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The membrane bioreactor (MBR): A hybrid technology for bioregenerative wastewater treatment and resource recovery in spaceExtraplanetary surface habitat life support systems (LSS) on the Moon and Mars, as well as long-duration space travel, will require novel capabilities to withstand anticipated unique, harsh conditions. In order to provide safe, habitable environments for the crew, water purification and waste processing systems will be required to treat all sources of water (condensate, Sabatier, urine, hygiene, fecal, food waste) in order to achieve the necessary levels of recovery needed to sustain life over the long-duration missions. The ability to recycle organic wastes creates an opportunity to recover critical elements (e.g., C, H, O, N, P) for subsequent food production, water purification, and atmospheric regeneration. Bioregenerative systems mimic functions of nature in engineered systems, or bioreactors, utilizing combination of prokaryotes, eukaryotes and archaea. While these systems are commonly used on Earth for wastewater treatment, bioreactors for space travel face additional challenges. Terrestrial bioreactors often rely on gravitational settling of dense flocs and granules for cell retention. For micro- or partial-gravity environments, density differential alone will not be adequate for cell retention; a gravity-independent means for cell retention is crucial. The membrane bioreactor represents the state of the art in wastewater treatment. This hybrid system combines biological processes with membrane filtration to achieve performance beyond what each can accomplish individually. The complete cell retention in an MBR allows for the decoupling of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solids retention time (SRT), which result in a high-thruput, compact, treatment system. The Bioregenerative Water Technology Team at NASA Kennedy Space Center and the University of South Florida has developed a bioregenerative platform based on the hybrid MBR technology. The overall architecture is compact, modular, flexible, and adaptable to mission evolutions. The main subsystems of the bioregenerative architecture include: 1) Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR): Also termed the Organic processor assembly (OPA), the function of the AnMBR is to treat organic wastes such as fecal and food wastes. These wastes are characterized by a concentration of suspended solids comprised of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. The assigned function of the AnMBR is to break down and covert suspended solids to biogas (methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide), reduce effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD), liberate organically-bound nutrients, and remove pathogenic organisms. 2) Phototrophic membrane bioreactor (PMBR): The PMBR is comprised of a co-culture of microalgae and bacteria. The assigned function of the PMBR is to polish the permeate of the AnMBR to further remove dissolved organic carbon, manage nutrients (nitrogen transformation, load dampening), and perform air revitalization. 3) Food processor assembly (FPA): The FPA is a food production platform (prokaryotic or eukaryotic), fueled by outputs from the AnMBR, or PMBR. For the presentation, we will describe each step of the bioregenerative architecture, and present performance data from extended trials treating analog and real metabolic wastes.
Document ID
20220011406
Acquisition Source
Kennedy Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Daniel Yeh
(University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States)
Luke Roberson
(Kennedy Space Center Merritt Island, Florida, United States)
Talon Bullard
(University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States)
Daniella Saetta
(University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States)
Jason Fischer
(Aecom (United States) Los Angeles, California, United States)
Melanie Pickett
(University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States)
Date Acquired
July 28, 2022
Subject Category
Chemistry And Materials (General)
Life Sciences (General)
Meeting Information
Meeting: MELiSSA Conference
Location: Toulouse
Country: FR
Start Date: November 8, 2022
End Date: November 10, 2022
Sponsors: SHERPA Engineering, Earth Space Technical Ecosystem Enterprises
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 251546.04.01.76
CONTRACT_GRANT: 80NSSC18K1692 P00005
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Peer Committee
Keywords
Bioreactor
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