Awarded in early 2020, two $120K research grants from Phoenix Water will support Environmental Engineering research at WEST Center. Respectively led by Dr. Achilli and Dr. Hickenbottom, the projects will investigate strategies to increase reverse osmosis (RO) efficiency and achieve near zero liquid discharge (ZLD) in water reuse.

In late January 2020, representatives from the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) in California visited the WEST Center.  A CPS-funded study investigating pathogen movement in irrigation waterways is in progress at WEST.

In a study published in late 2008, WEST researchers measured the survival of coronaviruses in water and wastewater. Coronavirus research is especially significant at this time as the spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) raises public health concerns worldwide.

As the new year began, a visiting scholar from Israel joined forces with UA WEST Center faculty to investigate using metagenomic approaches to examine the virome in recycled waters.  Researchers expect the BARD-funded study will help to ensure the safe and sustainable use of these waters in arid-region agriculture.

During a four-day training held at WEST Center (Jan. 7-10, 2020), chemical engineering students and professionals from across the country compared and contrasted the use of conventional membrane processes (ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis) to emerging membrane processes (membrane distillation) to purify water.

Dr. Ian Pepper, the newly appointed Deputy Director at UA WEST Center, traveled to Manchester England in November 2019 to attend and present at the 24th European Biosolids and Organic Resources Conference.  The conference is the premier event of its kind in Europe.

The WEST Center Annual Industry Meeting and Research Symposium, held Nov. 17-18, 2019, saw University of Arizona water and energy research take center stage with research updates, poster presentations, and networking opportunities for faculty, staff, students and industry attendees.

UA WEST Center connected with the international community during the 2019 International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress in Dubai, Oct. 20-24.  WEST is also collaborating with the IDA as host of it's Fellowship Program this fall.

In one Arizona city, direct potable reuse (DPR) has become a reality.  In September 2019, the Advanced Water Treatment Plant at the Scottsdale Water campus became the state’s first — and one of only three in the nation — permanent water treatment facility permitted to treat recycled water for potable water uses.

WEST Center, along with Tucson Water and Pima County Wastewater Reclamation Dept, launched a program this fall to showcase water treatment technology and educate the public about critical water issues.