A new report* by Global
Water Intelligence magazine and technology assessment experts, O2 Environmental,
highlights the top ten new water technologies which could avert environmental
disaster.
The technologies address some of the greatest challenges facing the water sector
today. These include:
Water scarcity: the world's freshwater resources are fixed, but both population
and per capita consumption of water is growing. By 2025 one in three people
around the world will experience either water scarcity or water stress.
Energy consumption: In some parts of the world the process of treating and
moving water represents 20% of total energy consumption.
Salt intrusion: over-exploitation of our natural water resources has resulted
in a build up of salt in our water systems.
Materials recycling: wastewater contains materials that may be valuable if
recycled, but are damaging to the environment if they are not.
GWI's report has reviewed 50 existing and emerging technologies, of which the
top ten are:
Aquaporins: these are membranes that replicate the way nature removes salt
from water, for example in the kidneys or in mangroves. Companies developing
this technology include Aquaporin (www.aquaporin.dk), and Danfoss AquaZ (www.danfoss-aquaz.com).
Bio-polymers from wastewater: bio-polymers are a great natural alternative
to petro-chemical-based plastics; what is more they can be made during the biological
digestion of sewage sludge. AnoxKaldnes (www.anoxkaldnes.com) is the leading
commercial developer of this technology.
Nano-engineered membranes: despite improvements, reverse osmosis membranes
still offer disappointingly low flux rates. New developments such as nano-composite
membranes and carbon nano-tubes will significantly reduce the energy required
in desalination. Two firms from the University of California, NanoH2O and Porifera,
are at the cutting edge of this technology.
Biogas recovery: the collection of methane from anaerobic wastewater treatment
has been a reality for industrial effluents with a high biological load for
some years. The challenge is to make it viable for less concentrated municipal
wastewater. Leaders in this market are Paques (www.paques.nl) and Biothane (www.biothane.com).
Microbial fuel cells: the next step in energy recovery from wastewater is direct
electrical power generation through microbial fuel cells. Emefcy (www.emefcy.com)
of Israel is at the forefront of commercialising this technology.
Vapour transfer irrigation: this involves low cost plastic tubes that allow
water vapour through, but not water or solutes. These make it possible to grow
trees and food crops using salt-water. DTi of the UK (www.dti-r.co.uk) has been
developing this technology.
Phosphorus recovery: phosphorus is essential to the healthy growth of plants
and animals, but it is a dwindling resource. The world's supply of phosphorus
rock will be exhausted within the next 100 years, unless more is recycled from
sewage. A number of companies including Unitika of Japan, DHV of the Netherlands
and Ostara (www.ostara.com) of Canada have been working on this technology.
Ultrasonic sludge pre-treatment: if you can break down cellular matter in sewage
sludge it is easier to reclaim biogas, water and other materials. Ultrasound
is a low-energy means of doing this. Hamburg Harburg University of Technology
is leading research in this area.
Forward osmosis: the action of water moving through a semi-permeable membrane
from a dilute solution to a concentrated solution has two interesting applications.
One gives a low-energy desalination process. The other is the generation of
osmotic power. Oasys, a company that has grown out of Yale University is at
the forefront of using forward osmosis in desalination.
Decentralised wastewater treatment: centralised wastewater systems are expensive
to build and use a lot of water. Decentralised systems might remove the need
for sewers, and make it easier to recycle the water and energy in the waste.
The Lettinga Associates Foundation (www.lettinga-associates.wur.nl) is one of
the leading organisations promoting the practical application of decentralised
wastewater.
*Water Technology Markets: Key Opportunities and Emerging Trends is a survey
of new water technologies published by the prestigious Global Water Intelligence
magazine. Besides carrying an analysis of the potential of innovations in the
water sector it also offers a wealth of data concerning the size and future
development of the water technology market, including PowerPoint presentations
and company profiles of over 3,000 suppliers of technology related products
and services. It is essential intelligence for water equipment suppliers, engineers
and contractors, investors and water utilities.
The report is available with accompanying data CD-ROM, priced £1200 (US$1920)
from Media Analytics Ltd, publishers of Global Water Intelligence magazine.
Contact Emma Welsh, Sales & Marketing Director, for further information
or to place an order: Tel: +44 1865 204208 Fax: +44 1865 204209, 27 Park End
Street, Oxford, OX1 1HU, UK
Posted July 24th, 2009
