95-61391 Girone This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the technical and economic merit of a recently invented and patented self-cleaning filter. The novel device permits localized sequential backwashing of a filter element in a continuously operating filter. The result is a filter with extremely long run times, very low maintenance requirements, and a clear potential for substantial cost savings. A wide variety of conventional filter media can be employed thus enabling a broad range of possible commercial applications. The idea appears especially promising for filtration and separation systems that recover product from a process effluent stream as well as for those that require a final polishing stage beyond a conventional solids separation process. In both these cases, ultimate disposal of the backwash stream is not required and there is a strong potential for significant pollution prevention. The conceptual design has been completed and some encouraging preliminary test results have been obtained using an early prototype. The research objectives are therefore to design and build the second generation prototype, conduct filtration and backwash performance tests, further delineate the range of potential commercial applications, and begin to assemble a computer-based performance and cost model to facilitate process optimization. The initial market focus is to provide final effluent polishing filters for wastewater treatment facilities The way this filter works, however, has very important implications for the future: The backwash flow generated is returned to the head of works eliminating the need for additional residuals treatment. Thus, as solids and bacterial discharge standards to rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans become more stringent, this filter could be used to substantially improve the final effluent quality without any major upgrade to the treatment plant.
