NSF Convergence Accelerator Future Water Systems: Honu - Adaptive Decentralized Wastewater Infrastructure Solutions for Island Communities   

About This Grant

An effective wastewater infrastructure is vital to preventing pollutants from harming human and environmental health. Centralized sewer-based systems are expensive to install and maintain and cannot serve low-density rural areas. About 25% of Americans, or 31 million households, rely on onsite systems for sanitation. Wastewater infrastructure on islands face additional challenges, as they are subject to saltwater intrusion, shallow groundwater, poor soils, high material, labor, and energy costs, and proximity to sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs. In Hawaii alone, an estimated 83,000 households on cesspools discharge 52 million gallons of untreated sewage into the environment each day, harming public health and fragile nearshore ocean habitat. On the mainland U.S., millions of people in small, isolated rural communities in places such as Appalachia, Alabama, Alaska, and the Navajo Nation also struggle with poor sanitation stemming from inadequate wastewater infrastructure. This project will develop a new class of technologies called adaptive decentralized wastewater infrastructure solutions (ADWIS), which are capable of nutrient removal and water recycling, contain automation and remote monitoring, and are energy independent on renewable sources. Working with community partners, local wastewater professionals, and the Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentoring Program, the team will broaden participation by students and researchers from underrepresented groups, and engage with communities with onsite wastewater challenges in Hawaii and beyond. A convergence research team of water professionals from academia, industry, and the non-profit sector will tackle the unique wastewater challenges of island communities. Using the islands of Hawaii as an acceleration platform, the team will develop and mature an ADWIS called Honu Hub which provides micro-grid services to a single or cluster of homes. The project is comprised of six thrusts. Thrust 1 focuses on the design, fabrication, testing, certification, and pilot demonstration of a Honu Hub in Hawaii. Thrust 2 continues research and development to decrease operational and maintenance costs. Thrust 3 intends to understand and overcome institutional barriers (regulatory, economic, behavioral) in the diffusion of new technologies like Honu Hub and ADWIS in general. Thrust 4 develops go-to-market strategies for Honu Hub. Thrust 5 promotes education and workforce development for ADWIS. Thrust 6 addresses track integration and cross track activities to achieve greater synergy across the Convergence Accelerator portfolio. The intellectual merit of the project includes the research and development of a novel circular economy-based decentralized wastewater treatment technology which can help address water quality and scarcity challenges for island communities. The anticipated outcomes and deliverables are a market-ready ADWIS which is ready to be upscaled and applied to Hawaii, other islands in the U.S. Pacific region, and mainland U.S. The broader Impacts include introducing frameworks for overcoming institutional, regulatory, and financial barriers to the adoption of new onsite wastewater solutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.