SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project investigates a novel bioelectrochemical system for combined treatment of carbon and nitrogen in the wastewater of re-circulating and semi-re-circulating aquaculture facilities. The aquaculture industry is currently held-back by high levels of wastewater and expensive treatment technologies. Elevated levels of nitrogen versus carbon in aquaculture wastewater require several expensive and energy-intensive steps for complete treatment. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) represent a new technology capable of treating wastewater in an energy-positive manner while producing fewer byproducts than existing technologies. The project will construct and evaluate a novel three-cell BES that can treat several of the most important water pollutants in a combined, energy-positive step. Phase I will prove feasibility of the technology and quantify system performance. Phase II studies will develop detailed designs and begin pilot studies at IntAct or in the field, pending Phase I results. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are to demonstrate a novel approach to aquaculture wastewater treatment with the potential to significantly enhance the economic of re-circulating and semi-recirculating aquaculture systems. Fish farming is emerging as a critical 21st century industry, with global annual production already more than 60 million tons. Yet industry growth is constrained by competition for water and the high cost of wastewater treatment technologies. By reducing energy-intensiveness and combining treatment processes, bio-electrochemical systems have the potential to greatly enhance the economics of re-circulating and semi-recirculation aquaculture facilities and the environmental sustainability of the industry

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will optimize and pilot test a novel, energy-positive approach to de-nitrification for the global aquaculture industry. Recirculating aquaculture systems suffer from high wastewater treatment costs. Leveraging recent advances in bio-electrochemical systems, Cambrian's de-nitrification technology is capable of simultaneously treating chemical oxygen demand (COD) at end of pipe and nitrates in culture tank water while generating electricity directly. Phase I R&D demonstrated the existence of exo-electrogenic microorganisms in aquaculture wastewater. A flow through reactor consistently treated nitrate to below EPA drinking water concentrations (10mg/L) while removing an average of 65% of end-of-pipe COD and generating over 96 Amps/m3. An economic analysis demonstrated potential operating savings of over 70%, and significant bio-security benefits, versus competing systems. Phase II R&D will focus on optimizing treatment rates and reactor parameters with partner firms, and piloting a scaled reactor at an Aquaculture farm. The broader impacts of this research are to introduce technologies and strategies that solve water and energy problems for the recirculating aquaculture industry. With the collapse of fisheries globally, the aquaculture industry is poised to fill an important gap in our food production. However, recirculating systems in particular are under pressure to limit environmental harm caused by water intensity and pollution. Bio-electrochemical systems represent a novel approach to turn waste resources into energy, thereby increasing farmer?s bottom line and resolving the tension between economics and sustainability. Future research can broaden applications to other industries