{"project":{"acronym":"","projectId":91762,"title":"Regenerative Ammonia Recovery from ISS Wastewater to facilitate Plant Growth, Year 1","startTrl":1,"currentTrl":3,"endTrl":3,"benefits":"
Removal and recycling of nitrogen from wastewater is a critical technology for the International Space Station (ISS) and future long-duration exploration missions. Nitrogen as ammonia is valuable for plant growth systems, but finding a way to remove it from the water stream without sodium (a toxin for plants) is difficult. KSC has developed a removal process for ammonia that precipitates struvite, a compound of Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate, all chemicals beneficial to plants. This process could produce nitrogen for plants while preventing sodium accumulation.
","description":"The KSC ammonia removal process repeatedly pumps wastewater through columns of MgHPO4, with ammonia measurements and pH adjustment between columns. Columns will be regenerated when saturated to recycle the MgHPO4. Different concepts for retrieving released ammonia will be tested. The process has the potential to become highly efficient, removing as much as 95% of the ammonia in wastewater. A number of factors such as residence time, column geometry, and pH need to be assessed to optimize system performance. Following optimization, these factors can be linked to develop a continuously operating system that can then be scaled for flight, as well as for other potential industrial and environmental applications.
","destinations":[{"lkuCodeId":1543,"code":"EARTH","description":"Earth","lkuCodeTypeId":526,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"DESTINATION_TYPE","description":"Destination Type"}},{"lkuCodeId":1518,"code":"MARS","description":"Mars","lkuCodeTypeId":526,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"DESTINATION_TYPE","description":"Destination Type"}},{"lkuCodeId":1547,"code":"OUTSIDE_SOLAR_SYSTEM","description":"Outside the Solar System","lkuCodeTypeId":526,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"DESTINATION_TYPE","description":"Destination Type"}}],"startYear":2015,"startMonth":10,"endYear":2016,"endMonth":9,"statusDescription":"Completed","principalInvestigators":[{"contactId":166537,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Gioia","lastName":"Massa","fullName":"Gioia D Massa","fullNameInverted":"Massa, Gioia D","middleInitial":"D","primaryEmail":"gioia.massa@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programDirectors":[{"contactId":335305,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Michael","lastName":"Lapointe","fullName":"Michael R Lapointe","fullNameInverted":"Lapointe, Michael R","middleInitial":"R","primaryEmail":"michael.r.lapointe@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programExecutives":[{"contactId":392233,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Richard","lastName":"Howard","fullName":"Richard W Howard","fullNameInverted":"Howard, Richard W","middleInitial":"W","primaryEmail":"richard.w.howard@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"programManagers":[{"contactId":37541,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Barbara","lastName":"Brown","fullName":"Barbara L Brown","fullNameInverted":"Brown, Barbara L","middleInitial":"L","primaryEmail":"barbara.l.brown@nasa.gov","publicEmail":true,"nacontact":false}],"website":"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/index.html","libraryItems":[],"transitions":[{"transitionId":53219,"projectId":91762,"partner":"Other","transitionDate":"2016-10-01","path":"Advanced To","relatedProjectId":146055,"relatedProject":{"acronym":"","projectId":146055,"title":"Regenerative Ammonia Recovery from ISS Wastewater to facilitate Plant Growth, Year 2","startTrl":1,"currentTrl":3,"endTrl":3,"benefits":"ISS could be a potential user as a supplemental approach for wastewater processing. HEOMD AES would have interest for improved mass loop closure for long-duration ECLSS. Human Research Program would have interest to provide essential plant nutrients for supplemental food production. This proposed ammonia removal system would be much more advanced than current systems (nitrification, pretreatment stabilization). This system would be both regenerative while allowing the finished /spent absorption column to be used as plant food for hydroponic systems if desired or as a refrigerant on the International Space Station (current system uses ammonia that slowly burns off). This system, if applied in space, would pay for itself relatively quickly due to mass/energy savings from using it (reduced consumables, fewer downstream issues caused by ammonia).
","description":"Removal and recycling of nitrogen from wastewater is a critical technology for the ISS and future long-duration exploration missions. Nitrogen as ammonia is valuable for plant growth systems, but finding a way to remove it from the water stream without sodium (a toxin for plants) is difficult. KSC has developed a removal process for ammonia that precipitates struvite all chemicals beneficial to plants. This process could produce nitrogen for plants while preventing sodium accumulation. The process has the potential to become highly efficient, removing as much as 95% of the ammonia in wastewater.
","destinations":[{"lkuCodeId":1518,"code":"MARS","description":"Mars","lkuCodeTypeId":526,"lkuCodeType":{"codeType":"DESTINATION_TYPE","description":"Destination Type"}}],"startYear":2016,"startMonth":10,"endYear":2017,"endMonth":7,"statusDescription":"Completed","website":"","program":{"acronym":"KSC CIF","active":true,"description":"Each individual NASA Center has full discretion on the use of the funds and the Center Chief Technologists coordinates a competitive process at their Center for the selection of projects. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) considers CIF very important because it encourages employees to develop innovative concepts that, if successful, can solve future mission needs. As in prior years, KSC put a strong emphasis on low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for CIF in support of Space Technology Area Roadmaps that align with KSC core capabilities.
KSC has emphasized partnerships for several years and has benefited in many ways from the other NASA centers and government agencies, academia and industry collaborations. In keeping with this emphasis, a key selection criterion for KSC CIF relates to collaborations and partnerships (with leveraged funding).
","parentProgram":{"acronym":"CIF","active":true,"description":"Through the Center Innovation Fund, the Space Technology Mission Directorate allocates a small portion of the NASA workforce and procurement budget to internal research and development to feed early stage innovation in technology and exploration. Activities with in the Center Innovation Fund are proposed and led by NASA scientists and engineers. These activities and creative initiatives pursue emerging technologies that leverage talent and capabilities at the NASA Centers.
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Each individual NASA Center has full discretion on the use of the funds and the Center Chief Technologists coordinates a competitive process at their Center for the selection of projects. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) considers CIF very important because it encourages employees to develop innovative concepts that, if successful, can solve future mission needs. As in prior years, KSC put a strong emphasis on low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for CIF in support of Space Technology Area Roadmaps that align with KSC core capabilities.
KSC has emphasized partnerships for several years and has benefited in many ways from the other NASA centers and government agencies, academia and industry collaborations. In keeping with this emphasis, a key selection criterion for KSC CIF relates to collaborations and partnerships (with leveraged funding).
","parentProgram":{"acronym":"CIF","active":true,"description":"Through the Center Innovation Fund, the Space Technology Mission Directorate allocates a small portion of the NASA workforce and procurement budget to internal research and development to feed early stage innovation in technology and exploration. Activities with in the Center Innovation Fund are proposed and led by NASA scientists and engineers. These activities and creative initiatives pursue emerging technologies that leverage talent and capabilities at the NASA Centers.
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