Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has launched a new Nanotechnology Signature Initiative (I.e. funding!) entitled Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology: Nanoscale Solutions for a Global Scale Challenge. The goal of this initiative is to take advantage of engineered nanomaterials and their unique properties to spur innovation and develop solutions that address water quality, water supply and water management issues.
Outlining the issues at hand, the NTSC Committee on Technology, Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology released a white paper that discusses the national need for these solutions, and identified three intended outcomes in focused ‘thrusts’ of the initiative:
- Increase Water Availability Using Nanotechnology
- Improve the Efficiency of Water Delivery and Use with Nanotechnology
- Enable Next-Generation Water Monitoring Systems with Nanotechnology
The initiative will include contributions from DOC/NIST, DOE, EPA, NASA, NSF, USDA/NIFA. As stated in the initiatives release, “the world’s water systems are under tremendous stress, and new and emerging technologies will play a critical role in ensuring a sustainable water future”.
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