This $449,919 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research by the West Virginia University Research Corporation to develop surface-modified membranes for recovering key fertilizer macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from wastewater. The goal is to enable efficient recovery of these valuable nutrients, while preventing their release into the environment and reducing reliance on energy-intensive traditional fertilizer production processes. The 5-year project will analyze critical separation mechanisms in polyelectrolyte-modified membranes to selectively recover ammonium and potassium from wastewater under neutral pH conditions. The findings are expected to guide development of advanced membrane technologies for sustainable fertilizer recovery. The award also includes an educational component to provide mentored research experiences for underrepresented students in STEM fields.