Grants

• Request for proposals
• Questions and Answers
• Deadlines
• Competitive Grants 08/09
• Competitive Grants 07/08
• Competitive Grants 06/07
• Competitive Grants 05/06
• Competitive Grants 04/05
• Competitive Grants 03/04
• Fellowships & Student Support

search this website

Novel Desalination Technology For Potable Water Production $49,981.

James C. Baygents, Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering.

The objective of the proposed work is to develop and test a novel process technology for the recovery of potable water from aqueous feed streams of high ionic strength (e.g. saltwater and brackish waters). The basic separation scheme is predicated on multiple effect evaporation, an established method for desalination (Rubin, et al. 1973). However, the new process and equipment are radically different from conventional designs. This new approach involves lower capital and operating costs, and permits the use of inexpensive (essentially free) thermal energy sources, such as waste heat from power plants. If successful, the proposed project shall dramatically lower the cost of evaporative desalination, and make it the method of choice for fresh water production.

Screening Tools To Assess The Feasibility Of Monitored Attenuation For Remediation Of Chlorinated-Solvent Contaminated Groundwater. $36,424.

Mark Brusseau, Department of Soil Water and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/ Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, Jim Field, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering.

Chlorinated solvents are the most common contaminants at the state and federal Superfund sites in Arizona and, given their myriad toxicological effects, pose a great risk to human health. The remediation of polluted soil and groundwater at the many chlorinated-solvent contaminated sites present in Arizona is of prime importance for ensuring a safe and sustainable potable water supply. Monitored attenuation (MNA) has recently gained great interest as a low-cost, low-tech approach for site remediation. Characterizing the occurrence, magnitude, and rate of microbial transformation processes is critical to evaluating the feasibility of MNA for a given site. The goal of this project is to investigate innovative, low-cost screening tools that will allow accurate evaluation of MNA feasibility for chlorinated-solvent contaminated sites in Arizona.

Arizona Project Wet Evaluation: Examining Impact And Developing Water Education Assessment Tools For Students $50,000.

Dr. Jerome D’Agostino, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, Kerry Schwartz, Water Resources Research Center, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

This purpose of this project will be to (1) examine the effectiveness of Arizona Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and to (2) develop assessment tools to measure students’ understanding of water and general science principles. Project WET presently serves as an instrumental and valuable educational resource for K-12 students and teachers to study and learn about water conservation and properties. To date, however, the effectiveness of the program has not been adequately documented, especially in Arizona schools. Besides yielding program impact information, an assessment tool will be available to gauge students’ learning of water across a variety of interventions.

Integrated Surface And Subsurface Response Of Alluvial Basins To Ephemeral Stream Channel Recharge And Urban-Focused Recharge. $58,570.

Jon D. Pelletier, Department of Geosciences, College of Science, Ty P. A. Ferré, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, College of Engineering.

Accurate basin-scale water budgets are needed to evaluate the sustainability of water resources. Recharge is the most poorly quantified component of most water budgets. Accurate field monitoring of recharge requires carefully designed measurement networks to ensure representative and cost-effective sampling. We will determine the optimal spatial and temporal scales and distributions of recharge monitoring for the Upper San Pedro Basin of Arizona based on numerical modeling and novel direct use of soil-geomorphic maps. Our research will benefit communities within the Upper San Pedro Basin and will provide a template for monitoring network design for basins across Arizona.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers In Biosolids: Assessment Of Relative Risk After Land Application $55,000.

David Quanrud, Arid Lands Studies, Jon Chorover, Soil, Water & Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Eduardo Sáez, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Ornella Selmin, Veterinary Science & Microbiology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cynthia Adamson, Sarver Heart Center, College of Medicine.

In the work proposed, we will measure polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the environment, focusing on their fate in biosolids during sludge digestion and after land application. The principal objectives of the project are to perform an initial reconnaissance study to evaluate the various sources/sinks of PBDEs in the environment; determine the presence and fate of PBDEs in biosolids before and after land application; and determine the relative human exposure risk associated with land application of biosolids versus other possible routes of PBDE exposure to humans. TRIF request: $55,000 per year for three years.

Autotrophic Denitrification For The Treatment Of Drinking Water. $34,833.

Reyes Sierra and Jim A. Field, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering.

The project proposes the development of a simple low cost biological treatment process to remove nitrate from contaminated drinking water. The autotrophic microorganisms responsible utilize elemental sulfur as an electron donor to reduce nitrate to benign dinitrogen gas. The objective of the project is to develop, model and engineer the autotrophic denitrification process for pilot testing in Arizona.

The Value Of Binational Effluent And Sustainable Watershed Management In The Upper Santa Cruz Basin. $63,707.

Terry Sprouse, The Water Resources Research Center and George Frisvold, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The purpose of this project is to place a value on the effluent that originates in Mexico but is treated and utilized in southern Arizona . The Mexican effluent provides many benefits to southern Arizona , for example, recharging aquifers, sustaining riparian habitat, attracting tourists and increasing land values. However, there are several potential projects that could divert the effluent from the river to other uses in both Mexico and Arizona ; including an electrical generating plant in Arizona, housing developments, or re-use of the effluent in Mexico . TRIF request: $63,707 for one year.

Promoting The Adoption Of Subsurface Drip Irrigation By Arizona's Farmers. $20,358.

Thomas L. Thompson, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, Edward Martin, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Patrick Clay, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, Mary Olsen, Department of Plant Pathology, Russell Tronstad, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, James Walworth, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Funds are requested to continue operation of AZdrip, the University of Arizona Subsurface Drip Irrigation Demonstration and Research Site, at the Maricopa Agricultural Center . This project features research on and demonstration of water-saving subsurface drip irrigation on a scale relevant to commercial agriculture. The overall objective of this project is to conduct research and to demonstrate this water-saving technology to Arizona crop producers.