The increasing scarcity of water around the world is forcing a global reevaluation. In much of the developed world, wastewater infrastructure has been built on the assumption of a temperate climate. However, the problem now facing first-world countries is adapting to current wastewater infrastructure amid climate change and more extreme bouts of rainfall. Add in global warming, which will bring more severe storms and flooding interspersed with cycles of drought, and that assumption no longer holds firm.
A large amount of US tap and well water isn’t safe to drink because of heavy industrial and environmental pollution. Most sources of drinking water–including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers and glaciers–contain at least some degree of contamination, ranging from naturally-occurring minerals to man-made chemicals and byproducts.
Although many contaminants are found at levels that aren’t high enough to cause immediate discomfort or illness, even low-level exposure to common contaminants will cause severe ailments over time–including liver damage and cancer. Even the chemicals commonly used to treat municipal water supplies, such as chlorine and fluoride, are toxic and can have significant adverse effects when ingested.
Reverse osmosis filtration is the most thorough and cost-effective method for water purification. It’s a separation process that uses pressure to force contaminated water through a tiny, semi-permeable membrane (approximately equal to four one-hundredths of an inch).
This process is best known for its use in desalination–removing salt from seawater to make fresh water suitable for drinking–but it’s also used to purify fresh water for medical, industrial and domestic applications, including bottled water technology.
One key issue in expanding and upgrading wastewater infrastructure is deciding who will fit the costly bill and how they’ll raise the funds to pay for it.
Some companies and businesses have already begun preparing, taking action by using water more efficiently. Pepsi Bottling Group, for example, has conserved 1 million gallons of water each year at each of its plants by using new equipment cleaning processes. Using air instead of water to clean packaging has saved the company 13,000 gallons per day. Additionally, its upgraded reverse osmosis purification systems use 10 percent less water.
Retail chain B&Q has been monitoring water consumption actively since 2003, setting a target to reduce mains use across UK outlets by 10 percent by the end of 2008 and realized it had actually saved 20 percent by year-end 2007.
Using methods such as harvesting rainfall for toilet flushing and smart water metering lets store managers view water usage in real time. This monitoring method allows the company to quickly identify and fix leaks. It also helps prevents excessive usage.
Other companies have taken a different approach. Dow Chemicals, for example, relies on recycling. At its Netherlands-based plant in the city of Terneuzen, it’s been reusing approximately 70 percent of the area’s 2.6 million gallons of municipal wastewater produced each day.
Cutting water use has an added advantage. It also helps cut down on energy use. Dow discovered that its efforts in Terneuzen alone reduced it carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons annually.
The problem lies in the fact that many companies and consumers remain unaware of the amount of water they’re using and the amount that goes into certain products. Examining the amount of embedded water—which is the invisible end user in the production of goods—can provide surprising results. For instance, it takes around 2,400 liters of water to make a hamburger and 11,000 liters to produce a pair of jeans, including the water used to grow the cotton.
Tim Jones, principal of European-based innovation consulting firm Innovaro, suggests companies attach water labels–in the same way some use carbon labels–to show how much greenhouse gas is emitted during production so consumers are able to base purchasing decisions on environmental principles.
PF Long Hauler Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE, France: VIE), a world leader in environmental services, specializes in wastewater services for both municipal and industrial customers. Unlike other wastewater reclamation gurus, Veolia tailors specific solutions to local needs worldwide.
Through its research and development teams and its subsidiary Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, the company develops analytical wastewater treatment and recycling techniques that span the entire water cycle, meeting the needs of customers on every continent.
Veolia’s water treatment process isn’t rocket science. But it is the core of water safety. The company withdraws water from natural resources and uses it to produce and distribute drinking water and industrial water. Then it collects and transports wastewater and treats it for reuse or return to the ecosystem. It also preserves water resources before withdrawal and protects the environments into which the wastewater is released.
It’s currently focusing on improving the productivity of its plants, pipelines and water conservation processes. And it’s shifting priorities elsewhere to tap growth opportunities in Europe, Asia and the Middle East as it continues efforts to improve efficiency. In addition, the company is developing research tools to assess and track the performance of its vital membrane filtration technology in order to preserve and optimize quality water services to its more than 132 million clients.
WorldWater & Solar (OTC: WWAT) takes a different approach to the world’s mounting concerns over water safety and supply. The international solar engineering and water management company uses high-powered solar technology to provide solutions to water supply issues and energy challenges. Its technology has many applications, including–but certainly not limited to–agribusiness, irrigation, water utilities, food processing plants and refrigeration and cooling systems.
WorldWater’s AquaMax technology has a bright future as global water and energy needs continuously increase. The AquaMax system drives large-scale pumps and motors directly from solar power. It has a grid-disconnect feature that enables the solar power to continue operating even if there’s an electrical grid failure, providing emergency backup power for the entire system. It also features a switching ability, which gives customers a choice in powering pumps and motors using solar alone, the electric grid alone or a seamless blend of the two.
Sure, challenges within the water industry still abound. But with wastewater solutions and infrastructure undergoing dramatic transformations over the next few years and continued developments on the horizon, this life force won’t trickle out any time soon.
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