Water Challenges and Solutions on a Global Scale

2018

The 7th International Scientific and Professional Conference Water for all is organized to honour the World Water Day by the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), Danube Parks, Croatian Food Agency, Croatian Water, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek, Faculty of Civil Engineering Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Department of Chemistry, Nature Park “Kopački rit”, Osijek- Baranja County, Public Health Institute of the Osijek- Baranja County and „Vodovod-Osijek“ -water supply company in Osijek. The topic of World Water Day 2017 was "Wastewater" emphasizing the importance and influence of wastewater treatments on global environment. The international scientific and professional conference Water for all is a gathering of scientists and experts in the field of water management, including chemists, b...

2005

Water plays a key role in the development and functioning of society by serving as a basic resource for activities such as irrigation, livestock production, fisheries, aquaculture, and hydroelectric power. Adequate water use in house-holds, businesses and manufacturing is a prerequisite of economic growth. Since many of the world's diseases are waterborne, we need clean water and sanitation for reducing the incidence of these diseases. And, most significantly, water provides habitat and sustenance for a rich diversity of plant and animal species that make up aquatic and riparian ecosystems, providing the basis for many of the goods and services received by society. Society is forcing unprecedented changes on global water resources through worldwide abstraction and pollution of water. Society also has a pervasive indirect impact because anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing long-term global changes in weather extremes and climate. Changes in the global water system a...

KnE Life Sciences, 2017

Water sustainability needs an integrated approach to meet the water need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need of water. It includes water security and water scarcity. The water demand is increasing every year, while the planet’s capacity to sustain increasing demands for water is challenged. The main global water problems fall into three categories. The first is too much of it, secondly is too little of it and thirdly, it is too dirty. The first category is due to extensive flooding, the second category is due to serious drought and the third category is due to pollution and misuse of water which needs water quality management. Nowadays, there are 1.2 × 109 people live in areas of water scarcity and 2.6 billion people in global are lacking safe water supply. There are (6 to 8) × 106humans being are killed each year from water-related disasters and disease. In Indonesia, there is about 37 × 106 people lack access to safe water d...

Providing access to potable water and sanitation has become a human right through various designations in international treaties and declarations. Many countries and international organizations have established water quality guidelines for potable water supplies, thereby defining standards for treatment processes to meet. Unfortunately, potable water for all is a goal that has not yet been fully realized. Water-related diseases remain the number one cause of death for children under five worldwide; these problems are particularly evident in rural areas of developing countries. In addition, emerging contaminants and disinfection by-products have been linked to chronic health problems for people in the developed and developing world. This chapter provides an overview of critical problems relating to the provisioning of global potable water. First, current health impacts of water-related illnesses as well as natural and human influences that will alter our current water supply in the coming decades are reviewed. The technical limitations to water treatment in both developed and emerging economies are then discussed. Additionally, a brief look at the social and political factors influencing potable water access such as government capacity, competing interests, and the influence of food choices on water availability will be discussed. Finally, some current innovative approaches and suggested strategies for water management in the future are presented.

Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2011

The availability of clean water is necessary for all aspects of food production, preparation, distribution and consumption. Yet the magnitude, intensity and diversity of water pollution and the depletion of some water resources continue to grow, reducing the availability of clean, usable water and raising the potential for a water-related crisis that would have a severe impact on food processes. These impacts could be especially severe in developing nations where water supplies and treatment technologies are limited. Nanotechnology shows great promise as a feasible means of treating both long-standing and emerging water contaminants, as well as enabling technologies such as desalination of seawater to increase water supply. However, some engineered nanomaterials could also become water pollutants that threaten public and ecosystem health. Accordingly, this paper considers both the applications and implications of nanotechnology within the context of water quality and water security for developing countries.

