PURDUE WATER INSTITUTE

Research Program

The research program is a crucial component of the Water Institute. It will focus on three main areas: Water Technology and Efficiency; Water Quality and Security, Planning and Economic Development; and Water-related Policy.

The program will feature research projects in the above areas funded by various grants. Specific possible topics to be researched include Wastewater Reuse Assessment in Northwest Indiana, the Raltson Street Lagoon Project, Energy Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment, along with several others. For more information please read our Project Plan.

Water Technology and Efficiency

Key issues:

• Main thrust: Wastewater, water recycling and reclamation, with emphasis on industrial applications
• Water-efficient systems: new, advanced systems for lower water consumption, especially in industrial and manufacturing processes
• Increased energy efficiency of water systems
• Biological filtration
• Membrane technologies for water treatment

Water Quality

Who are the end-users?

• Industry
• Domestic
• Agricultural
• Industrial development support infrastructure: energy facilities
• What are the required various grades of water?
• How will we obtain the various grades?
• How will we monitor and analyze product water?

Water Security

Collaboration between Purdue University Calumet and Argonne will enhance the collective contribution to the critical national security effort and will provide valuable information for decisions made by policy makers at both state and federal levels. This collaboration will provide the nation with valuable studies relating to water as a national security concern as well as strategic resource for economic development.

• Study and research biological, chemical, and radiological contaminants
• Vulnerability studies of water-related infrastructure and systems
• Advanced and new monitoring/sensing technologies for very low (fraction of ppb) contaminant concentrations
• Computational techniques for contaminant fate and transport
• Modeling techniques for prediction and assessment of water availability and future water needs
• Policy consideration for securing water resource availability and future access
• Research and development of safety alert mechanisms and tools: critical sensing devices and methods

Water Policy and Planning

• Water resource management for economic development
• Effects of conservation
• Assessment of technological advances and their impact on water capacity and sustainability
• Regulatory and policy issues as these relate to security issues
• Innovative statistical and other modeling tools for decision makers and planners
• Cost estimation methodologies for water/energy infrastructure development and inter-relations

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