Biofilms

Mars Campaign Office (MCO) Life Support Systems Wastewater Processing and Water Management projects develop technologies to collect, store and process wastewater as well as manage the water recovered. Within an integrated life support system, water recovery systems provide water for use by various environmental control and life support functions on board the spacecraft. These functions may include drinking water, food re-hydration, water for crew hygiene, flush water for the spacecraft urinal, source water for oxygen generation, and, depending on the complexity of the life support system, water for crew shower and laundry. The wastewater streams that return from these uses and require treatment to be returned back to a potable state can include stabilized urine and flush water, humidity condensate, shower and laundry grey water, and water from carbon dioxide and wet-trash processing systems. The purpose of the water recovery system is to close the water loop by removing the contaminants associated with the various wastewater streams and then returning the balance of clean water back to the potable water bus in a stabilized form suitable for storage and reuse.  This project is investigating biofilm mitigations in the waste water to prevent growth of biofilms generated by microbes and fungi which can foul the water processing system. 

Biofilm mitigations include the following

• Nutrient filtration resin to reduce growth of biofilms in the wastewater tank. 
• Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection UV transmitted via fiber optics to reduce growth of biofilms in the wastewater tank.
• Aeration Module introduces a managed microbial population to treat the organic loading in the condensate which is sent to the wastewater tank.  

Prevents interruption of water processing by mitigating biofilm growth in the wastewater tank. 

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