kim
jinseong.kim@lynntech.com
7610 Eastmark Drive
College Station, TX 77840 - 4023
(979) 693-0017

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract: 3

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
One of the highest priorities in Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) for longer missions is to recover and process wastewater to provide clean water. There is an important need for a total organic carbon (TOC) sensor to assure that the organic chemical content of water environment of the astronaut crew habitat falls within acceptable limits, and that the chemical life support system is functioning properly. For longer missions, water monitoring requires sensitive, fast response, online analytical sensors. Lynntech has successfully developed a novel regenerative TOC analyzer for real-time monitoring of water quality with an operational lifetime of 5 years with no maintenance required and no need to supply reagents. In addition, the TOC analyzer was flight-qualifiable and microgravity-compatible. This proposal concerns further development of the TOC analyzer as a compact online analytical sensor utilizing (i) electrochemical components producing two key elements in TOC analysis, acid and oxidant; (ii) photolysis/photocatalysis for the complete oxidation of organic carbons to carbon dioxide; and (iii) mesofluidic design. During the Phase I effort, the feasibility of the proposed system and approach will be demonstrated. A prototype will be designed, fabricated, tested, and delivered to NASA during the Phase II project.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Successful development of a compact online total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) will lead to water quality monitoring assuring that the chemical contents of the water environment of the astronaut crew habitat falls within acceptable limits for potable or hygienic water, which is essential to enable human planetary exploration missions ranging from a return to the Moon and through an initial Mars mission, including using the International Space Station.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis is a well-defined and commonly used analytical tool. Many water utilities monitor TOC to determine raw water quality or to evaluate the effectiveness of processes designed to remove organic carbons. Successful development of a compact online total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) as a hand-held device will have a high commercial applicability to a wide range of industries where water quality assurance and control is important, such as semiconductor industries or pharmaceutical industries.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Biomedical and Life Support Waste Processing and Reclamation