WEST–ERDC partnership advances water reuse for national security
Andrea Achilli develops water reuse solutions for both military and civilian communities as part of the university-government collaboration.
Associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering Andrea Achilli (left) and Luke Presson (right) evaluate the ESTCP Demonstration Project semi-portable, containerized advanced water purification unit.
College of Engineering faculty member Andrea Achilli created a portable water recycling system as part of an expanding partnership between the University of Arizona’s Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center’s (WEST) and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Achilli, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, addresses critical water needs as principal investigator for two of the center’s largest grants.
“Water reuse is, of course, an important response to water scarcity,” said Andrea Achilli, “but we can’t forget it’s also about national security.”
He leads the U of A’s work in a four-year, $38M ERDC-funded Water Reuse Consortium – which also includes the University of Southern California and the University of Nevada, Reno. The U of A’s $10M portion of the grant supports research on smart treatment systems, sustainable brine management technologies, and improved virus detection. It also invests in training and public engagement to encourage wider adoption of water reuse.
‘Advance research, better the nation’
In 2024, the U of A and ERDC strengthened ties further by signing an Educational Partnership Agreement, enabling WEST to host postdoctoral researchers at its facilities.
The first to participate, Luke Presson – an ORISE scientist with the Army Corps of Engineers – conducts research and connects partners across the Consortium to align its work with military needs.
“This partnership shows how the federal government and universities can work together to advance research and better the nation. Using both of our strengths we can accomplish so much more than going at it alone,” said Nicholas Josefik, Presson’s supervisor at the U.S. Army Engineer Research Development Center.
We hope this EPA is an example that we can replicate at other universities.”
Preparing technology for deployment
One area where Achilli and Presson saw big benefits was moving communities from massive water and wastewater treatment plants to smaller, mobile and semi-mobile advanced water purification systems. Traditional facilities are costly, built to last decades, and risky to upgrade. In contrast, decentralized systems are easier to adapt.
For military bases, on-site reuse – particularly processes using only electricity, without chemicals – could reduce the dangers of resupply missions. For civilian communities, these smaller systems would lessen dependence on large, centralized plants that leave entire communities vulnerable if they fail.
These concepts have already been put to the test in an earlier ERDC-funded effort, the ESTCP Demonstration Project. Completed in 2025, the project piloted a semi-portable, containerized advanced water purification unit.
The system performed well during trials at WEST and Tucson’s Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility, but when deployed to Fort Huachuca, it clogged due to excess solids in the water. Presson said the challenge was enlightening, and they were glad it showed up during testing.
“It’s better to find out that the system needs a simple mechanical screen before it’s sent to a forward operating base that’s relying on it to work,” he said. “That’s why what WEST does is so important.”
