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Water Recovery and Waste Processing

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Book cover Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats

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Abstract

Water is a ubiquitous resource for human survival, and maintaining a viable water supply for a long-term human presence in space will require life support systems that make use of all organic waste constituents within a habitat or spacecraft. Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) coupled with current space-capable wastewater processing and potable water treatment equipment leverages the best possible combination of technologies to achieve near 100% closure of life support architectures. By balancing microbial and plant communities with biotic and abiotic components of the closed environment, BLSS makes use of nearly all wastewater effluent sources by efficiently converting organic matter into nutrients for edible plant mass and subsequent human consumption. Explored are recent experiments and ongoing efforts to better define the detailed components of BLSS, along with a summary of current technologies deployed for waste collection, processing, treatment, and storage in the space environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Math, Physical & Life Sciences, Worldwide, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA

    Keith D. Crooker

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  1. Keith D. Crooker
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Correspondence to Keith D. Crooker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Manned Spaceflight Consultant, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Erik Seedhouse

  2. Astro Info Service Ltd , Halesowen, UK

    David J Shayler

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Roberto Furfaro

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Crooker, K.D. (2019). Water Recovery and Waste Processing. In: Seedhouse, E., Shayler, D. (eds) Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09575-2_111-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09575-2_111-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09575-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09575-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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