Two local universities, some businesses, and a labor training agency are part of a so-called "Blue Economy" collaboration newly recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a Regional Innovation Engine. At least $30 million in federal funding will go with that designation over the next two years. Maybe $160 million over the next decade, under the CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022.
The NSF announced ten regional economic partnerships Monday, including the Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine, involving partners in Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois.
The Chicago-based water innovation hub, Current, will lead the regional effort called Great Lakes ReNEW.
Marquette University is one of the roughly 50 partners. Prof. Daniel Zitomer chairs the school's department of civil, construction and environmental engineering. He says he's delighted with the NSF announcement.
"There's really three thrust areas — job development, diversity, equity inclusion issues. Advance that. Also technology, research and development—to get ideas from the laboratory, into the marketplace, to keep our water clean and our environment clean," Zitomer tells WUWM.
One science focus is to improve the recovery of valuable components from wastewater — such as phosphorus and nitrogen, for use in agriculture.
Zitomer says there's also energy in that water. "In terms of using the substrates [bio-degradable content] to be converted to bio-methane microbially that can be burned and used for fuel in engines and for heat," Zitomer says.
UW-Milwaukee is also a partner in the new Regional Innovation Engine. Qian Liao is a professor of civil and environmental engineering. He says researchers at UWM have been working on ways to reduce the amount of human-made so-called forever chemicals called PFAs that get through wastewater treatment and into surface waters like Lake Michigan.
"The current wastewater treatment technology does not remove PFAS. But in the future, hopefully, we will have better control over that. That's one aspect. Another aspect is for drinking water. Hopefully, there will be new technologies that helps to remove PFAs from the water resource," Liao says, again referring to Lake Michigan.
He says the regional engine's effort at improving diversity through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs is another key.
Liao says, "To provide more educational opportunities for people to participate in these efforts to help create a better water environment. "
The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/Big Step is one of the Great Lakes partners. The two-year goal for the regional engine is to train 500 people for jobs in water.
Local companies involved include AO Smith, Pentair and Rapid Radicals.
