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Development of a Gravity‐Independent Wastewater Bioprocessor for Advanced Life Support in Space
Author(s) -
NashashibiRabah Majda,
Christodoulatos Christos,
Korfiatis George P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143005x41708
Subject(s) - wastewater , packed bed , life support system , bioreactor , mass transfer , spacecraft , oxygen , chemistry , nitrification , porous medium , chemical engineering , waste management , chromatography , porosity , environmental science , environmental engineering , nitrogen , engineering , organic chemistry , aerospace engineering
Operation of aerobic biological reactors in space is controlled by a number of challenging constraints, mainly stemming from mass transfer limitations and phase separation. Immobilized‐cell packed‐bed bioreactors, specially designed to function in the absence of gravity, offer a viable solution for the treatment of gray water generated in space stations and spacecrafts. A novel gravity‐independent wastewater biological processor, capable of carbon oxidation and nitrification of high‐strength aqueous waste streams, is presented. The system, consisting of a fully saturated pressurized packed bed and a membrane oxygenation module attached to an external recirculation loop, operated continuously for over one year. The system attained high carbon oxidation efficiencies often exceeding 90% and ammonia oxidation reaching approximately 60%. The oxygen supply module relies on hydrophobic, nonporous, oxygen selective membranes, in a shell and tube configuration, for transferring oxygen to the packed bed, while keeping the gaseous and liquid phases separated. This reactor configuration and operating mode render the system gravity‐independent and suitable for space applications.