Industrial Scale-Up and Commercial Readiness (TRL 8-9)

Kalion, Inc., and MIT have developed a microbial fermentation process for the production of glucaric acid. Using a novel biosynthetic pathway, Kalion converts myo-inositol to glucaric acid at nearly 100% yield. Conventional production of glucaric acid is harsh, toxic, and non-selective. Glucaric acid can potentially replace environmentally polluting chemicals, such as phosphate, as a biodegradable, non-toxic, and sugar-derived alternative. This fermentation process produces high-purity, low-cost glucaric acid.

Biodegradable sorbent that captures nutrients in water. Phosphorus and nitrogen are nutrients in water that act as fertilizers for aquatic plants. Eutrophication occurs when there is an overabundance of these nutrients. Nutrient pollution occurs when eutrophication produces an excessive amount of algae. These algae disrupt ecosystems by lowering the amount of dissolved oxygen in water, reducing water quality, turning the water green, causing a foul smell, blocking sunlight, and harming animals and humans who consume it.

Three-step process for reverse osmosis that achieves high-rate water extraction within a low-energy continuous process. Water and salt separation is accomplished with a draw solution called Switchable Water Salt (SWS) and heat. This system extracts the greatest amount of water from the most challenging process streams while using the least amount of energy. Reduced greenhouse gases by up to 40% compared to conventional disposal methods. The process also reclaims up to 90% of the freshwater from the waste stream.

Water treatment system designed to control corrosion, deposition, and biological fouling without "bleed-off." Significant reduction in water usage compared to conventional methods because this system does not require makeup water in cooling systems. Bleed-off is the process of flushing water with high mineral concentrations down the drain and diluting the system water mineral concentrations with fresh water to prevent precipitation. From current data in Philadelphia, treating 30,000 tons of cooling water with this system saved about 132 million gallons of water.

Large-scale anaerobic biotreatment system. Asarco's biotreatment system consists of a settling basin and two anaerobic bioreactors discharged into a rock filter polishing cell that are followed by a final aeration polishing pond. Heavy metal pollution occurs when excavated rocks or exposed underground mines get into water. The West Fork Biotreatment plant does not require conventional chemicals often associated with sludge formation nor constant human monitoring and frequent sludge disposal.

Phosphorous-free corrosion inhibitor that protects carbon steel in cooling water by forming a persistent, passivating film on steel surfaces. Traditional phosphorous-based cooling water treatment has suboptimal performance under stressed water conditions, fouling from precipitation with calcium, the need for stabilizers, accelerated corrosion of zinc alloys, and the addition of nutrients that promote bacterial growth. Regulations on the limit of eutrophication of surface water makes cooling water with phosphorous more costly.