PFI-TT: Water disinfection using safe and sustainable copper combined with a locally enhanced electric field

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project are to enable safer, more sustainable approaches to disinfecting water while minimizing the use of chlorine and its harmful disinfection byproducts. It is still a challenge finding suitable alternatives to chlorine, but using naturally abundant copper metal may be the solution. The proposed innovation combines the natural antimicrobial properties of copper with a low voltage, locally enhanced electric field to reduce the consumption of both copper and electricity, cut annual operational cost, and minimize disinfection byproducts. With the successful maturation and commercialization of this technology, the long-term goal is to launch a spin-off company to manufacture and provide alternative and sustainable solutions for water disinfection across many potential market segments (point-of-use at home, swimming pools and spas, commercial hot water lines, etc.) to minimize the negative health impacts currently associated with standard chlorine-based disinfection. Beyond this goal, all undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students involved in the project will gain the technical and entrepreneurial skills to tackle problems with evidence-based decision-making and an entrepreneurial mindset, further enabling their success for translating innovations in the future. The proposed project focuses on the further development and maturation of a chlorine-free water disinfection technology that synergistically combines locally enhanced electric field treatment and the natural biocidal effect of copper ions (LEEFT-Cu) to kill pathogens. This approach enables highly effective microbial inactivation with low copper doses and low electrical energy consumption. The underlying mechanism exploits the enhanced electric field attributed to the coaxial electrode configuration, which increases the permeability of cell membranes for microbial copper uptake, resulting in more efficient inactivation. The main goal of this PFI-TT project is to address knowledge gaps and technical barriers of the LEEFT-Cu technology identified through our previous market research and customer discovery. During this project, we will 1) test the antimicrobial efficiency of LEEFT-Cu for different microorganisms; 2) study the effect of water temperature on the performance of LEEFT-Cu; 3) develop strategies that allow LEEFT-Cu to be effective for water with higher conductivities; 4) increase the loading and utilization of Cu in LEEFT-Cu devices to reduce the in-use replacement frequency and cost; and 5) evaluate the scalability and implementation of LEEFT-Cu through a pilot test with an industry partner. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.