Novel Process Technologies for Disinfection of Potable Water

KWJ is proposing a microfabricated multichannel ozone source, and will evaluate several designs for efficiency of ozone production in Phase I. The voltage requirements to produce a sustainable plasma discharge in the microchannel depend on the field strength required to cause the electrical breakdown of gas, and can be minimized by reducing the electrode gap as well as by impedance matching to optimize the power transfer to the ozone generation reaction. The proposed innovation combines microplasma ozone generation with a microreactor platform to provide a low energy-cost, highly efficient and compact sterilization system using ambient air for ozone production. Our vision includes efficient, scalable micro-reactors that are safe, need no handling of chemicals, are low power and effective for direct use in NASA applications to disinfect potable water. The design incorporates closed-loop process flows with no chemical handling required by the crew. The technology will produce spin off products to clean air, water, and surfaces for NASA as well as commercial clients.