8 Cutting-Edge Technologies Revolutionizing Clean Water Access
By Mia Barnes, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind Magazine.
The water you drink is your lifeblood. Without regular access to clean water, humanity would struggle to survive. Many parts of the country and world struggle to get access to clean water. Thankfully, those with the knowledge and capabilities have introduced cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize clean water access for the billions of people in need.
1. Bioaugmentation in Wastewater Treatment
Introducing precise microbial strains into treatment systems helps degrade active pollutants in wastewater to bring the quality of the water in line with regulatory drinking standards. The bioaugmentation process, including microbial consortia — numerous types of microorganisms like safe bacteria and enzymes — is an effective way of reducing oil and carbon substrate pollutants that more conventional treatment methods find challenging to decrease.
Bioaugmentation speeds up pollutant breakdown, with specialized strains enhancing the performance of existing microbes in the water. This bioaugmentation method ultimately results in less sludge production, meaning less of this waste by-product affects the environment following disposal. Part of bioaugmentation is the effective scientific removal of the microbial consortia after the wastewater treatment process finishes.
2. Water Desalination
At the 2023 United Nations General Assembly, session president Csaba Kőrösi predicted that the global demand for freshwater would exceed supply by 40% by 2030. Water desalination is emerging as an effective process to bridge supply and demand, and many countries — especially in the Middle East — already use it to source clean water from saltwater.
Advancements in different desalination processes significantly reduce energy consumption, with one of the most successful being reverse osmosis, where saltwater gets filtered through membranes with minute holes, blocking and removing the salt. As part of the desalination process, robust pumps generate 50 to 60 bars of pressure to extract water that’s pure enough to drink.
While not as energy-efficient, multistage osmosis is another popular water desalination technique. Here, salt water gets exposed to variations in pressure and steam-raised temperatures that cause evaporation. The freshwater vapor left behind forms a salty brine by-product. Both desalination methods produce drinkable water and remove the biological and organic compounds that enhance the chances of diseases and diarrhea.
Drinking Water Testing Parameters
All water treatment plans have specific testing parameters depending on how you intend to use the water. Basic water usage parameters include calcium, magnesium, total hardness, conductivity, overall alkalinity and pH level testing. For drinking water, water testers also check for oxidizing biocide levels — including chlorine, bromine, chloramine and chlorine dioxide levels, among others — and copper and iron levels.
3. Photocatalysis for Water Purification
Photocatalysts are semiconductive materials like zinc oxides and titanium dioxides that combine with light irradiations to accelerate chemical reactions. Energized photons strike photocatalyst surfaces to generate electron-hole pairs, which begin redox reactions to disinfect pathogens in the water by degrading its organic pollutants. Depending on the photocatalyst process, artificial light and solar energy force these reactions to provide sustainable solutions.
Photocatalysis provides a chemical-free method to sterilize water, removing microbes, viruses, pesticides, crude oil and dyes by using ultraviolet and photocatalyst rays for quick and efficient contaminant removal. Many recent advancements in photocatalysis make it an increasingly popular method for producing clean water by improving the removal percentages of various contaminants.
In 2023, researchers in India developed an eco-friendly, cost-effective photocatalyst using a Kaolin clay-based nanocomposite. With garlic peel, they extracted zinc oxide nanoparticles that photo-catalytically degraded a methylene blue toxic dye from water by 96% within two hours.
4. Solar-Powered Filtration
Solar-powered water filtration programs in rural areas harness the sun’s rays to provide clean water and curb reliance on contaminated water sources. These solutions incorporate cutting-edge technology through multi-level filtration systems, which often depend on solar panels to remove chemicals, viruses, harmful bacteria and other pollutants from wells, lakes and rivers.
A solar solution from Princeton University utilizes a user-friendly, low-cost, solar-powered gel that filters out oils, microplastics, heavy metals and bacteria from water by using polymers. At temperatures of 91 degrees Fahrenheit or above, a square meter of the sponge-like gel can absorb over a gallon of contaminated water, filter it and transform about 70% of it into clean drinking water — all within only 10 minutes.
The gel successfully removed E.coli bacteria from water in testing, and its sustainable, solar nature makes it an affordable and eco-friendly solution for regions without access to clean water or grid-based power. While this technologically advanced method doesn’t even require solar panels, other solar-powered programs are already providing clean water access to those desperately in need.
