Nine water purification projects bag US$ 1.49 million in funding

The US Bureau of Reclamation has selected nine projects to receive US$ 1.49 million under its Desalination and Water Purification Research programme.

The nine projects comprise five laboratory projects, two pilot-scale projects and two studio in the ir second year.

The research laboratory projects are small-scale feasibility studies for various processes. Funding for each project is provided for one year and capped at US$ 150,000.
The projects and their awards were:

·Carollo Engineers - (California, US$ 150,000) “Identifying Factors to Increase the Membrane Life in a Seeded Slurry Environment,”
·Regents of the University of California – (California, US$ 150,000) “Overcoming Operating Pressure Barrier in High Recovery Membrane Desalination via Hybrid RO-NF Processes,”
·Vanderbilt University – (Tennessee, US$ 145,471) “Omniphobic Membrane for Robust and Versatile Membrane Distillation Desalination,”
·WateReuse Research Foundation, Hazen and Sawyer – (New York, US$ 98,905 ) “Developing a Methodology for a Comprehensive Analysis of Alternative Water Supply Projects Compared to Direct Potable Reuse,” and
·WateReuse Research Foundation, University of Arizona and Black & Veatch – (Arizona, US$ 150,000) “Integrating Management of Sensor Data for a Real Time Decision Making and Response System.”

Pilot-scale projects determine the physical viability and suitability of a process on a larger scale than the research studies that demonstrated the associated technology works. The projects and awards were: 

·Padre Dam Municipal Water District – (California, US$ 200,000) “Maximizing Product Water through Brine Minimization: Innovative Recovery RO Testing,” and
·WateReuse Research Foundation – City of San Diego, California (California, US$ 200,000) “Realizing Reverse Osmosis Potential for Potable Reuse: Demonstrating Enhanced Pathogen Removal.”
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If the selected pilot projects complete a sufficient amount of work in the first year, they may receive additional funding for a second year. 

Pilot projects on their second year of funding were:

·New Mexico State University – (New Mexico, US$ 199,974) “Demonstration of Monovalent Selective Ion Exchange Membranes for Desalination and Reuse Enhancement,” and
·San Diego County Water Authority - (California, US$ 200,000) “Pilot Testing Programme for the Proposed Camp Pendleton Seawater Desalination Project.”
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Reclamation received 53 full proposals with a combined request of US$ 9.6 million in federal funding.

The DWPR Programme priorities are: overcoming technical, economic and social barriers for direct and/or indirect potable reuse treatment; novel processes and/or materials to treat impaired waters; and concentrate management leading to concentrate volume minimization for inland brackish desalination. The programme is open for academia, private sector, non-profit entities, state and local entities and municipalities to apply.

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