OK NSF EPSCoR Awards Two Seed Grants through the S3OK Project
EPSCoR Update - December 2023
OK NSF EPSCoR Awards Two Seed Grants through the S3OK Project
The Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR program through the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 project “Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3OK)” awards two seed grants up to $75,000 per award that aimed at developing and testing science-based solutions for complex “wicked” problems at the intersection of land use, water availability, and infrastructure in OK.
The Seed Grant recipients are:
Drs. Hantao Cui (Oklahoma State University, OSU) and Abdulmunim Guwaeder (Langston University, LU)
Integrated Microgrid and Water Systems: Advanced Modeling for Climate-Resilient Communities
This project aims to explore deeper into the relationship between water and energy to gain insights from a multidisciplinary perspective. The overall goal of the project is to develop models and testbeds to ensure efficient energy usage for water processes, even during energy shortages, considering specific needs of rural communities in Oklahoma. Specifically, this project will a) develop unified models of community microgrids and water supply systems for OK communities, and b) generate climate-driven scenario analysis for energy-water nexus systems, and c) formulate adaptive control strategies for climatic adversities. Researchers anticipate that this project will elevate the understanding of the intertwined dynamics of energy and water by introducing a pioneering platform dedicated to the in-depth study of the relationship between microgrids and water supply systems, especially considering Oklahoma's unique environmental and energy landscape.
Drs. Kiranmayi Mangalgiri (Oklahoma State University, OSU) and Timothy Hubin (Southwestern Oklahoma State University, SWOSU)
Application of macrocyclic oxidation-based catalytic treatment for energy efficient water reuse
The long-term goal of the project is to develop cost-efficient and sustainable water treatment strategies that will enable safe water reuse for potable purposes in municipal contexts. The project aims to establish tetraazamacrocyclic “Earth-abundant” transition metal catalysts as a low-energy alternative to conventional advanced oxidation processes in potable water reuse systems. Researcher will evaluate the degradation of a suite of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) that are used as performance-based indicators to determine the treatment efficiency of water reuse systems using four manganese and iron-based tetra azamacrocyclic catalysts. This project will specifically a) evaluate the reactive species generation profile of four tetraazamacrocyclic catalysts using H2O2, Cl2, and chloramine-based oxidation systems, b) establish treatment efficiency of tetraazamacrocyclic catalysts using performance-based indicators in real wastewater samples, and c) determine the reusability of tetraazamacrocyclic in water reuse scenarios. Researchers anticipate disseminating project results addressing the catalytic degradation of CECs and the comparison of catalytic treatment with conventional oxidation methods through peer reviewed journal publication and presentations at national and regional meetings.
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