Keeping Hydrated
As many people globally struggle to reap the benefits of proper hydration because of insufficient access to clean water, you should never take your access to pure drinking water for granted. Appreciate your ability to remain sufficiently hydrated. Lack of clean drinking water leads to dehydration, disease and death among those who only have access to contaminated water. Consume the amount of clean water recommended for your body weight and activity to maintain your hydration levels.
5. Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of molecules and individual atoms. From textiles to medicine and beyond, many industries make use of this technological innovation. By removing water-based contaminants, several nanotechnology-based methods assist in water desalination, remediation, filtration and treatment on a global scale, providing fresh and clean water. This efficient and cost-effective solution enhances sustainability initiatives and helps those in need receive access to clean water.
Carbon nanotube (CNT) is a significant and well-utilized water purification method. Water purification experts often use CNT filtration systems to ready wastewater for drinking by removing harmful inorganic, organic and biological compounds. CNTs have a large surface area, allowing for good absorption and robust chemical activity in contaminant removal when used in conjunction with other purification methods.
6. Acoustic Nanotube Technology
This technology uses CNTs as part of the water treatment process but relies on acoustics driving the water through the CNTs in a filter matrix made from polymer, ceramic or metallic compounds instead of pressure — as is used in standard membrane technology — to leave impurities behind. An oscillator circuit produces an acoustic vibration that debonds the water molecules, which the system moves through the filter for purification.
NASA devised acoustic nanotube technology for water recycling and treatment at the International Space Station. Its success in the space environment led to it being investigated and utilized in varying ways, including a method to improve clean water accessibility.
The Earth’s Clean Water
Although water makes up over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, only around half of one percent is clean and ready to drink. As far back as 2015, Americans were using around 322 billion gallons of water daily, and 87% of that was fresh water. Thermoelectric power, irrigation, domestic livestock, aquaculture mining and industrial needs accounted for 88% of this clean water, leaving the remainder for the public supply. With climate change, water purification methods are essential to make clean water more accessible to the public.
7. Automatic Variable Filtration
Automatic variable filtration (AVF) is a simple but effective way to purify water. The water flowing into the filter gets cleaned by filter media flowing in the opposite direction, and the technology’s effectiveness means the water doesn’t need any further filtering or cleaning. AVF’s method has no moving parts and requires no power source. It is an energy-efficient and cost-effective system suitable for municipal drinking water, wastewater treatment, reuse, pre-filtration and desalination.
As businesses look to conserve water by reducing waste and improving their sustainable operations, AVF technology’s effective energy, maintenance and operational downtime reductions ensure constant water filtration and minimize the requirement for manual intervention. If you’re a business owner, AVF can assist you in focusing on regulatory environmental sustainability and becoming more profitable.
8. PFAS Chemical Disposal With Regents
Various studies are investigating technologies that could assist in improving sustainability initiatives and water treatments. One such PFAS solution uses reagents to remove the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. PFAS are the “forever chemicals” that give your pots and pans their non-stick quality, line pizza boxes and repel water on raincoats, for example. They are also extremely toxic and dangerous to your health.
Although initially thought indestructible, research teams succeeded in destroying strong PFAS carbon-fluorine chemical bonds by heating them along with dimethyl sulfoxide and sodium hydroxide — a common reagent. Before the discovery, water treatment experts were reducing PFAS in water with granular activated carbon, ion resins and high-pressure membranes. While the latter method was effective, the necessary high temperatures and pressures — coupled with expensive disposal requirements — make the recent reagent technology more energy-efficient and convenient.
Using Cutting-Edge Technologies Means More Clean and Accessible Water
By using the latest sustainable technologies to provide clean water to remote areas in need around the globe, scientific bodies and proactive companies are alleviating mounting pressures to give millions of people the fundamental human right to clean water. While many regions are in dire need, these cutting-edge water filtration and purification technologies also aid you and millions like you who do have access to clean water by providing eco-friendly avenues for even cleaner and healthier drinking water.
About the Author
Mia Barnes has been a freelance writer for over 4 years with expertise in healthy living and sustainability. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online publication, Body+Mind Magazine.