| NSF Org: |
ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | January 4, 2024 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | January 4, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2344232 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Richard Farnsworth
rlfarnsw@nsf.gov (703)292-5029 ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | January 15, 2024 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $649,998.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $649,998.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 BROOKINGS DR SAINT LOUIS MO US 63130-4862 (314)747-4134 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
ONE BROOKINGS DR SAINT LOUIS MO US 63130-4862 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Convergence Accelerator Resrch |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The current framework for monitoring drinking water quality is insufficient for equitably identifying and managing well-established and emerging contaminants. Gaps in the current framework led to some populations receiving drinking water with insufficient monitoring. The project will address these gaps by developing an innovative new monitoring tool based on point-of-use water filters. The project will create knowledge and understanding to advance water solutions through the convergence of expertise in water treatment, microbiology, analytical chemistry, groundwater hydrology, social work, and entrepreneurship. The project will have broad benefits of improving water quality at a nationwide scale. The project will recruit participants from diverse backgrounds through programs at two universities and several non-academic partners, and the results will reach a broad audience through education, outreach, and dissemination activities.
The goals of the project are to: (1) coalesce a multidisciplinary team of university and non-academic partners to develop a new passive water quality monitoring tool based on POU filters; (2) identify use-inspired research needs for water quality monitoring; (3) co-design a research study and technology development plan with non-academic partners; and (4) test the proof-of-concept of using POU filters to monitor metals, per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), agricultural chemicals, and opportunistic pathogens in drinking water. These goals will be pursued in a convergent research approach that uses team science and human-centered design. The project team will complete the innovation curriculum. With a broad set of stakeholders, the team will co-design a research plan and a technology development plan. The proof-of-concept of the new monitoring approach will be evaluated in laboratory experiments with realistic water compositions that assess the accumulation, recovery, and quantification of a range of chemical and microbiological contaminants.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Gaps in the current water quality monitoring framework leave millions of Americans in urban and rural America at risk of exposure to harmful contaminants like lead and per- and polyfluorylalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” The project addressed these gaps by developing an innovative new monitoring tool that deploys commercially available point-of-use water filters to serve as both monitoring devices and treatment tools. This new approach (1) simultaneously protects users from contaminant exposures while monitoring, (2) is designed for ease of use, and (3) is the only viable method for quantifying exposure to contaminants like lead that have concentrations that vary over time. The approach will benefit the 23 million American households in rural America who get their drinking water from a private well and the 10 million homes with lead service lines in big cities and small towns.
The project demonstrated the proof-of-concept of the approach with multiple filters and with chemicals that include lead, PFAS “forever chemicals,” and the herbicide atrazine. The approach was assessed using tap water from two public water systems and with a real untreated groundwater. The project also contributed new knowledge regarding the ability to monitor additional chemical and microbiological constituents in drinking water.
Participation in the Convergence Accelerator’s Innovation Curriculum led to several key outcomes. Through analysis of more than thirty end-user interviews, the project identified specific contaminants of concern and confirmed the need for affordable and meaningful water quality testing options. This analysis also unveiled need for effective communication. End-users perceived the approach as easy to use and identified value in the detailed information about water quality. Based on consultations with a technology and innovation coach, industry experts, and stakeholders, the project identified commercialization as the most promising pathway to sustainability of the water quality monitoring approach. The project included the design of a sustainability plan that can enable the water quality monitoring approach to be sustained beyond the initial investment from the National Science Foundation. The sustainability plan can lead to job creation and improved capabilities for water quality monitoring at a national scale.
Last Modified: 03/03/2025
Modified by: Daniel E Giammar
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