EPA Awards Grant to University of California, Riverside Student Team for Technology Project

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Grant to University of California, Riverside Student Team for Technology Project

RIVERSIDE (January 22, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a University of California, Riverside (UCR) research team as a recipient of its People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant program, alongside 31 other student teams from across the country. The P3 program is a two-phase research grants program that helps support the next generation of scientists and engineers working to tackle some of today’s most pressing environmental issues.

“We want to congratulate the UCR team for its exemplary work on an innovative solution to a pressing water quality challenge,” said Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “EPA is proud to support the next generation of scientists and engineers – including these bright students right here in California – in creating solutions that move us toward a sustainable future.”

As a Phase I P3 winner, the UCR team will receive funding to develop and demonstrate its Small-Scale Solar Desalination for Drinking Water unit, which combines solar energy with flash distillation and latent heat to remove salt from water. This system can convert brackish groundwater, seawater or used water into potable water for indoor use in single family homes.

“Clean water for all communities continues to be a hurdle in our modern society and we’re grateful the EPA is helping support these important efforts,” said Sundararajan Venkatadriagaram, Associate Professor of Teaching and faculty lead for the student project. “With the help of this grant, our engineering students can change lives – and might be inspired to build a life-long career that gives back.”

Alongside UCR, this year’s P3 Phase I winners are advancing a variety of environmental solutions including efforts to reduce microplastics waste and food waste, creation of innovative and solar-driven nanomaterials, and removal of PFAS from water using liquid extraction.

To learn more about the P3 Phase I winners, visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/655/records_per_page/ALL

For more information on the P3 Program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/P3

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