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Environment
Wastewater Treatment and Remediation
NASA's system was developed for smaller-scale, space-based applications. However, the technology is scalable for larger industrial and municipal water treatment applications. Implementation of the Ammonia Recovery System could significantly reduce nitrogen content from water treatment processes, meaningfully improving the quality of water. This system offers a novel way to reduce nitrogen water pollutants, while allowing for the nitrogen to be collected and reused- reducing environmental and public health risks and providing an environmentally friendly fertilizer option. NASAs environmental solutions work to sustain life on earth through space based technology
The adaptable nature of this system gives it potentially broad applications in a wide variety of industries; it is particularly ideal for on-site remediation of wastewater in places like condo complexes, hotels and water parks. Current methods of ammonia recovery could not meet NASAs mission requirements, so a new process was devised to optimize for high ammonia selectivity, simplicity, low volume , low power usage and zero contaminants in the effluent. To do this, NASA designed a novel regenerable struvite-formation system for the capture of ammonia. This system has three primary functions:
1) Removal of ammonia from wastewater using a media that is highly selective for ammonia
2) Capture of the ammonia for later use (e.g., as a fertilizer)
3) Regeneration of the capture media for reuse in the system
Sensors
Systems and methods employing nanomaterial sensors for detecting conditions impacting a Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) profile in breath
The technology involves a sophisticated system designed to detect conditions through the analysis of exhaled breath, utilizing an array of nanomaterial sensors fabricated upon a standard printed circuit board with interdigitated electrodes. These sensors are configured to interact with a sample gas that contains various Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) associated with a variety of biological conditions. Each sensor consists of nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, composite nanotubes, nanoparticle-doped nanotubes, or polymer-coated nanotubes, all disposed on an electrically conductive structure. These sensors are highly sensitive to specific VOCs at a broad spectrum of concentrations, and each sensor generates a unique measurable electrical signal on interaction with VOCs in the breath that reflects the presence and concentration of specific components in the sample gas. The previously nanosensor diagnosis technology has been further developed to identify 64 specific formulations of nanomaterials that exhibit unique and varying sensitivities to VOCs, which enables unique response signatures to be developed for a wide range of VOCs. A single device may be developed using these principles to detect a variety of health conditions and diseases.
Sensors
Advanced Thermal Inspection with Pulsed Light Emitting Diodes (PLED) Technology
NASA’s PLED thermal inspection system consists of an array of high- powered LED chips configured to deliver controlled pulses of visible light. The system includes 8 LED chip arrays, mounted on an aluminum heat sink and housed in a hood configuration. The inspection hood is specially designed with filters to prevent internal reflections. The LEDs are powered by regulated power supplies and controlled via a computer interface that synchronizes heat pulses with an infrared camera. An acrylic filter is placed over the LEDs to block residual infrared radiation, ensuring that only visible light reaches the target surface. The system’s infrared camera, operating in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) range does not detect the visible light and captures the transient thermal response of the material, allowing for precise defect detection. By eliminating the need for high-intensity broadband infrared sources, the PLED system provides a cleaner and more accurate thermal response, particularly for unpainted metals and additively manufactured (AM) components.
Performance validation of the PLED system has demonstrated significant advantages over traditional flash thermography. In tests on aluminum samples with material loss and AM Ti-6Al-4V metal specimens, the PLED system successfully detected defects with superior contrast and no heat source reflections. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied to PLED inspection data revealed clearer defect indications compared to flash-based methods, which introduced unwanted artifacts due to transient reflections. Additionally, the PLED system enabled quantitative thermal diffusivity measurements, offering a new approach to single-sided material characterization.
NASA's PLED thermal inspection technology is available for patent licensing. Potential applications include corrosion detection in aerospace components, quality control of AM metal parts, structural health monitoring of industrial materials, and more.



