I/UCRC Phase II: Collaborative Research: Water Equipment and Policy Center

该项目支持总部设在威斯康星州东南部的水设备和政策I/UCRC(WEP)第二阶段(五年)，那里有150多家服务于水行业的当地和国际公司。WEP研究中心位于威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校(牵头机构)和马奎特大学，是协同地区和全球资产创建下一代产品和流程以推动水务行业发展的催化剂。WEP研究的重点是创造新的传感器和设备、新材料、创新的水处理系统和水政策，这些将有助于改变世界管理其严重紧张的水资源的方式。新的传感技术将解决现有水污染物检测方法的主要缺陷，以提供水污染的早期预警和避免灾难。提出了用于输水系统的新材料和新工艺，以减少因水管腐蚀和泄漏而造成的能源和水损失。以水处理系统为重点的项目将通过高效和低成本地去除污染物来产生新的水过滤和再利用技术。与水政策相关的项目将制定政策内容，以评估风险、促进效益并确定推进水技术的机会。这些设想的项目将使潜在的和现有的WEP I/UCRC行业公司受益，因为它们能够为其供水设备提供新的或额外的能力，以提高产品性能、市场份额、利润和创造就业机会。拟议的计划旨在培训目前和未来在水设备和政策前沿的劳动力。拟议的教育计划还包括积极努力改善创业工程教育；吸引未被充分代表的学生，包括妇女和少数族裔，进入科学、技术、工程和数学领域；整合研究和教育；广泛传播水研究和教育成果。设想的WEP项目可能会带来改变游戏规则的水技术和政策，以可持续的方法保护我们的水质。WEP PIs将开展研究，以推动水技术的进步，包括用于检测水污染物的实时传感器、可以减少水设备和供水系统中的能源消耗和漏水的自清洁和自我修复材料、能够在降低能源和成本的同时解决新出现的污染物的创新水处理系统，以及可以为政策制定者提供信息的水政策。提出了一系列实时传感技术，包括光纤技术、单电池技术、电化学技术、声波技术和场效应晶体管技术。提出了新颖的表面微结构和高性能的超疏水混凝土和涂料，以最大限度地减少维护成本和抽水组件的能量。建议采用自愈性和耐磨性涂层来减少渗水。提出了用于水处理的新型光催化纳米材料。提出了几种技术来处理新出现的污染物，如病原体和微污染物，并提出了一种先进、快速的湿天气处理工艺来安全地处理雨水。将开发一个本地化模型来预测密歇根湖的营养物质运输，并为决策提供信息，以最大限度地减少藻类大量繁殖、海滩关闭和进水口堵塞。还将开展研究，以确定和分析开发、商业化和扩大新兴水技术和集约化城市水产养殖项目的政策障碍和机会。

This project supports the second Phase (five years) of the Water Equipment and Policy I/UCRC (WEP) headquartered in Southeastern Wisconsin, which is home to more than 150 local and international companies serving the water industry. Co-located at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Lead institution) and Marquette University, the WEP research center serves as a catalyst for synergizing regional and global assets to create the next generation of products and processes to advance the water industry. WEP research focuses on creating new sensors and devices, novel materials, innovative water treatment systems, and water policies that will help change the way the world manages its acutely stressed water resources. The new sensing technologies will address major drawbacks of the existing water contaminant detection methods to provide early warning of water contamination and avoid catastrophes. New materials and processes are proposed for water conveyance systems which could reduce energy and water loss due to corrosion and leakage from water pipes. Projects focusing on water treatment systems will lead to new water filtration and reuse technologies through efficient and low-cost removal of contaminants. The water policy-related projects will develop policy components to assess risks, promote benefits, and identify opportunities to advance water technology. The envisioned projects will benefit potential and current WEP I/UCRC industry companies by enabling new or additional capabilities for their water equipment to increase product performance, market share, profits, and job creation. The proposed program aims to train the current and future workforce at the frontier of water equipment and policy. The proposed education plan also features proactive efforts to improve entrepreneurial engineering education; to attract underrepresented students, including women and minorities, into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields; to integrate research and education; and to broadly disseminate water research and educational findings.Envisioned WEP projects can potentially lead to game-changing water technologies and policies to safeguard our water quality with sustainable approaches. WEP PIs will carry out research to advance water technologies in real-time sensors for detection of water contaminants, self-cleaning and self-healing materials that can reduce energy consumption and water leakage in water equipment and distribution systems, innovative water treatment systems that can address emerging contaminants while reducing energy and cost, and water policy that can inform policy makers. A portfolio of real-time sensing technologies has been proposed which includes optical fiber technology, single live cell technology, electrochemical technology, acoustic wave technology, and field-effect transistor technology. Novel surface microstructures and high-performance superhydrophobic concrete and coatings are proposed to minimize maintenance cost and pumping energy for water components. Self-healing and wear-resistant coatings are proposed to reduce water leakage. Novel photocatalytic nanomaterials are proposed for water treatment. Several technologies are proposed to address emerging contaminants such as pathogens and micropollutants and an advanced, rapid wet-weather treatment process is proposed to safely treat stormwater. A localized model will be developed to predict nutrient transport in Lake Michigan and inform decision making to minimize algal blooms, beach closures, and clogging of water intakes. Research also will be carried out to identify and analyze policy obstacles and opportunities to develop, commercialize, and expand emerging water technologies and intensive urban aquaculture projects.