Water scarcity is a growing issue across the world, with more than 2 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water, but new research on wastewater processing could help improve the situation.
Water-smart industrial symbioses were the focus of a recently published study that offers an innovative solution to the scarcity issue.
By fostering collaboration among industries and the water sector, they aim to improve systems that process wastewater in order to recover and reuse water, materials, and energy while reducing reliance on scarce freshwater resources, according to a news release.
Three membrane filtration techniques for industrial and municipal wastewater were highlighted in the study, which was conducted by Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin in Kalundborg, Denmark.
The goal was to produce high-quality water for industrial cooling systems, and the wastewater in Kalundborg served as a particularly complex challenge. It came from a combination of municipal flows with pre-treated industrial and power plant effluents, which pushed the limits of reclamation technology.
Conventional ultrafiltration methods offered an 87% recovery rate with the least energy consumption of the three tested. Both ultra-tight UF and nanofiltration techniques were more effective at removing specific contaminants because of their denser construction, but their efficiency was lacking in comparison.
The environmental impacts of water reclamation were also studied in comparison to the alternatives of using freshwater from a nearby lake or desalinating seawater.
Lake water use had a low carbon footprint but reduced water availability for local populations. Desalination efforts — removing salt from seawater supplies — had a high carbon footprint but preserved local freshwater resources.
Water reclamation was the most balanced of the three, with only moderate energy use, emissions, and water availability impacts, as summarized in the release.
As the global population grows, more efficient methods of treating wastewater are becoming paramount to survival. Improving the circularity of the supply is crucial for industries looking to conserve resources, while proper processing is needed to provide communities with clean water.
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All the time 😎 "This research demonstrates that we have the tools to create circular water systems, where wastewater becomes a valuable resource rather than a waste product," Anne Kleyböcker, project manager at KWB, said. "As climate change, population growth, and industrial activity intensify water scarcity, these innovative approaches could be key to sustainable water management."
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