PFI: Partnerships for Water Purification

创新伙伴关系（PFI）项目将建立水净化伙伴关系（PWP），这是一个大学和工业研究人员之间的联盟，一个拥有地下水净化设施的国家重点实验室，一个州水务机构和国际合作者。该PWP将采用非对称和复合薄膜材料，为水净化领域的发展开辟一个新的平台。PWP正致力于通过新型抗氯和抗污反渗透和纳米过滤膜实现水净化。目标是通过开发和商业化用于水净化和海水淡化的改进聚合膜材料，提供更稳定、更低成本的纯净水供应。拟议的合作伙伴关系为新型聚合物膜材料从大学研究环境发展到商业水净化领域创造了一条途径。随着国际合作伙伴的积极参与，这个项目的影响很有可能远远超出美国。这个项目的结构将允许学生和研究人员从商业合作伙伴那里获得工业经验。此外，将为传统上代表性不足的学生群体创造参与项目的机会。如果PWP为抗氯和抗污反渗透和纳米过滤膜提供科学和技术基础，这些膜的使用将使美国和世界范围内的水净化得到改善。然后，可以通过基础广泛的国家和国际讲习班和合作转移所获得的知识。合作伙伴：合作伙伴包括弗吉尼亚理工大学；德克萨斯大学；陶氏Filmtec;Hydrosize技术;聚合物解决方案;桑迪亚国家实验室；弗吉尼亚创新技术中心；德州水资源开发委员会；以及来自南非斯泰伦博斯大学的国际合作伙伴；韩国雄津康威工业公司；澳大利亚墨尔本维多利亚大学；以及澳大利亚阿德莱德的弗林德斯大学。

This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project will establish the Partnership for Water Purification (PWP), an alliance between university and industrial researchers, a key national laboratory with groundwater purification facilities, a state water agency, and international collaborators. The PWP will use asymmetric and composite thin-film membrane materials to open a new platform for advancement in the field of water purification. The PWP is working to achieve water purification with new chlorine-resistant and fouling-resistant reverse osmosis and nano-filtration membranes. The goal is to provide a more stable, low-cost supply of purified water by developing and commercializing improved polymeric membrane materials for water purification and desalination.The proposed partnership creates a pathway for the new polymeric membrane materials to progress from the university research environment out into the world of commercial water purification. With the active participation of the international partners, there is a good chance that the impact of this project will extend well beyond the U.S. The project has a structure that will allow students and investigators to gain industrial experience from the commercial partners. In addition, opportunities will be created for traditionally underrepresented student populations to participate in the project. If the PWP provides the scientific and technological foundation for chlorine-resistant and fouling-resistant reverse osmosis and nano-filtration membranes, use of those membranes will enable improvements in water purification in the U.S. and worldwide. The knowledge gained can then be transferred through broad-based national and international workshops and collaborations.Partners: Partners include Virginia Polytechnic University; the University of Texas; Dow Filmtec; Hydrosize Technologies; Polymer Solutions; Sandia National Labs; the Virginia Center for Innovative Technologies; the Texas Water Development Board; and international partners from Universiteit Stellenbosch in South Africa; the Woongjin Conway industrial firm in Korea; Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia; and Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.