Source: kosu.org

The Future of Water Treatment: Emerging Technologies and Trends

If everyone takes a few moments to think about the countless blessings bestowed by nature, then they all might be surprised to lose count multiple times. One such bounty is water, which has been the origin of everything, including the very first life form. Without this commodity, nothing is possible, and existence would cease off of this planet within a few hours, if not a whole day.

However, one of the major concerns that has kept humans worrying over the past few decades is the issue of water management and its depleting levels. There are various ways by which waste and polluted water is being treated, and then supplied to the local folks all around the world for their daily chores. However, these water treatments are gruesome and time taking, and not very efficient. Therefore, it is required that scientists brainstorm a new device to make this process efficient and simpler.

The current water treatment technologies all around the globe is tedious, and not sufficient for the population. This has resulted in water scarcity and non availability of pure and clean drinking water. The future might hold some solutions to these issues, as it is showing signs of progress in the same direction. The following article would discuss the same, what all future technologies do we have in store to make it a better tomorrow:

1.  Desalination

Source: usbr.gov

One of the most recent scientific wonders was the achievement of turning salty sea water into something useful. This new breakthrough has opened up the doors to an infinite universe, where everything and anything is possible if people are persistent enough. The desalination has carved ways to promote this water into the fields for irrigation, which was earlier considered as a waste.

Moreover, tese can be filtered and processed, and then sent to people for proper drinking water. This new technology has the potential to end the water scarcity and issues related to clean drinking liquids, and their accessibility.

2.  Micro filtration

With the pace that nanotechnology is taking over the world, it is safe to say that the same would be used in the filtration process as well in the near future. One such advancement that could be expected any time soon would be micro filtration. As the name suggests, this could become a boon in countries where safe drinking water is not available. This technique would be used to filter out the nano particles and microorganisms out of the solutions, making them fit for drinking.

If successful, this could also be used in other sectors of industries as well. These could include the cough syrup filtration, and filtering crude oil. All the extra processes and additional expenditure used for them would be cut short, making this significantly useful for everyone.

3.  Ultrafiltration

Source: calmatters.org

Just like the process which takes place inside any typical mammalian kidney, ultrafiltration, if successfully implemented, would become a game changer. In the human body, along with many other mammals, the kidneys carry out a process called ultrafiltration. In this process, the body uses the various concentration gradients to concentrate urine, thereby saving water.

The same can be used to remove any salts and other molecular impurities out from the liquids. There is a lot of salt contamination in water everywhere. This new technology would make it quite easy to separate these salts based on their concentration and these can also be used later by others.

4.  Biological Weapons

Living organisms, such as dipterans, have been used for curbing unwanted growths, such as weeds, everywhere for some time now. These are known as the biological weapons. These weapons can be modified and be used to treat water, and remove waste materials from them. Some fishes are already known to check the growth of mosquitoes, by feeding on their larva. Similarly, other fishes could be modified to search and destroy certain types of waste found in the water sample from different places. Once done correctly, these would help save a lot of money on waste separation and segregation.

Micro algal growth could also be beneficial. These are known to increase the dissolved oxygen content. An increased oxygen content would help in the growth and promotion of a healthy and diverse aquatic life, thereby reducing pollution and other complications.

5.  Pressured Chambers

Source: niehs.nih.gov

As reverse osmosis has gained a lot of praise and popularity over the years, there is now room for improvement, and the introduction of pressured chambers for water treatment. These chambers would be lined by the membranes of conducting media, making the flow completely biased and towards only one direction. This would help in filtering out the particles small enough to be left out in the regular filtration unit.

Moreover, a pressured chamber would also simultaneously remove the toxins and other substances from the water, making it fit for everyday purpose, along with drinking the same.

What Else?

So far, it has been discussed about how the newer technologies would help to clean water and treat the scarcity solution. However, one of the most important things that still remain on the top of the list is the motto to save water. Wasting water does no one any good. It only keeps the ones in actual need thirsty and longing for more. Therefore, be sure not to waste this precious commodity.

Conclusion:

Water is one of the very few boons from mother nature that has stuck around since the beginning of life on earth. It is where the first microbe was formed. However, due to ever-increasing pollution, it is becoming quite a haunting task to find ways to clean water and take the world out of the water crisis. There are some developments going on, which will be released in the market in the near future. But until then, everyone must use water carefully, use only what is required, and save the rest.

Ricardo is a freelance writer specialized in politics. He is with foreignspolicyi.org from the beginning and helps it grow. Email: richardorland4[at]gmai.com