As growing demand for clean water stretches even the
resources of the world's largest industrialized nations, scientists and
engineers are turning to new technology and novel ideas to find
solutions.
Mark Shannon of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
joined a slate of world leaders in water resource research to address
this crisis in a review paper in the March 20, 2008, issue of Nature.
"As dire as the growing problems are with a lack of enough
clean water in the world, I have a great deal of hope that many of
these problems can be solved by increasing research into the science
and technology of water purification," said Shannon, who also serves as
director of the National
Science Foundation (NSF) Center of Advanced Materials for the
Purification of Water with Systems (WaterCAMPWS).
With an emphasis on environmentally friendly tools for killing
microbes, membrane bioreactors, nanoscale filtration, and a host of
other advanced technologies, the review paper addresses how these
systems can be used for disinfection, decontamination, reuse and
reclamation, and desalination of water supplies across the globe.
"Clearly, a coordinated, multi-faceted approach is needed to
deal with complex water issues," said Geoffrey Prentice, the NSF
program director supporting the WaterCAMPWS center and currently on
detail to the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris.
"Ours is one of several agencies working to address the water
crisis before it grows worse. Working with the U.S. Mission to UNESCO,
we are highlighting the international dimensions of inadequate water
supplies, which lead to millions of deaths each year, primarily in the
developing world," Prentice added.
One example is a June 27 international water forum at the
Department of State at which NSF, UNESCO and a number of agencies and
international organizations will be joining Shannon and other technical
experts to confront some of the most pressing global water needs.
Shannon will lead the Congress for Water Purification Science
and Technologies in the 21st Century in New Orleans on April 6-10,
2008, an event that coincides with an NSF public webcast on April 10
called Water in 2025, co-hosted by Popular Mechanics. Part of the
larger Bridges to the Future forum (www.nsf.gov/bridges),
the event is an opportunity for the public to call-in and ask questions
of some of the top water researchers in the United States.
Posted 25th March 2008
