MICRO-TRACERS INC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.4

Description

Global water demand has increased with population growth, industrialization and agricultural development. In the western U.S., water supplies are vulnerable to drought, groundwater depletion and water quality issues. The resulting problems of freshwater scarcity have negative financial impacts on agricultural communities and other water-intensive industries.Food-borne illnesses,another problem facing the poultry industry, are major public health concerns. Pathogenic bacteria must be destroyed to avoid cross-contamination of poultry carcasses during meat processing. Further, the release of poultry wastewater can be harmful to the environment and bacteria must be disinfected before discharge into the sewer. Chlorine is the most common disinfectant in wastewater treatment systems and by-products of chlorine disinfection have potential detrimental effects on human health and the environment.Contaminants such as viruses, pesticides and pharmaceuticals can also impact water quality. Decontamination methods that are environmentally friendly have become an area of interest forthe U.S. government (e.g. water security, environmental protection and potential danger of chemical-warfare attacks) as well as local stakeholders and wastewater treatment facilities. To respond to these growing interests, a better understanding of decontamination, pollution prevention and water reuse is urgently needed.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project involves synthetic and physical chemistry, microbiology and the design of disinfection equipment. Our multidisciplinary team intends to develop improved methods for both the remediation and reuse of wastewater with advanced technology. Thetechnology was developed specifically for poultry processing and can be integrated into current industry practices.Micro-Tracers, Inc. has many contacts at poultry processing plants who are willing to consider the technology at least on a trial basis.The proposed application has the potential to reduce food-borne pathogens with fewer toxic by-products and save poultry processors financially by cutting freshwater and wastewater disposal costs.A comparative economic analysis of chorine and chlorine-free water treatment techniques has identified a viable opportunity for this technology to improve wastewater disinfection practices. In addition tosavingpoultry processors financially by cutting freshwater, sewer and energy costs, the proposed water purification technology may provide many positive externalities to society such as greater conservation of water andlower public health risks.