WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Reclamation’s Desalination and Water Purification Research program awarded eight projects funding totaling more than $1.9 million. Reclamation selected the projects from 80 eligible applications all submitting pioneering solutions to desalination and water treatment technologies.
“These awards allow us to tackle the climate crisis by investing in development and application of advanced water treatment technologies that expand access to otherwise unusable water resources,” said Research and Development Program Manager Ken Nowak. “These efforts increase water supply flexibility under the risks of long-term climate change and shorter-term drought.”
The Desalination and Water Purification Research Program provides financial assistance for advanced water treatment research and development, leading to improved technologies for developing water supply from non-traditional waters, including seawater, brackish groundwater, and municipal wastewater, among others.
Recipients of the project funding have provided an additional $1.4 million of non-federal cost share to further support these research efforts.
ARIZONA
Arizona State University: Funds awarded ($209,708 federal funding, $424,479 total project cost) for Nanobubbles as a Chemical-Free Fouling and Scale Control Strategy for Reverse Osmosis Project. This project proposes a chemical-free solution during water desalination.
COLORADO
Mickley & Associates LLC: Funds awarded ($117,700 federal funding, $235.400 total project cost) for the Updated Survey of U.S. Municipal Desalination Plants Project. This project aims to identify an estimated 50 to 70 facilities and gather detailed information about U.S. municipal desalination facilities that have been built since 2017 and will be built through 2024. The project will also determine that status of facilities included in past surveys as several older facilities are no longer operating.
University of Colorado: Funds awarded ($250,000 federal funding, $339,133 total project cost) for the Advancing Water Reuse Through Improved Diagnostic Tools for Corrosion Control Project. This project will develop a new method for proactively assessing the presence of toxic metal release in water systems and the susceptibility of release due to changing water conditions. Current methods are limited, because they do not link the presence of a toxic metal to the likelihood of release into potable water.
MASSACHUSETTS
Harmony Desalination Corporation: Funds awarded ($390,871 federal funding, $781,742 total project cost) for the Field Pilot Testing a Batch RO Process Using Electrically Conducting Reverse Osmosis Membranes Project. This project proposes extended field testing of a high recovery batch reverse osmosis process using innovative anti-scaling and antifouling electrically conducting membranes in comparison with conventional reverse osmosis membranes.
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Institute of Technology: Funds awarded ($249,940 federal funding, $396,971 total project cost) for the Enhanced Coagulation for the Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances using Hydrophobic Ion Pairing Approach Project. This project proposes to utilize hydrophobic ion-pairing as a pretreatment to enhance the removal of both short-chain and long-chain per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances during coagulation/flocculation process.
New Jersey Institute of Technology: Funds awarded ($250,000 federal funding, $500,334 total project cost) for the Field-Effect Transistor Nanosensors for Testing Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances Impacted Water and Air Project. This project will fabricate novel field-effect transistor sensors, systematically examine the sensing performance, device stability, and reusability when probing per-/polyfluoroalkyl in synthetic water and air samples and conduct a field demonstration of the sensors.
NEW MEXICO
New Mexico State University: Funds awarded ($250,000 federal funding, $312,514 total project cost) for the Brine 2030: Enhanced Water Recovery with Mineral Valorization for Sustainable Cement Production Project. This project seeks to address two seemingly different problems: brine management and greenhouse gas emissions from cement manufacturing.
TEXAS
Texas State University: Funds awarded ($250,000 federal funding, $399,234 total project cost) for the Pilot Photobioreactor Development for Scalant Removal and Enhanced Water Recovery from Brackish Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Project. This project seeks to demonstrate continuous pilot photobioreactor operation using sunlight and reduction of the reactor footprint.
For more information on Reclamation’s Desalination and Water Purification Research Program visit www.usbr.gov/research/dwpr.
