In order to comply with environmetal regulations and maintain its operational effectiveness, the U.S. Navy must examine alternative technologies for galley waste treatment and disposal. Recent developments in sewage and gray water treatment systems have addressed numerous shipboard applications with the exception of the galley waste stream. WASTECH international, Inc. has developed a number of innovative and alternative treatment technologies that are directly applicable to the U.S. Navy's galley waste treatment needs. These treatment technologies are capable of eliminating solids and producing an effluent potentially suitable for overboard discharge. Under Phase I of this project, WASTECH proposes to determine the feasibility of utilizing WASTECH technology for sucessfully treating shipboard galley waste. WASTECH will conceptually design a prototype galley waste treatment system that will provide the most economical and efficient means of shipboard treatment of galley waste. WASTECH's treatment system involves the microwave incineration of solids, as well as ceramic filtration of effluent to significantly reduce the suspended solids concentrations of dischage effluent. It is expected that information obtained from this Phase I project will make it possible to design and build a galley waste treatment system for an appropriate class of ships under SBIR Phase II, with commercialization for other classes of ships under Phase III. WASTECH anticipates commercializing the galley waste treatment components developed under Phase I and Phase II of this proposal as part of its overall business plan to develop products for its residentialnad commercial markets including the military (both marine and land-based), commercial marine, and food service markets.