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2014

This Special Volume of the Journal of Cleaner Production focuses on "water Efficient Processes". It highlights the issues of a global challenge to use water resources more efficiently and more effectively in various fields of human activity. For the process industry the new paradigm of profitable cleaner production means the adoption of complex strategies that are build upon the most advanced developments in several areas of science and technology: chemistry, physics, engineering, ecology and economics, which can and do provide essential contributions to better and cleaner production processes. Because of the sheer size of the problems involved, some issues of special relevance call for intensified efforts. The most significant topics are dealt with eleven contributors from ten countries in Europe, Asia and South America. In the first part of this paper, selected themes concerning the most pressing environmental challenges are reviewed, with particular attention to environmental remediation, pollution control and water decontamination. The second part, where the selected papers are presented and discussed, within the spirit of the making improvements in water resource management. Several novel technical solutions in terms of materials, processes and software are proposed and designed to achieve pollution prevention orientated methodologies with beneficial real-world applications.

Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2015

Availability of safe drinking water, a vital natural resource, is still a distant dream to many around the world, especially in developing countries. Increasing human activity and industrialization have led to a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological pollutants entering water bodies and affecting human lives. Efforts to develop efficient, economical, and technologically sound methods to produce clean water for developing countries have increased worldwide. We focus on solar disinfection, filtration, hybrid filtration methods, treatment of harvested rainwater, herbal water disinfection, and arsenic removal technologies. Simple, yet innovative water treatment devices ranging from use of plant xylem as filters, terafilters, and hand pumps to tippy taps designed indigenously are methods mentioned here. By describing the technical aspects of major water disinfection methods relevant for developing countries on medium to small scales and emphasizing their merits, demerits, econo...

ISSUES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS: R.E. Hester, University of York, UK R.M. Harrison, University of Birmingham, UK EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: P. Crutzen, Max-Planck-Institut fu¨ r Chemie, Germany, S. J. de Mora, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK, G. Eduljee, SITA, UK, L. Heathwaite, Lancaster University, U.K., S. Holgate, University of Southampton, UK, P. K. Hopke, Clarkson University, USA, Sir John Houghton, Meteorological Office, UK, P. Leinster, Environment Agency, UK, J. Lester, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK, P. S. Liss, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK, D. Mackay, Trent University, Canada, A. Proctor, Food Science Department, University of Arkansas, USA, D. Taylor, AstraZeneca plc, UK

ACS Symposium Series, 2015

microorganisms. Nanomaterials of different shapes, namely nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires and fibers have the ability to function as adsorbents and catalysts. These possess an expansive array of physicochemical characteristics deeming them highly attractive for the production of reactive media for water membrane filtration, a vital step in the production of potable water. As a result of their exceptional adsorptive capacity for water contaminants, graphene based nanomaterials have emerged as an area of significant importance in the area of membrane filtration and water treatment. In addition, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) together with or without sources of light irradiation or ultrasound, have been found to be promising alternatives for water treatment at near ambient temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the uses of visible light active titanium dioxide photocatalysts and photo-Fenton processes have shown significant potential for water purification. A wide variety of nanomaterial based sensors, for the monitoring of water quality, have also been reviewed in detail. In conclusion, the rapid and continued growth in the area of nanomaterial based devices offers significant hope for addressing future water quality challenges.

Nature Water

The way in which human society uses water is continuously evolving. The present challenges related to clean water availability require the development of sustainable technologies and infrastructure. Furthermore, a stronger and wider appreciation of water inequalities and injustice demand an adequate transformation of water governance at local and global scale. We have asked nine experts in various sectors of water-related research to share their views on how water and sanitation science, technology and governance must evolve to meet the requirements of a healthier relationship between water and society. Anna M. Michalak: Safeguarding the planet's water quality in the face of climate change 'Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink.' This line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is spoken by a sailor adrift at sea. But it could equally well be a person whose water supply is contaminated and basement is flooded following a hurricane supercharged by climate change. Human welfare and ecosystem health are inextricably linked to water. Water sustainability, in turn, is predicated on the availability of the right amount of water (not too much, not too little!) of the right quality. The 'right' quantity and quality depend on whether you are a fish, a tree, a basement, or a human being. But, regardless of who you are, both the quantity and quality of water are changing and will continue to do so. A rich and growing literature has quantified how the amount of water available is changing in response to global change 1. More nascent literature is working to do the same for water quality 2,3 for the world's lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers, aquifers and coastal zones. Understanding the impacts of global change on water quality across a broad set of systems is challenging because water quality outcomes CREDIT: PHIRIYA PANUTHAI/MoMENT/GETTY