Biosphere Ocean Life Support

Abstract

This project was performed under the College of Engineering’s Senior Design, and to serve as a final thesis for submission to the Honors College. Within this project, a wastewater treatment system was designed for the Biosphere 2’s ocean, which is soon to be converted to model a coral reef. The primary goal of the project was to eliminate as much waste as possible, ensuring a closed loop within the Biosphere. This was accomplished by designing four-unit operations, each optimized to remove a specific contaminant, with sustainability as the primary consideration. Within this report, detailed mass balance, equipment specifications, economic analysis, and recommendations are outlined.