The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) have announced they will fund 12 research projects. It will be across the country with a total of $9m to improve energy efficiency. It will focus on desalination and water reuse technologies. The projects will develop innovative technologies to treat, use and recycle water to improve the circular economy. Moreover, it will provide climate-resilient water supplies and reduce carbon emissions in the water and wastewater sectors. With growing water scarcity issues in the US, it is crucial to develop cost-effective, sustainable, and efficient ways of treating and using water from alternative sources.
The selected research projects will target two key process challenges in treating brackish or salty groundwater and municipal and industrial wastewater: pre-treatment and post-treatment. These two stages are typically the most expensive and energy-intensive in treating nontraditional water sources. In conclusion, the projects will also support NAWI’s aim of achieving pipe parity for 90% of nontraditional water sources. This is when the cost and technology solutions for treating and reusing nontraditional water sources, such as wastewater, match those of conventional sources.
NAWI is a public-private partnership that brings industry and academic partners together to investigate technical barriers. Likewise, it supports needed research to lower desalination costs and energy consumption. It is led by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in partnership with National Energy Technology Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Finally, it is funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office.
Projects
NUMBER OF SELECTEES: 12
NUMBER OF STATES CONTAINING SELECTED PROJECTS: 8
FEDERAL FUNDING AMOUNT: $9,200,000
COST SHARE AMOUNT: $7,700,000
TOTAL FUNDING: $16,900,000
Link of interest: The Power of Ocean Waves with New Technologies
Link of interest: National Alliance for Water Innovation
