We proudly congratulate our former Ph.D. student Dr. Jianan Gao at The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) who has been named the winner of the “Cost-Effective Wastewater Treatment Technologies” track of the 2025 Global Prize for Innovation in Water (GPIW). His award-winning innovation—a climate-smart electrocatalytic membrane system that converts nitrate pollution into value-added ammonium salt fertilizer—represents a major advancement in sustainable water treatment and resource recovery. This breakthrough addresses two global challenges simultaneously: mitigating nitrate contamination and producing clean fertilizer with reduced environmental impact.
Dr. Gao’s research builds on a multi-year effort in the Wen Zhang Research Group to integrate electrosynthesis, membrane science, and circular-economy principles into next-generation water treatment technologies. The work has been substantially supported by the NJIT Technology Innovation Translation and Acceleration (TITA) Seed Grant program, which empowers faculty and students to accelerate innovation toward commercialization. Established in 2022, the TITA program—now expanded through NSF’s Accelerating Translational Research (ART) initiative—supports intellectual property development, market validation, industry engagement, and entrepreneurial training. It plays a crucial role in building NJIT’s growing ecosystem for translational research and technology-driven economic development.
The project also benefited from external funding sources that advanced the scientific foundation and early-stage proof-of-concept development:
- NSF–BSF Award #2215387 – Electrified Membrane System for Chemical-Free Nitrogen Recovery from Nitrate-Contaminated Water ($450,000; 2022–2025).
- New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute (NJWRRI) Award #G21AP10595-01 – Electrochemically Reactive Membrane System for Simultaneous Nitrate Reduction and Ammonia Recovery ($5,000; 2022–2023).
- NSF I-Corps Hub, Northeast Region. Company name: RePleNish. Total: $3,000. Start-End Date: June 5, 2023 to August 5, 2023
These investments helped lay the groundwork for the innovative electrocatalytic process recognized by GPIW—a system that not only treats nitrate-laden wastewater but also transforms pollutants into high-purity ammonium products that can directly support agricultural productivity.
NJIT congratulates Dr. Jianan Gao on this prestigious global recognition and celebrates the collaborative support that made this climate-smart innovation possible. His achievement highlights NJIT’s growing leadership in water innovation, sustainable resource recovery, and translational research aimed at protecting water quality and strengthening environmental resilience.
