Grantee Research Project Results
2021 Progress Report: Conversion of crop waste into construction material
EPA Grant Number: SU839850Title: Conversion of crop waste into construction material
Investigators: Venkatadriagaram, Sundararajan , Lin, Dayong , Templer, Shawn , Ortiz, Erica , de Bleecker, Yann , Aoki, Genevieve , Orluck, Dylan , Deuling, Ryan , Salameh, Yazan , Leon, Jose de , Gonzalez-Almacen, Aileen
Current Investigators: Venkatadriagaram, Sundararajan , Lin, Dayong , Templer, Shawn , Ortiz, Erica , de Bleecker, Yann , Aoki, Genevieve , Orluck, Dylan
Institution: University of California - Riverside
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: November 1, 2019 through October 30, 2020 (Extended to October 30, 2022)
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2020 through October 31,2021
Project Amount: $24,998
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The project aims to build a desalination system that provides water supply for small communities and families that do not have access to water. The system uses a combination of solar energy, an innovative Venturi-based vacuum system, condensation, and demisting to obtain desalination without the need for reverse osmosis. The system will work with brackish groundwater, seawater, or reusable water that has undergone simple filtration. This system is intended for use in isolated communities in arid places such as southwestern areas of the United States where clean water is in short supply but saltwater or brackish water may be more available and where water reuse may be necessary.
Progress Summary:
The team has designed the overall process flow by doing detailed calculations of flow rates and temperatures. These designs have been validated using simulations. The team has designed, constructed and tested the Venturi subsystem. This subsystem accelerates the flow to obtain the vacuum needed to evaporate the brackish water and to entrain in a fast-moving air-stream. This subsystem is being revised to obtain adequate flow rate and pressures. The demister unit separates water droplets from the water vapor so that only desalinated water enters the condenser. The condenser uses cooling water to condense the vapor to obtain pure water. The condenser unit and the demister subsystems have been designed and simulated. They are currently under construction. Solar energy is used to heat the water and the incoming air. In addition, solar panels provide energy for the pumps and fans. Detail design of this subsystem is currently in progress.
Future Activities:
The team will continue the construction and testing of each unit in the lab and conducting the research. The Venturi subsystem is undergoing re-design based on initial results. Experimental validation and iteration will continue till the design is refined. For the condenser, assembly is being performed as the final parts arrive. Once constructed, experiments can be performed to verify the design calculations. The team will then make design revisions as needed in order to maximize the efficiency of the condensing unit when manufacturing stage is reached. The demister design is being reviewed by the new team member. Parts will be ordered in the upcoming weeks in order to have all parts required for a working prototype. Once assembled, the team will conduct experiments on the demister in order to ensure the system achieves the desired output. The solar subsystem is currently under design by a capstone senior design team. Construction and validation will be subsequently carried and the subsystem will be integrated with the rest of the system.
Supplemental Keywords:
Venturi Tube, prototype testing, safe drinking water act, condenser, desalination, heat transfer, clean water, fluid flow, demister, condensation.Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.