NSF grant funds new nanotech water treatment system center

By Sapna Suresh & Colin Locey     9/1/15 2:28pm

In early August, the National Science Foundation announced a $55.5 million grant for the opening of three new Engineering Research Centers. Of the total, $18.5 million is  dedicated to creating a center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Systems at Rice.

The center will be led by Pedro Alvarez, professor of civil and environmental engineering, who said his goal is to create a durable, efficient and cost-effective water treatment system that will produce potable water from either wastewater or seawater. He hopes to accomplish this goal through nanotechnology.

“[Nanotechnology] is critical for making small systems that are easy to deploy and have significantly greater capacity to treat a wide range of water sources that would otherwise require large and complex treatment trains,” Alvarez said.

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The grant will also expand the environmental engineering program at Rice and allow more students to get involved with research and pursue graduate degrees, according to Alvarez.

Alison Archabal, an environmental engineering major, said she is proud her school is taking a leading role in fighting the global water crisis.

“Having lived in countries where water purification is almost nonexistent including Cuba, India, Philippines, I’ve experienced the difficulty that is questioning every source of water,” Archabal, a Baker College sophomore, said, “I think Dr. Alvarez’s work is a great step not just for Rice but also for the larger community around us.”

Archabal said worldwide environmental problems have made water treatment research increasingly important.

“With the earth’s population increasing and the increase in water crises, like droughts or flooding, sustainable water purification is vital for the future,” Archabal said. “The fact [that] Rice is going to be part of a collaboration to develop the systems that can achieve this is exciting.”

Though the flagship center will be located at Rice, Alvarez said the project leaders will partner with Arizona State University, the University of Texas, El Paso and Yale University.

The other two schools with flagship Engineering Research Centers are the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, which will focus on compacting mobile power, and Arizona State University, which will examine soil engineering tasks.

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