Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Develop an Electrified Technology for Non-potable Reuse of Septic Tank Effluent
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC23C0009Title: Develop an Electrified Technology for Non-potable Reuse of Septic Tank Effluent
Investigators: Carpio, Cassandra
Small Business: J-Tech LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023
Project Amount: $99,945
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I (2023) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Water , SBIR - Air and Climate , SBIR - Sustainability , SBIR - Homeland Security
Description:
Septic systems, widely used by >25% of U.S. households, represent a 6-billion-dollar market with a 5-7% projected growth rate. There is growing interest in non-potable reuse of septic tank effluent, yet existing disinfection methods are either costly (e.g., UV) or require households to handle hazardous chemicals (e.g., chlorine tablets).
This project aimed to validate a septic tank technology that enables low-cost, chemical-free disinfection of domestic wastewater for on-site non-potable reuse. The main innovation of the proposed technology is that it utilizes electricity to generate a disinfectant in situ. Compared to current technologies, the proposed technology was expected to achieve similar treatment performance (i.e., meeting the NSF/ANSI 350 on-site reuse standard), but would have the advantages of being easier and safer to operate, and being more adaptable to the conditions in rural areas. The envisioned market for this technology was households and small buildings, in sparsely populated areas and in states where non-potable reuse of septic tank effluent has been or will be widely adopted (e.g., Louisiana and Mississippi).
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
During the performance period, three main deliverables were achieved: 1) a prototype reactor was fabricated; 2) four months of testing were completed using synthetic wastewater under laboratory conditions; 3) an environmental life cycle assessment was completed for the prototype technology using lab-generated results.
The project results suggest that the technology showed promise in three areas: 1) the disinfectant was effectively generated and the generation was consistent over relatively long periods of time; 2) the effluent pH met the regulatory standards, negating the need for pH adjustment; 3) the environmental performance of the proposed technology was comparable to existing technologies, with ozone depletion impacts of the proposed technology outperforming existing technologies (while eutrophication and non-carcinogenics impacts underperforming existing ones).
Conclusions:
However, two areas will need to be improved before the proposed technology can meet the NSF/ANSI 350 standards: 1) the removal of organic contaminants needs to be higher; 2) the E.coli inactivation needs to be improved. Plans have been formulated to address the two areas and advance the commercialization of the proposed technology. Meeting the technical targets set forth in NSF/ANSI 350 will remain the priority in the next stage of development. Scale-up and economic performances will likely be crucial as well.
This project was led J-TECH LLC, a small business specializing in the development of innovative environmental remediation technologies. J-TECH is owned and led by historically disadvantaged groups. Two employees and an outside consulting firm were engaged during the project.
The 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.