News

Dr. Ian Pepper, Director of WEST Center, was awarded the distinguished Teaching and Mentoring Award for Graduate Education by the University of Arizona Graduate College in April 2020.  Congratulations to Dr. Pepper! 

By Rosemary Brandt, UANews
Researchers at the University of Arizona Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center are testing wastewater across the country to trace coronavirus prevalence in communities and help public health officials better prepare for the future. 

Construction of a greenhouse at WEST Center will be closely followed by the launch of a new study with importance to agriculture and public health.  The study seeks to quantify die-off rates of several pathogens associated with foodborne illnesses from leafy greens.

According to UA research, reported levels of PFAS in groundwater could be "just the tip of the iceberg," as most of the chemicals are still migrating down slowly through the soil. In a recently-published study, UA faculty in Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences demonstrate how the synthetic chemicals (PFAS) migrate through the vadose zone using a newly-developed mathematical model.

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.