SBIR 95-1 SOLICITATION
PROJECT SUMMARY
Proposal Number:
Project Title:
A SELF REGENERATING ELECTROCHEMICALLY-DRIVEN ION-EXCHANGE PROCESS
Technical Abstract:
Successful long term operation of a closed regenerative life support system requires on-
board recovery and reuse of aqueous waste streams. Recovery and reuse must be
accomplished without reliance on on-board expendable chemical and hardware components.
One essential step in the recovery of potable water is treatment to remove dissolved ions.
Removal of dissolved ions is usually accomplished by ion-exchange processes, where ions
are absorbed onto an insoluble solid material and replaced by an equivalent quantity of
another ion. Ion-exchange is inherently a batch process. Ion-exchange resin beds have a
finite capacity to absorb ions before service must be interrupted to regenerate the beds.
Regeneration of the beds is a complex procedure with the major disadvantage of requiring
chemical reagents as a consumable. This proposal concerns the development of a self
regenerating electrochemically driven ion-exchange process. The method is able to treat all
types of effluent streams in a life support system, including bioreactor effluents, and there
are no requirements for expendable treatment chemicals. The proposed technology will lead
to an exciting new commercial product for terrestrial applications because the method can
be used in a continuous mode. Continuous ion-exchange processes are much sought after
by many sectors of the water treatment industry.
Potential Commercial Applications:
The anticipated result of this project is the development of a versatile process for the
separation and recovery of dissolved ions from water. The method will have wide-ranging
commercial applications including: potable water treatment, the preparation of high purity
water for the pharmaceutical and electronics industry; and, for the removal of toxic heavy
metals from industrial effluents (e.g., from metal plating shops).
Name and Address of Offeror:
Lynntech, Inc.
7610 Eastmark Drive, Suite 105
College Station, Texas 77840
Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) &
Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Programs
Electronic Management System (EMS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The SBIR/STTR EMS site is maintained by Steve
Hu, Hughes STX.
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webmaster@sbir.hq.nasa.gov.
Updated: Feb. 7, 1996