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Newsletter #112 for January 2025 |
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EPA has announced $2,400,000 in funding will be awarded to 24 small businesses to develop technologies to address public health and environmental challenges. These businesses are working on cutting-edge solutions, such as treating PFAS in biosolids, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from building materials, and creating environmentally safer chemical alternatives.
These awards are part of EPA's Small Business Innovation Research Program, which is an annual solicitation for proposals from U.S. small businesses to develop and commercialize innovative environmental technologies in broad focus areas including clean and safe water. The 24 small businesses are receiving $100,000 of Phase I funding for six months for "proof of concept" of their proposed technology. Companies that complete Phase I can then apply to receive Phase II funding of up to $400,000 to further develop and commercialize their technology.
SBIR Phase I winners include:
- AxNano, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina, to create a novel, field deployable treatment process for removing PFAS from biosolids allowing beneficial reuse.
- Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Rockledge, Florida, to create a scalable point-of-use water treatment system to remove cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins.
- PAGE Technologies, Inc., Boulder, Colorado, to develop low-cost, handheld printable sensors for real-time measurement of water quality parameters.
- Sustainable Water Infrastructure Group, Seattle, Washington, to develop a nature-based absorbent technology to remove PFAS, pathogens and other contaminants from water.
- Talon/LPE, Ltd., Amarillo, Texas, to develop a sustainable method to treat PFAS in biosolids using biochar.
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A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that forever chemicals, particularly fluorinated pharmaceuticals, are more prevalent in U.S. wastewater than previously recognized. Researchers found that common prescription drugs constitute approximately 75% of the organic fluorine in influent wastewater and 62% in treated effluent. Notably, six PFAS compounds recently regulated by EPA account for only about 8% of the organic fluorine in wastewater effluent, indicating that the majority of these persistent chemicals remain unregulated.
The study examined eight large wastewater treatment facilities serving metropolitan areas across the United States. These facilities are similar to those serving about 70% of the U.S. population, suggesting the findings have broad national implications. The study's lead author emphasizes the urgent need to reduce ongoing sources of these chemicals and evaluate the long-term effects of fluorinated pharmaceuticals in our water supply. |
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EPA has released a draft risk assessment evaluating the potential human health risks associated with PFAS chemicals in biosolids (treated sewage sludge). This draft risk assessment, which focuses on a specific and narrow population of people that EPA considers most likely to be exposed to PFOA or PFOS from the land application of biosolids, scientifically models hypothetical human health risks for people living on or near impacted sites. The assessment indicates that exposure to these "forever chemicals" through land application of biosolids, surface disposal in landfills, or incineration may pose health risks exceeding EPA's acceptable thresholds.
Once finalized, the assessment will help EPA and its partners understand the public health impact of forever chemicals in biosolids and inform any potential future actions to help reduce the risk of exposure. Resources available include:
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The Water Research Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Paul L. Busch Award, which awards $100,000 to one outstanding individual for innovative research in the field of water quality and the water environment. The award highlights projects that will make significant contributions in bridging research and its practical application. Individuals from all segments of the water quality community are encouraged to submit nominations, either for themselves or others.
The deadline to submit nominations is June 2, 2025
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Upcoming Events
A listing of webinars, symposia, and conferences relevant to this work. |
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Loss to Savings: Non-Revenue Water Successes
February 4, 2025 / 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Mountain Time Zone
American Water Works Association
This free webinar will explore how various water utilities are leveraging smart metering, advanced analytics, and digital services to effectively reduce non-revenue water. |
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Drinking Water Wastewater | Open Access
Pardon my trench: reflections on the uptake of trenchless technologies in the Norwegian water sector
Rokstad M., Bruaset S., Skaar B., Borgen E., Tscheikner-Gratl F. 2025. Pardon my trench: reflections on the uptake of trenchless technologies in the Norwegian water sector. Water Science & Technology. 91(1). doi:10.2166/wst.2024.397.
Why it's interesting: Norway is currently experiencing an increasing need to renew and rehabilitate their aging water infrastructure. The national renewal rate for drinking water and sewer pipes in Norwegian municipalities have been low for several years. Due to the high costs of renewing aging pipelines, water managers are investigating a more sustainable rehabilitation technique such as trenchless rehabilitation. Trenchless technologies offer number of benefits such as lower costs, environmental impacts, service disruptions, and time needed for planning and implementation. Trenchless solutions can also be particularly beneficial in cold climates (such as in Norway), since pipes often are buried deep (>2 m) to avoid frost problems, and open trenches can require significant effort. However, the implementation of trenchless technologies is limited in the Norwegian water sector, and its market share is still low.
To increase the adoption of trenchless technologies, several barriers need to be addressed: (i) service connections often require excavation, making this method not completely trenchless, (ii) these methods struggle with changes in pipe diameter, (iii) greater awareness and expertise are needed by operators, and (iv) the availability of trenchless solutions for pressurized pipes needs to be improved. This paper aims to develop a deeper understanding of why the market share of trenchless technologies is at the current level and identify factors enabling and hindering trenchless technology uptake in the Norwegian market. |
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Drinking Water | Open Access
Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection
Wang J., Zhang J., Li Y., Xia X., Yang H., Kim J., Zhang W. 2025. Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection. nature communications. 981. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56339-2.
Why it's interesting: The study evaluated an innovative approach to drinking water disinfection using a floatable monolithic aerogel embedded with silver single atoms and nanoparticles. This material harnesses solar energy to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and heat, which can disinfect surface water to a level that meets the World Health Organization's recommended daily per capita drinking water allocation. This study presents a decentralized and sustainable approach for water disinfection in off-grid areas. |
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Wastewater | Open Access
Continuous Flow Electrocoagulation System for Enhanced Phosphorous Removal in Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems
Hayden J., Abbassi B. 2025. Continuous Flow Electrocoagulation System for Enhanced Phosphorous Removal in Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems. Water. 17(2). doi:10.3390/w17020202.
Why it's interesting: This study explores the development of a continuous flow electrocoagulation (EC) system aimed at removing dissolved phosphorus in septic tank effluent from decentralized wastewater treatment systems. The research focuses on optimizing operational parameters, including hydraulic retention time (HRT), applied current density, and wastewater composition, to maximize total phosphorus removal cost-efficiency and mitigate phosphorus-induced eutrophication in water bodies affected by inadequately treated wastewater. |
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