# Collaborative Research: FEC: Circular Waste Resource Recovery and Water Reuse Systems to Drive Sustainability and Resiliency of the Great Plains Rural Communities

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Kansas State University (KS) · $2,500,000

## Abstract

The Great Plains region faces an ever-increasing need to conserve dwindling water reserves from the Ogallala aquifer. The same region also annually generates more than 80% of the country’s total livestock wastes (dairy, beef, swine), raising concerns about the impact on water quality and living conditions. About 12– 35% of the water used annually for production-intensive agriculture in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma combined (8 M acre-ft/yr) can potentially be derived by recovering and treating water contained in livestock waste. A team of interdisciplinary researchers from Kansas State University (KSU), Seward County Community College (SCCC), Oklahoma State University (OSU), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), representing three contiguous EPSCoR jurisdictions, will synergize their complementary research capacities to enable adoption of circular waste resource recovery and water reuse technology platforms. This research will enhance economic resiliency, environmental sustainability, and quality of life in Great Plains micropolitan communities. The overall project objective is to build regional research capacity and develop an economically viable, socially accepted, and efficient circular resource recovery platform integrated with water reuse from livestock wastes that are copiously generated in the region. The proposed work would build capacity for use-inspired research to be demonstrated for adoption by livestock operations in southwest Kansas first (Liberal, KS),

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2521392
- **Awardee organization:** Kansas State University (KS)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** CFMMM5JM7HJ9
- **PI:** Prathap Parameswaran
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
- **Estimated total:** $2,500,000
- **Funds obligated:** $2,500,000
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 08/15/2025 → 07/31/2029

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2521392

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2521392, Collaborative Research: FEC: Circular Waste Resource Recovery and Water Reuse Systems to Drive Sustainability and Resiliency of the Great Plains Rural Communities. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-07 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2521392. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NSF Awards dataset](/datasets/nsf-awards) · CC0 1.0*
