The Government Accountability Office recently assessed technologies that can potentially save the U.S. from water stress, focusing on distribution efficiency and the treatment of nontraditional sources. We provide a snapshot of GAO’s findings, including technology pros and cons, “readiness” rates, and levels of adoption.
There is no doubt that reverse osmosis (RO) currently reigns among desalination techniques, if your metric is total number of installations. But a new competitor has arisen, at least for particular applications. If you have brackish water in the 2,000 to 15,000 ppm range of total dissolved solids (TDS), you may want to consider electrodialysis (ED) over RO.
As persistent, widespread drought dominates headlines and decimates farmland, a competition held this month by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) turns to innovative desalination technologies for answers.
A collection of innovative membrane technologies found at the AWWA/AMTA Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition
There are few topics more controversial these days than hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). While the debate rages on as to whether fracking poses a risk to water quality, a new desalination technique addresses two other environmental concerns: water scarcity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the breakthrough technology uses excess carbon dioxide created in the fracking process to desalinate the process water, making it available for water reuse. It also generates chemicals — hydrochloric acid and carbonate salts — that are valuable for many industrial applications.
After more than 50 years of development, it seems membrane technology is ready for liftoff.
As the U.S. struggles with water scarcity in California, Nevada, Texas, and other western communities, finding a solution that will work for every state and every industry seems nearly impossible.
Resources being a scarce commodity, it’s incumbent upon us to optimize the use of water and energy as best we can. While conservation is the prime course of action for the public, the best solution for utilities may be to work smarter — by having the water-energy nexus work for us instead of against us.
For the unfamiliar, the term “disruptive technology” initially sounds quite bad, as though it describes something that gets in the way. Far from impeding progress, however, disruptive technologies actually accelerate progress exponentially by disrupting the status quo. Think personal computers vs. mainframes, or cell phones vs. land lines.
A partnership between power and desalination plants may be the solution to drinking water scarcity. Researchers are working on a new system that can create potable water using a low-temperature desalination process powered by waste heat from a waterless power plant cooling system.
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