The Water Research Foundation Funds Eleven New Transformative Research Projects Worth $1.8M

Nov 13, 2024
Press Release

(Denver, CO) 11/11/24 – The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has selected 11 new projects for funding to advance water research through its Unsolicited Research Program. These projects total nearly $1.8 million in WRF funding. Pending successful contract negotiation, the projects will focus on a variety of high-priority One Water research topics.

Some of these projects will further our understanding of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a top concern for the public and the water sector. Other topics addressed by these projects include potable reuse, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), sludge treatment, and membranes.

The Unsolicited Research Program funds innovative, transformative research projects that can significantly advance scientific knowledge and result in practical water quality solutions. This highly competitive program awards funding every two years. This year, 164 pre-proposals were received. WRF requested full proposals for 25 of those projects, and approved funding for 11 of the 25 projects:

  • 5322: Optimizing BAC Performance for Chemical Peaking in Potable Reuse ($175,000)
  • 5323: Pilot-Scale Adsorption of PFAS in RO Concentrate from Potable Reuse Systems ($175,000)
  • 5324: A New Rulebook for Effluent Organic Matter (EfOM): Redefining Optical Surrogates for Carbon-based Advanced Treatment (CBAT) in Potable Water Reuse ($169,132)
  • 5325: Headworks Reservoir Complex Direct Potable Reuse Pilot ($175,000)
  • 5326: Treatment Mitigation of the Chemical Peaking of Low Molecular Weight Organic Contaminants in Potable Reuse ($175,000)
  • 5327: Reforming the Water Utility Business Model to Respond to and Better Incentivize Demand Reduction ($86,500)
  • 5328: Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment of PFAS-Contaminated Sludge ($175,000)
  • 5329: Evaluation and Management of PFAS-Enriched Solids Dewatering Streams ($169,921)
  • 5330: Development of a Novel Low-Cost Boron Doped Diamond Microfluidic Cell for Rapid Online PFAS Destruction, Detection and Quantification in Water ($123,000)
  • 5331: Nanobubbles for Mitigating Membrane Fouling: A Novel Approach to Anti-fouling and De-fouling ($175,000)
  • 5332: Developing Aromatic DBPs as Improved Metrics for DBP Exposure ($175,000)

Learn more about the Unsolicited Research Program. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Jeff Moeller, Director of Research Services, at jmoeller@waterrf.org or 571.384.2104.

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