In collaboration with partners from Chicagoland and beyond, Argonne leverages bright minds and world-class user facilities to develop material solutions to pressing water challenges.

Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems Center

The Argonne-led Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to further scientific understanding of the interactions between water and the materials used to handle, process and treat water. Argonne is partnering with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University on the four-year project, bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions to tackle some of the biggest challenges in energy-water system applications.

Collaborative Water-Energy Research Center

Argonne researchers, along with partners from academia, industry and government, make up the Collaborative Water-Energy Research Center (CoWERC), a U.S.-Israel consortium that aims to develop new technologies to solve global water challenges. The multi-institutional effort, led by Northwestern University and BGN Technologies, focuses on energy-efficient water supply, wastewater reuse and resource recovery and energy-water systems.  

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Argonne is partnering with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) to examine water quality through a seven-year study that began in 2014. The Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS) Microbiome Study examines the complex microbial communities in the CAWS using data-driven modeling and artificial intelligence. The study aims to explore diverse microbial communities and to predict the concentrations of harmful bacteria under dynamic environmental conditions as the MWRD undertakes new efforts to improve the water system.