VNR: $5M NSF award to address outdated wastewater infrastructure

Contact:

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/W7OiFFGyCs

***SUGGESTED VOSOT SCRIPT BELOW***

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers are part of a team that was recently awarded a three-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to address the environmental and public health impacts of outdated wastewater infrastructure in island communities. The project is led by the University of South Florida, with UH Mānoa playing a key role in research and pilot testing.

Focus on Hawaiʻi's water health

In Hawaiʻi alone, an estimated 83,000 cesspools discharge approximately 52 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the ground each day, contaminating coastal waters and damaging coral reefs. Replacing cesspools with approved wastewater systems could cost households $30,000 to $50,000.

The Honu Hub project seeks to ease that burden by developing a solar-powered, compact and certifiable alternative that protects both human health and the environment. These systems are energy-independent and equipped with remote monitoring and automation, making them suitable for cesspool replacement in low-density and isolated areas. The "Honu Hub" represents a new class of small, adaptive and decentralized wastewater infrastructure.

By centering the work in Hawaiʻi, the research team ensures the technology is designed to overcome local challenges, including poor soils, high water tables and saltwater intrusion. The goal is to create a solution that can be adopted throughout the U.S. Pacific region and the continental U.S.

UH Mānoa researchers are leading the design and real-world pilot demonstration of nutrient capture systems within the Honu Hub. Pilot testing is taking place at the Wahiawā Wastewater Treatment Plant, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu.

The award supports the Honu project within NSF's Convergence Accelerator program, which aims to develop adaptive, decentralized wastewater infrastructure solutions for island and rural communities facing severe sanitation challenges.

Zhiyue Wang, the project's co-principal investigator and assistant professor at UH Mānoa's Water Resources Research Center and Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering in the College of Engineering, will assist with the pilot testing of Honu Hub in Hawaiʻi and developing novel technologies for nutrient recovery in the system.

"Collaborating with the University of South Florida, our goal is to empower communities with solutions that protect public health, preserve our nearshore ecosystems and ensure clean water for future generations," Wang said.

Tao Yan, director of the Water Resources Research Center, is also part of the Honu research team. Wang is working alongside principal investigator Daniel Yeh (University of South Florida), co-principal investigator Stuart Coleman (Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations) and co-principal investigator Allan Smith (Swiftwater Solutions).

Watch a video on this wastewater infrastructure project and Honu team members.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/W7OiFFGyCs

VIDEO:

BROLL: (0:51)

SOUNDBITES:

Zhiyue Wang, UH Mānoa assistant professor and project co-principal investigator

(0:20)

"So the goal is to develop solutions for decentralized wastewater treatment processes. So we're partnering with University of South Florida to test this new technology for smaller communities. This is especially useful for remote communities where it gets very expensive to connect to centralized sewage systems."

(0:17)

"It's actually an engineering solution in a box. We put all the treatment process in a shipping container so we don't need any existing infrastructure. So we can actually ship it here and put it into any remote community, connect it to your wastewater pipeline and then we're ready to go."

(0:11)

"The technology that we're working with, treats the wastewater, removes nutrients, pathogens, and it also provides the opportunity for water reuse where you can recycle the water."

(0:12)

"So in order to replace all the cesspools by 2050, we need new technologies at a lower cost and this program exactly is to accelerate the commercialization of new technologies and get it certified in Hawaiʻi."

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO:

Across Hawaiʻi, many homes still rely on aging wastewater systems.

A new University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa project hopes to change that.

VO:

UH Mānoa researchers are part of a team awarded five million dollars from the National Science Foundation.

The goal is to protect water quality and public health.

Across the state, tens of thousands of cesspools release untreated wastewater into the ground every day.

That pollution can end up in streams and the ocean.

The project, called the Honu Hub, is testing a compact, solar-powered wastewater system.

SOT:

Zhiyue Wang, UH Mānoa assistant professor and project co-principal investigator

"It's actually an engineering solution in a box. We put all the treatment process in a shipping container so we don't need any existing infrastructure. So we can actually ship it here and put it into any remote community, connect it to your wastewater pipeline and then we're ready to go."

VO:

It's designed to work in rural and island communities and lower costs for homeowners.

UH Mānoa is leading pilot testing on Oʻahu.

Researchers say the technology could help communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.