Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Low Cost, Efficient Microchannel Plasma Ozone System for Point of Use Water Treatment
EPA Contract Number: EPD15006Title: Low Cost, Efficient Microchannel Plasma Ozone System for Point of Use Water Treatment
Investigators: Cho, Jin Hoon
Small Business: EP Purification, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: II
Project Period: November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2016 (Extended to October 31, 2017)
Project Amount: $297,500
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase II (2014) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Drinking Water Treatment and Monitoring
Description:
The team at EP Purification (EPP) and the University of Illinois has developed and commercialized low cost microchannel plasma reactor modules capable of efficiently producing ozone for point-of-use water purification and other environmental applications. New technology developed at the University of Illinois has allowed the EPP team to develop ozone generators in a different physical manifestation that enables a radically different approach to ozone generators, in low-cost, compact structures as compared with conventional technologies. The EPA SBIR program leveraged this technology to realize low cost yet robust ozone generators based on parallel plasmachemical processing of O2/N2 mixtures in arrays of microcavity plasmas. The primary goal of the program is to demonstrate and commercialize efficient ozone generation systems for water purification and sterilization, designed to have a scalable, slim form factor, and significant cost reduction over similar products. To that goal, we have fabricated new micro-reactors and parallel-processing modules, and successfully designed a system capable of ozone production of over 100 grams of ozone per hour.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
This SBIR Phase II program was successful as most of the goals set forth in the original proposal to EPA were achieved or surpassed. The most significant of these accomplishments are:
1.A 115 g/hr (2.7 kg/day) microplasma ozone system, for example, is realized by the combined output of 18 modules comprising 72 chips and 1,800 microchannels.
2.Extensive testing documents chip and system lifetimes (MTBF) beyond 10,000 hours, and efficiencies > 130 g/kWh when oxygen is the feedstock gas. Furthermore, the weight and volume of microplasma systems are a factor of 3-10 lower than those for conventional ozone systems of comparable output.
3.The efficiency for the ~ 100 g/hour systems are repeatedly shown to be ≥ 130 g/kWh which is well above those for conventional dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) or corona ozone reactors of similar size.
4.We engineered microplasma chips to operate in humid air for up to two thousands hours, a capability not available with conventional technology for which water vapor is anathema. The microplasma systems operate reliably (albeit with reduced output) in ambient air and humidity levels up to 90 %, a characteristic attributable to the water adsorption/desorption properties and electrical breakdown strength of nanoporous alumina.
5.Massively-parallel plasma-chemical processing offers functionality, performance, and commercial value beyond that afforded by conventional technology, and is currently in operation in 30 countries worldwide.
In short, we are pleased to report that all the goals proposed in the Phase II proposal were surpassed, especially with respect to ozone production capacity in unit modules and ozonation performance when treating water.Also, owing to the encouraging results with regard to form factor, high efficiency and scaled ozone production, our commercialization plan is moving forward and we already have several business partners, and identified unique markets.
Conclusions:
EPP successfully made the proof of concept demonstration for a novel ozone generation technology using low temperature microplasmas in an array of microchannels. New prototypes show significant advantages in ozone production, efficiency, robustness, design flexibility and cost over the conventional technology. Through the duration of this program we have developed six different lines that have been introduced into the market, and we are now moving forward to a new smart solution for ozone generation and control. Large scale reactors capable of ozone producing up to kilograms per hour in a system reduced in size of up to one order of magnitude as compared with current technology are under development.
Commercialization:
Ozone is known to be superior to chlorine with respect to deactivating many of the pathogens of greatest concern for human health, and this characteristic is attractive for cleaning laundry, and particularly in nursing or assisted-care facilities where the bacterial load of the water in the wash cycle generally exceeds that for hotels, for example. Processing laundry with ozone offers significant energy savings over conventional techniques. Since ozone is much more effective at neutralizing pathogens, laundry can be processed in cold water if the water contains between 1.5 to 3.5 ppm ozone. The treatment time can be significantly reduced (depending on the ozone concentration) which will speed up the laundering process leading to reduced labor cost. Additional savings are realized through the reduced need for detergents when using ozone, eliminating the need for bleach, and extended linen lifetime. Most laundry facilities are excited about this relatively new process which offers substantial cost reduction, especially when it is more effective at controlling pathogens and extends the linen lifetime.
