NSF Convergence Accelerator Track K: Towards Resilient, Equitable, Safe and Sustainable Water for Islands (RESSI-H2O)

NSF 融合加速器轨道 K：为岛屿提供有弹性、公平、安全和可持续的水 (RESSI-H2O)

• 批准号: 2344418
• 负责人: Daniel Yeh
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: University of South Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344418&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Towards

Island water resources are vulnerable to myriad threats, including freshwater depletion, surface and groundwater contamination, and saltwater intrusion. One unique challenge for islands is wastewater management. Due to the geology and geography of U.S. Pacific islands, onsite wastewater management often defaults to cesspools (a subsurface holding area that offers no treatment). For example, Hawai’i alone has over 83,000 cesspools, which unfortunately do not provide treatment of human wastes. Each day, an estimated 52 million gallons of wastewater leak through porous volcanic soil into the surroundings, contaminating aquifers and coastal environments with nutrients and pathogens. In short, the prevailing onsite wastewater infrastructure on most U.S. Pacific islands is inadequate and poses a threat to island water supplies, damages marine ecosystems, coral reefs and fisheries, and often disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities. Conventional sewer-based centralized wastewater systems or onsite septic tanks are unsuitable and inadequate in many areas as replacements for cesspools. There is an urgent need to develop or introduce novel decentralized wastewater technologies and implementation strategies which can effectively provide protection to human health and the environment. These solutions need to be site-appropriate, resilient, equitable, safe and sustainable (RESS guiding principles). They also must consider current and future threats from climate change and development. If the wastewater can be treated to a high level of purity, the recycled water can help alleviate the over-extraction of the island’s freshwater supply. To tackle these challenges, this project assembles a team of water professionals (including engineers, sociologists, hydrologists, economists, oceanographers, policy analysts, climate change specialists, community organizers, and writers) from the University of South Florida, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Wastewater Alternatives & Innovations, Michigan State University, and Swiftwater Solutions, LLC. Using the islands of Hawai’i as a model for developing island-appropriate solutions, the team will develop innovative circular economy-based decentralized wastewater management technologies and strategies to meet the unique needs of U.S. Pacific islands. Phase I of the RESSI-H2O project is comprised of four thrusts. Thrust 1 includes team building and data gap analysis. Thrust 2 involves research and lab-scale testing of a novel household-level iron-cycling biofilter as replacement for traditional drainfields. Thrust 3 focuses on the development of a novel water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) micro-grid utilizing the NEWgenerator resource recovery machine. Thrust 4 evaluates the technology impacts and uptake barriers/opportunities of the technologies from Thrusts 2 and 3 using RESS criteria. Intellectual merit: The team will create 1) a proof-of-concept, island-appropriate, prototype RESSI-H2O decentralized wastewater infrastructure system, and 2) an initial framework for a RESSI-H2O decentralized wastewater rating system. Broader impacts: Working with community partners, local wastewater professionals, and the Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentoring Program, the team will broaden participation by underrepresented students and researchers and engage the community to assist under-resourced residents with cesspools in Hawai’i. The eventual goals of Phase II are to field test, demonstrate, and scale the decentralized wastewater infrastructure technologies developed through this project, launch the RESSI-H2O rating system, and engage additional partners throughout the Pacific Islands Region.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.

岛屿水资源容易受到各种威胁，包括淡水枯竭、地表水和地下水污染以及盐水入侵。岛屿面临的一个独特挑战是废水管理。由于美国太平洋岛屿的地质和地理条件，现场废水管理通常默认为污水池（一种不提供处理的地下储存区）。例如，仅夏威夷就有超过83,000个污水池，不幸的是，这些污水池无法处理人类的废物。每天，估计有5200万加仑的废水通过多孔的火山土壤泄漏到周围环境，用营养物质和病原体污染含水层和沿海环境。简而言之，大多数美国太平洋岛屿上现有的现场废水基础设施不足，对岛屿供水构成威胁，破坏海洋生态系统、珊瑚礁和渔业，并经常不成比例地影响弱势社区。传统的以下水道为基础的集中污水系统或现场化粪池在许多地区不适合和不足以替代化粪池。目前迫切需要开发或引进新的分散式污水处理技术和执行战略，以便有效地保护人类健康和环境。这些解决方案需要因地制宜、具有弹性、公平、安全和可持续（RESS指导原则）。他们还必须考虑气候变化和发展目前和未来的威胁。如果废水可以被处理到高纯度，循环水可以帮助缓解岛上淡水供应的过度开采。为了应对这些挑战，该项目汇集了来自南佛罗里达大学、夏威夷大学（网址：Mānoa）、废水替代与创新、密歇根州立大学和Swiftwater Solutions有限责任公司的水专家团队（包括工程师、社会学家、水文学家、经济学家、海洋学家、政策分析师、气候变化专家、社区组织者和作家）。该团队将开发创新的基于循环经济的分散式废水管理技术和战略，以满足美国太平洋岛屿的独特需求。RESSI-H2O项目一期由四个推力组成。推力1包括团队建设和数据差距分析。推力2包括研究和实验室规模的测试一种新型家庭级铁循环生物过滤器，以取代传统的排水系统。推力3侧重于利用新发电机资源回收机开发一种新型的水、环境卫生和个人卫生（WaSH）微电网。推力4使用RESS标准评估推力2和推力3的技术影响和吸收障碍/机会。智力优势：该团队将创建1)一个概念验证，适合岛屿的RESSI-H2O分散式废水基础设施系统原型，以及2)RESSI-H2O分散式废水评级系统的初始框架。更广泛的影响：与社区合作伙伴、当地污水处理专业人员和夏威夷土著科学与工程指导计划合作，该团队将扩大代表性不足的学生和研究人员的参与，并让社区参与帮助夏威夷资源不足的污水处理厂居民。第二阶段的最终目标是实地测试、演示和推广通过该项目开发的分散式污水基础设施技术，推出RESSI-H2O评级系统，并与太平洋岛屿地区的其他合作伙伴合作。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。