**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITH LIMITED FRESHWATER SUPPLIES AND A RAPIDLY GROWING GLOBAL POPULATION, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO FIND AND UTILIZE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES FOR CROP IRRIGATION. ONE PROVEN SOURCE THAT CAN MEET THIS DEMAND IS WASTEWATER. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING WATER FOR CROPS, WASTEWATER RESOURCES ARE RICH IN NUTRIENTS, SPECIFICALLY NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS. COMBINED, THESE NUTRIENTS CAN IMPROVE THE GROWTH OF FOOD CROPS .WASTEWATER SOURCING: THE POULTRY INDUSTRY IS A MAJOR GENERATOR OF NUTRIENT-RICH WASTEWATER. THIS WATER SUPPLY IS CURRENTLY BEING TREATED AS A WASTE AT A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE TO INDUSTRY--AND ULTIMATELY--CONSUMERS. IN 2018, THE US BROILER INDUSTRY PRODUCED ROUGHLY 9 BILLION CHICKENS, RESULTING IN AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $31.7 BILLION ON THE US ECONOMY. THE PROCESSING PLANTS THAT HANDLE POULTRY SLAUGHTER AND MEATPACKING ALSO PRODUCE ROUGHLY 62 BILLION GALLONS OF WASTEWATER ANNUALLY AT A COST OF OVER $247 MILLION TO TREAT. REPURPOSING THIS WATER SUPPLY FOR USE IN CROP PRODUCTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE TREATMENT COSTS, INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION, AND REDUCE THE OVERALL IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE THREE MAIN CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN ORDER TO SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY USE WASTEWATER FOR FOOD PRODUCTION: 1) THE NUTRIENTS IN THE WASTEWATER SHOULD BE IN THE APPROPRIATE FORM FOR STABLE CROP PRODUCTION; 2) THE CROPS IRRIGATED WITH WASTEWATER MUST BE FREE OF PATHOGENS; AND 3) THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMICALS IN THE POULTRY WASTEWATER MUST BE MITIGATED.THE GOAL OF OUR PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP ENGINEERED BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES THAT OVERCOME THESE THREE CHALLENGES. SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH PROCESSES WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR RECYCLING OF WASTEWATER BACK INTO SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION. WE WILL MEET OUR PROJECT GOAL BY ENGAGING IN FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES: 1) DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT REACTOR THAT USES ALGAE AND BACTERIA DEPLOYED TOGETHER TO CLEAN THE WATER AND TRANSFORM EXISTING NUTRIENTS INTO FORMS THAT ARE USABLE BY PLANTS. 2) TEST THE ABILITY OF THE ABOVE REACTOR, ALONG WITH OTHER NON-CHEMICAL TREATMENT STEPS, TO CLEAN THE WATER OF PATHOGENS SO IT IS SAFE TO USE FOR CROP IRRIGATION. 3) GROW LETTUCE (A MODEL CROP THAT PRESENTS A WORST CASE SCENARIO FROM A FOOD-SAFETY STANDPOINT) TO TEST OUR SYSTEM'S PERFORMANCE. DURING THIS STEP, WE WILL DOSE IN ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMICALS INTO THE TREATMENT SYSTEM TO DETERMINE HOW EFFECTIVELY IT REMOVES AND MITIGATES THEIR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON LETTUCE PRODUCTION. AND FINALLY, 4) DEVELOP A SET OF ENGINEERING MODELS DERIVED FROM OUR EXPERIMENTAL DATA. THESE MODELS WILL SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR SCALING UP OUR PROCESS SO IT CAN BE DEPLOYED SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY AT COMMERCIAL POULTRY PROCESSING PLANTS.ANTICIPATED BENEFITS: THERE IS STRONG POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF OUR WASTEWATER RECYCLING SYSTEM BY INDUSTRY. THIS WILL HAVE FAR-REACHING POSITIVE IMPACTS ON SOCIETY AS WELL. IT WILL SERVE AS A WAY TO REDUCE THE OPERATIONAL BURDEN ON,EXISTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES, SAVE THE POULTRY INDUSTRY MONEY, PROVIDE FARMERS WITH A RELIABLE SOURCE OF NUTRIENT-RICH WATER, AND IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY REDUCING BOTH FRESHWATER AND FERTILIZER USE.