N121-053 TITLE: Near-Time Effluent Quality Sensor Technologies for Organics and Bacteria for Shipboard Wastewater Treatment Systems

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NAVSEA (SEA 05P5) Afloat Environmental Quality Program

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop sensors to measure or provide accurate predictive capabilities for five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and/or Fecal Coliform (FC) values of effluent from blackwater and graywater marine sanitation devices (MSDs) in near time.

DESCRIPTION: Environmental regulations controlling the discharge of shipboard wastewater are becoming increasingly strict worldwide. Type II MSDs have been installed on most commercial and some government owned vessels for many years to allow ships to operate within restricted waters (<3nm of shore). These systems require operations and maintenance support to make sure they work properly and produce effluent that meets established standards. The Navy is starting to integrate Type II MSDs in newer ship designs, such as the T-AKE, LCS, and JHSV Classes; however it does not have the technology to determine in less than 5 days if the MSD is performing within operational parameters.

The Navy performs evaluations of Type II MSD technologies in laboratories and onboard ships. During these evaluations, the lack of capability to get real time responses increases the cost to evaluate operational parameters, to study degradation of components, and to evaluate system improvements. The Navy needs an innovative, cost effective technology that is suitable for a marine environment, can be operated and maintained by Navy personnel with minimal training, and which will provide near-time measurement of these two key effluent quality parameters.

The standard laboratory methods to measure BOD5 and FC require a minimum 5 days and 24 hours, respectively, to complete the analyses. For the BOD5 test, five days is required and cannot be reduced while using the standard method. A new technology that can accurately predict BOD5 values, the organic content of the effluent, would need to be developed. The standard method for FC requires laboratory space for petri dishes, trained technicians and 24 hours for processing. A new technology to accurately predict FC or which simplifies the process significantly would need to be developed. The delayed reporting of effluent quality prevents a timely and cost effective assessment of the treatment system�s performance. Once adjustments and maintenance are performed, test results cannot verify the effectiveness of the effort for at least 5 days.

Innovative sensors are desired that are capable of quantitatively and accurately measuring or predicting BOD5 and/or FC in near-time (preferably on the order of minutes), or within a few hours. Regulations require values of BOD5 and FC in shipboard MSD effluent of 25 to 50 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or less, and 20 to 250 colony forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100ml) or less, respectively. Minimum detectable limits required are less than 5 mg/L for BOD5 and 3 cfu/100ml for FC. The sensor must be robust, simple, compact, fully automated, low cost, and require low maintenance and use of consumables.

PHASE I: Develop a sensor package concept and perform controlled environmental evaluations to confirm the feasibility of proposed technologies and approaches to accurately measure or predict BOD5 or FC at realistic levels with representative effluent samples. Obtain data that can be used to model and propose a sensor package concept for Phase II consideration that addresses the attributes discussed above. Create a plan showing performance goals and key milestones for Phase II development.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II development plan, further refine the approach to measure minimum and maximum BOD5 or FC levels and obtain maximum precision and accuracy. Develop and construct prototype sensors for evaluation in the laboratory. In coordination with the Navy, evaluate the sensors in a controlled laboratory environment with simulated MSD effluent and measure performance (accuracy, precision, and time required to measure parameters). After successful laboratory evaluation, in coordination with the Navy, evaluate the sensors with MSD effluent and measure performance, durability, ease of use, and maintenance requirements. Develop predictions of unit production and operational costs.

PHASE III: The contractor will transition the final sensors to the Naval Sea Systems Command for implementation and perform further advanced development and integration. Based on the evaluations completed under Phase II, the contractor will make further modifications, improvements, and optimizations to the sensors, as required, and conduct full scale shipboard evaluations on Navy/marine vessels with operating MSDs in conjunction with the Navy customer.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Successful development of sensors to measure effluent BOD5 and FC in near-time would be of significant interest to both commercial industry and the military in the development and evaluation of current and future Type II MSDs.

REFERENCES:
1) "Federal Water Pollution Control Act," As Amended (33 U.S.C 1251 et seq.).

2) Annex IV of MARPOL 73/78, Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships.

3) 33 CFR 159 Department of Transportation (DoT), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Directives, "Marine Sanitation Devices," 3 February 2003.

4) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 19th Edition 1995, methods 5210B, 9221C/E, 9222D.

KEYWORDS: biochemical oxygen demand, fecal coliform, sewage, blackwater, graywater, marine sanitation device

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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