EPP has teamed up with a company in Champaign IL that uses commercial ozone generators for point of use applications especially for laundry. This company has recognized that the microplasma technology enables them to deploy compact, modular, energy efficient, but robust ozone generation systems and solutions for their applications. Our partner's clients include nursing homes, hotels, and in the future, hospitals. Each of these facilities typically needs multiple ozone generating systems. In the future, we expect to extend the product to residential applications as a new, effective way to save energy for anyone with a washing machine. Additional laundry service companies are interested in our products, and now EPP is working with more than four ozone laundry companies of various sizes. Long-term field testing (more than 18 months) has proven the performance of our units and they have been installed in a number of locations including a Hilton hotel in Indianapolis.
Other prominent applications of the disinfection of water by ozonation include cooling towers, medical and dental uses of water, the washing and irrigation of vegetables and fruit, food processing, and the treatment of wastewater. Consequently, the adoption of ozone for these applications, as well as the disinfection of water in municipality systems, is expected to expand significantly in the next 5 years.A related application concerns the disinfection of sinks, both in medical facilities and residential settings. A recent study has shown that antibiotic-resistant pathogens thrive in the traps and plumbing associated with sinks in hospitals, for example, and are capable of being dispersed in air by distances beyond 0.5 m from the drain. Such bacteria appear to be partially responsible for the occurrence of hospital-acquired infections. Tests conducted at EP Purification have shown that a small (0.3-0.5 g/hr), air feedstock, microplasma ozone system connected to the cold water line of a kitchen faucet will readily produce ozone concentrations of ≲ 1 ppm in the cold water flow. Such concentrations are more than adequate to disinfect the water but also the portions of the sink and much of the drainage plumbing with which the ozonated water comes in contact. Such a capability has been available in the past, but an affordable and reliable system is needed to effectively curb the transmission of infections by pathogens cultivated within sink traps and biofilms on the interior surfaces of plumbing fittings and pipe.
Larger ozone generation capacities are required for applications such as aquafarms, food processing, and the treatment of chemical plant wastewater. The former involves the reversal of oxygen depletion in fish farm waters, for example, and O3 injection has a remarkable effect on the growth rates of fish and other marine life. Ozone is also quite effective in dissociating aromatic hydrocarbons and benzenes, in particular, and tests show O3 to be an effective solution to lowering benzene concentrations in the wastewater stream of chemical processing plants to environmentally-acceptable levels.
Our current production and marketing opportunity is expected to generate > $500,000/year in gross sales by the end of 2017 as our partner is gearing up to increase its marketing effort with our product and move from nationwide to overseas. At the same time, we plan on extending our product line to both smaller ozone units (battery powered) to be used in food processing, cooling tower and biomedical application, to larger units that can be used for small municipalities for ozone potable water treatment, waste water treatment and used by the semiconductor industry. By the end of 2018, we believe that sales will increase to above the $2M/year level.
In addition to these opportunities, during this development period, we were already approached by a number of industrial parties from both domestic and foreign markets with strong interests of applying this technology to commercial laundry, point of use water purification, agriculture, and the food industry. Marketing models of distribution, joint development, and licensed production are being discussed with a few, and several field tests and demonstrations of the prototypes have been initiated with custom reactor designs which are optimized for specific needs.
EPP is actively working with over 14 distribution partners both in the US and internationally in the applications area listed above. These partners have purchased units are in various stages of distribution or testing of the units in their specific applications areas. Our next goal is to move forward with some or all of these companies to generate significant sales goals.
Journal Articles on this Report : 3 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 3 publications | 3 publications in selected types | All 3 journal articles |
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Kim MH, Cho JH, Park SJ, Eden JG.Modular and efficient ozone systems based on massively parallel chemical processing in microchannel plasma arrays:performance and commercialization. European Physical Journal:Special Topics 2017;226(13):2923-2944. |
EPD15006 (Final) |
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Dong SK, Li J, Kim MH, Cho JH, Park SJ, Nguyen TH, Eden JG. Deactivation of legionella pneumophila in municipal wastewater by ozone generated in arrays of microchannel plasmas. Journal of Physics D:Applied Physics 2018;51(25). |
EPD15006 (Final) |
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Dong SK, Li J, Kim MH, Park SH, Eden JG, Guest JS, Nguyen TH. Human health trade-offs in the disinfection of wastewater for landscape irrigation:microplasma ozonation vs. chlorination. Environmental Science:Water Research Technology. |
EPD15006 (Final) |
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SBIR Phase I:
Low Cost, Efficient Microchannel Plasma Ozone Generator for Point of Use Water TreatmentThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.