BYLINE: Beth Burmahl
Newswise — Argonne companions in collaboration to flip water‑centered innovation into new applied sciences and companies that strengthen the Great Lakes financial system.
Wastewater — one of many nation’s most untapped property — is quickly rising as a stream wealthy in vital supplies that may be captured and reinvested within the U.S. financial system.
To assist unlock that potential, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $45 million to a regional innovation and financial growth initiative that goals to flip wastewater right into a precious useful resource via chopping‑edge water-driven know-how and innovation.
The initiative, Great Lakes RENEW (Recovery of Energy, Nutrients, Critical Elements, and Water), is a collaboration of analysis establishments, corporations and financial growth organizations. RENEW is led by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago are core companions.
“Water security is national security, and Great Lakes RENEW is advancing both,” mentioned Alaina Harkness, CEO of Current and CEO and Principal Investigator of Great Lakes RENEW. “With NSF’s continued investment, we are developing solutions to recover critical materials and energy from wastewater, remove harmful contaminants that threaten water supplies, and reduce water risk for industry and communities. By accelerating technologies from lab to market and building a skilled workforce to deploy them, RENEW strengthens American resilience, competitiveness, and economic opportunity.”
The initiative was launched in 2024 with an preliminary $15 million award from NSF, establishing Great Lakes RENEW as an NSF Regional Innovation Engine.
The three-year, $45 million award will assist the initiative because it strikes from its two‑yr launch section right into a broader technique of development and implementation, increasing its applications, partnerships, and impression throughout the region. There is the potential to unlock $160 million in NSF funding over 10 years by assembly particular milestones.
Great Lakes RENEW spans six states within the region, with early work centered on Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. Efforts will develop to Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota within the subsequent section.
The NSF award alerts sturdy confidence in RENEW’s momentum because it transforms water‑pushed innovation into applied sciences and companies that strengthen the Great Lakes financial system. It additionally highlights Argonne’s function as a core scientific and translational companion, making use of its experience in supplies science, AI‑enabled discovery, scale‑up and workforce growth to transfer breakthrough concepts towards actual‑world impression.
Argonne advances water-driven know-how
A pioneer in separations applied sciences, Argonne is advancing membrane, organic and electrochemical techniques to get better clear water and extract vital minerals from wastewater. These applied sciences use variations in dimension, cost, chemistry or floor interactions to pull particular elements out of complicated mixtures — whether or not eradicating contaminants or capturing precious supplies that will in any other case be misplaced.
Industrial wastewater comprises vital supplies resembling lithium, cobalt, nickel and uncommon earth parts — components important to applied sciences starting from semiconductors to army techniques, industrial catalysts and on a regular basis electronics like smartphones and laptops. Lithium, cobalt and nickel are vital elements in battery applied sciences.
Municipal wastewater typically comprises vitamins resembling phosphorus and nitrogen, which could be recovered and reused in fertilizers — turning a waste stream right into a precious agriculture useful resource. Wastewater additionally carries recoverable thermal and chemical power that may be harnessed throughout industrial and municipal techniques, increasing the useful resource base for the broader power panorama.
The aim of RENEW is to rework wastewater into new home assets that strengthen U.S. provide chains, assist business, scale back dependence on imported supplies, and assist reinvest supplies, power and worth as an alternative of getting used as soon as and discarded.
In its first two years, RENEW has helped Argonne speed up progress in superior separations and water improvements, with applied sciences supported by the lab’s Materials Engineering Research Facility.
“Argonne has laid the groundwork, demonstrated early breakthroughs, and now — with significant NSF investment — is positioned to scale technologies and validate them through Argonne-supported multi-scale test beds,” mentioned Junhong Chen, a professor on the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering on the University of Chicago and Argonne’s lead water strategist, in addition to co-principal investigator and use-inspired R&D Lead for RENEW. “Argonne shares RENEW’s goal to advance technologies to the marketplace, eventually putting these innovations into the hands of people across the U.S. and globally.”
This work integrates Argonne’s wider experience — from supplies science and techniques engineering to neighborhood and workforce growth — with the aim of scaling these improvements into actual‑world deployment.
Alongside Argonne, the University of Chicago helps form the scientific and translational roadmap for turning “waste into wealth,” bringing deep analysis strengths and an innovation technique that reinforces RENEW’s core mission.
The water workforce of the longer term
RENEW is constructing a regional workforce infrastructure that helps schooling and coaching suppliers create clear, linked profession pathways throughout the water business, with Argonne as a core companion.
Argonne contributes its long-standing strengths in STEM (science, know-how, engineering and math) schooling and workforce growth applications. The lab’s STEM applications attain 35,000 learners, spanning Okay-12 via neighborhood faculties and universities.
Argonne is enjoying a number one function in selling an AI-ready workforce within the U.S. by partnering with educators and directors to discover the simplest methods to carry AI into lecture rooms. AI coaching is changing into important at each degree — from early STEM publicity to superior technical preparation.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with RENEW,” mentioned Meridith Bruozas, Argonne’s institutional partnership director. “By bringing Argonne’s strengths in science, technology, AI and workforce development to this regional effort, we can help prepare the next generation for water careers and ensure workers at every stage have clear routes into the growing, AI‑enabled water economy.”
Innovative regional engines energy nationwide water objectives
RENEW isn’t just a regional mission. It is a part of a nationwide technique to construct sturdy innovation engines that may rework native economies. The $160 million in additional potential funding for Great Lakes RENEW is a part of a possible $1.6 billion dedication by NSF to create regional innovation engines throughout the U.S. over the following 10 years.
This could be one of many single-largest investments in regional analysis and financial growth within the nation’s historical past.
These investments replicate an extended‑time period dedication to remodeling the region’s strengths into nationwide benefit, with Argonne’s scientific management and regional partnerships enjoying a central function in realizing that imaginative and prescient.
For extra details about Great Lakes RENEW, go to https://greatlakesrenew.org/.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks options to urgent nationwide issues in science and know-how by conducting modern fundamental and utilized analysis in nearly each scientific self-discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the only largest supporter of fundamental analysis within the bodily sciences within the United States and is working to deal with a few of the most urgent challenges of our time. For extra info, go to https://energy.gov/science.