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Multipurpose Waste Disposal Bags for Heat Melt Compactor Application
Completed
TRL 5 (started at 3, targeting 5)
Description
NASA crewed spacecraft utilize storage containers for food water, supplies, trash and treated wastes. The trash bags occupy considerable vehicle storage and handling is a challenge to crewmembers. In order to reduce volume of the trash, microbial growth control and water recovery from trash, NASA has developed a heat melt compactor (HMC) device. In the Phase II project, a multipurpose trash bag that is compatible with HMC was demonstrated. The trash bag allowed for the recovery of water from waste and encapsulation of the solid waste after water recovery. In addition, the processed waste was protected against microbial growth for storing during long‐term flights. The multifunctional trash bag developed in this project, benefits NASA in volume reduction, water recovery, radiation shielding and mitigation of contamination release in space.
Benefits
The multipurpose waste disposal bags developed in this project can be incorporated into NASA's next generation space vehicles such as Orion for Long Duration Space Missions as well as in ISS and all future long duration missions that are difficlut to resupply from earth.
Proposed trash bags can be used in collecting a variety of waste materials including medical hazards, toxic chemicals and radioactive wastes. These bags can also be used in domestic applications such as trash collection in a recreation vehicle, hospitals and houses
Details
| Technology area | Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems > Environmental Control and Life Support Systems and Habitation Systems > Waste Management |
| Program | Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer (SBIR/STTR) |
| Lead organization | Materials Modification, Inc., Fairfax, VA |
| Start date | 2019-08-13 |
| End date | 2020-08-08 |
Project contacts
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
How to get involved
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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