Researchers at Rice University’s WaTER Institute are leading an ambitious new effort to transform the way the world manages water and sanitation at the household scale. The project, funded by the Gates Foundation and in collaboration with Arizona State University, Clarkson University and Duke University, aims to develop modular, field-ready water treatment systems capable of recycling multiple household wastewater streams and dramatically reducing both water use and dependence on centralized infrastructure.

Materials scientists at Rice University and collaborators have developed a material that uses light to break down a range of pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have garnered attention for their pervasiveness.

Rice University’s Pedro J.J. Alvarez, a world leader in environmental nanotechnology and water sustainability, has been awarded the 2026 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering, one of the oldest and most prestigious science and engineering honors in the United States.

Rice University researchers, in collaboration with international partners, have developed the first eco-friendly technology to rapidly capture and destroy toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in water. The findings, recently published in Advanced Materials, mark a major step toward addressing one of the world’s most persistent environmental threats.

Transforming desalination systems

The system has been developed in the university’s labs and is currently intended for off-grid applications rather than full-scale coastal desalination.

In a time of escalating climate risks, crumbling infrastructure and ballooning industrial demand, understanding how water and energy intertwine has never been more urgent. That was the resounding message from experts who convened May 19 in Washington, D.C., for “The Intersection of Water and Energy, 2025-2030,” a forum hosted by Rice University and Arizona State University.

A team of researchers from Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University and other leading global institutions has outlined a bold new roadmap for harnessing heterogeneous catalysis to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the so-called “forever chemicals” that have contaminated water supplies worldwide.

Patrick Kurp - Dec. 19, 2024

POSTED IN: RICE ENGINEERING > News

Michael Wong, the Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice, will receive the 2025 Henry J. Albert Award from the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI).

Silvia Cernea Clark - Aug. 30, 2024

POSTED IN: RICE NEWS > Current News > 2024

Rice University inaugurated a new research center dedicated to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Wednesday during a visit to campus by representatives of the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

Patrick Kurp - Jul. 18, 2024

POSTED IN: RICE ENGINEERING > News

For 80 years, “forever chemicals” have been used to coat our pots and pans, put out fires and make our carpets resistant to stains, among many other applications.

HOUSTON – (April 29, 2021) – Wind power has a bright future, but what happens when wind turbines power down? A worn blade the length of a football field isn’t easy to recycle.

Rice University engineering students are working on environmentally sensitive strategies to process decommissioned blades for recycling or disposal. The Bladecycle project, based at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, requires them to think big.

Silvia Cernea Clark - May. 19, 2023

Rice University chemist Raúl Hernández Sánchez is one of 12 early-career scientists named to C&EN’s 2023 Talented 12 cohort for his research in inorganic and supramolecular chemistry.

Mike Williams - Apr. 16, 2021

Students at Rice University’s Brown School of Engineering calling themselves “PFAS and PFurious” took four prizes, including first place, in this year’s 31st WERC Environmental Design Contest for their development of a system to remove harmful chemicals from fluids.

HOUSTON – (July 25, 2022) – Rice University chemical engineers have improved their design for a light-powered catalyst that rapidly breaks down PFOA, one of the world’s most problematic “forever chemical” pollutants.

HOUSTON -- (July 7, 2020) -- Rice University chemical engineers found an efficient catalyst for destroying PFAS "forever" chemicals where they least expected.