Activated Carbon Fiber Composite for On-board Water Recovery Unit

The proposed work in phase I will address the problem of establishing the feasibility of a new approach for developing a system to be used with military land vehicles for the on-board recovery and purification of water. The system will ultimately generate 15 gallons of potable water per day. The aims are to produce a lightweight, compact, robust, reliable, and energy efficient unit that requires minimum maintenance. The preferred source of water will be from the vehicle engine exhaust emissions, where it will be collected by condensation. The principal challenge is the purification of this water. The core of the proposed purification system relies upon different forms of novel, rigid fiber composite materials that will be used to produce a combined purification train. The first section of the train will contain activated carbon fibers for the removal of organic contaminants and residual particulates. The second section will contain immobilized ion exchange resin to remove ionic species, and final polishing will be achieved by another section of activated carbon fiber. The train will be formed a single monolithic cartridge that will be sealed into a lightweight container. The absence of moving parts or particulates means that the cartridge is extremely robust and resistant to movement under rugged conditions. The same principles can be applied to the development of lightweight portable units for use in the field. The goals of phase I are to confirm that the system can be operated to meet potable water standards, to achieve a reasonable period of on-line service, and to provide reasonable estimates of production, maintenance, and operating costs. The work will also establish whether there are any other practical requirements for a phase II development, such as the need to incorporate a disinfection protocol. BENEFITS: The market for on-board water recovery units include applications in both military and recreational vehicles. Lightweight, rugged portable water treatment units is another potential application for this technology.