Presenter
Julie Bliss Mullen
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Description
As seen in the horrific Flint, MI water crisis, failing water distribution infrastructure is polluting tap water across the U.S. and abroad. The U.S. EPA estimates it will cost $600 billion to fix the failing water infrastructure that is polluting our drinking water.[1] Consumers are forced to drink potentially polluted water, purchase bottled water, or install existing treatment technologies that are costly, high maintenance, and often ineffective in removing contaminants of concern. In effort to solve this growing public health issue, a team of UMass graduate students have co-founded a startup, Aclarity, LLC, which aims at commercializing a technology they developed on campus. This sustainable technology is a prime candidate for replacing existing water solutions and has the potential to be in the forefront of water treatment by minimizing cost, maintenance, and harmful contaminants such as pathogens, toxic organics, and metals in drinking water. The Aclarity technology will free modern society from the need to do all treatment at a centralized location, and provide a treatment option that conserves resources and energy. Aclarity is also looking into other markets such as international, military, and food and beverage.