The revenues for membrane-based water and wastewater treatment systems should double by 2020 as demand for the technologies increases, according to a new market analysis from Frost & Sullivan. Analysts expect the market will grow from $5.54 billion in 2012 to $12.07 billion in 2020. These technologies are considered “the most efficient solution for purification and...
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A new report from the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank, shows wasting food wastes 45 trillion gallons of water each year, worldwide. Agriculture remains the world’s largest user of fresh water resources, consuming an estimated 70% of water use worldwide. An estimated 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year, or one-third of the food produced...
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The United States needs to spend $384 billion on its aging drinking water infrastructure through 2030 in order to ensure its residents have safe water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency estimates $247.5 billion of that amount is needed solely to replace pipes between 50 and 100 years old. Bob Perciasepe, the agency’s assistant...
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Water pollution remains a significant problem in bodies of water large and small worldwide; however, in addition to the visible plastic litter, the even larger problem are small pieces of polyethylene or polypropylene referred to as microplastics, which international researchers acknowledge as a significant threat to water and aquatic ecosystems. Researchers at the...
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From production to distribution to consumption and, finally, disposal, food is lost or wasted every step of the way. Restaurants, grocery stores, households, farms, and processors such as breweries, slaughterhouses, and dairies, all contribute to these wastes. Most often the wastes — spent grain, greywater from cleaning, uneaten scraps, etc. — go into...
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Water is a vital resource for the United States economy, but the true scope of its value has not yet been adequately quantified. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working on a comprehensive study to determine the importance of water to the national economy, including information about the relationships between water use in various economic sectors, and how water...
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As concerns about water scarcity have grown, a term has emerged to define the balance between its use and the need for energy production: the water-energy nexus. Water and energy are competing, compelling needs that are essential to business, but they are also critical to national security as well as the environment. Simply explained: Energy production requires water....
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An international group of water experts warns that humans are causing such damage to the planet that, within one or two generations, fresh water will be in dangerously short supply. Global Water System Project conferees issued a warning, according to United Press International, stating that: … [I]n the short span of one or two generations, the majority of the 9...
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Many challenges are associated with growing water scarcity, not the least of which is the pressing question about how restricted water availability may change the global energy industry. The energy industry reportedly uses 23% of fresh water globally and 40% of water in the United States. Growing demand for water in the face of ongoing drought and dwindling reserves is...
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When a United States resident turns on the kitchen tap, water flows out. It’s a luxury much of the world doesn’t enjoy, yet a fifth of Americans reportedly aren’t satisfied with the taste of their drinking water. Their complaint? Water tastes too much like, well, water. This is spurring the growth of a new beverage product — sugar-free water additives. When...
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As fresh water resources continue dwindling, the race is on to identify how water is being used. The single largest water-using industry on the planet is agriculture. The combination of growing populations, climate change, and decreasing supplies is pressuring farmers and governments to examine practices and institute innovative solutions for saving water. Newly...
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A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the United States’ water infrastructure near-failing grades and blames the problem on a combination of deferred maintenance and lack of investment. The society, which releases its “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure“ every four years, stated that the status of the nation’s drinking...
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Water scarcity and drought, although frequently discussed in tandem, are two very different water issues. Recently published research by Dutch scientists endeavors to both explain and distinguish these two conditions. They developed a model able to separate those human factors contributing to water resource overuse from naturally occurring events straining supplies. The...
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A new study by American researchers finds pharmaceutical waste is causing unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality around the world, which they says necessitates more research into what the costs could ultimately be to the environment. Although conventional wastewater treatment methods can remove much of these substances, the researchers say their findings could...
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A group of United States scientists have determined wastewater injection is likely responsible for a series of earthquakes in central Oklahoma. The November 2011 earthquakes — one of which was the largest in Oklahoma history — were found to have been triggered by oil and gas drilling wastewater injection. The temblors reportedly damaged 14 homes and destroyed...
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A newly released study by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers demonstrates potable freshwater used in producing the biofuel cellulosic ethanol could be replaced with treated wastewater effluent. Cellulosic ethanol is a fuel made from plant material that could potentially reduce petroleum use and carbon dioxide emissions. The process requires between six...
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A new study revealed that water used for hydraulic fracturing in the state of Texas rose sharply as both oil and natural gas production has increased. The study found total state water use increased 125% — from 36,000 acre-feet in 2008 to about 81,500 acre-feet in 2011. Of this, the study estimates roughly a fifth of the water used is either recycled and brackish...
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European researchers discovered wastewater treatment plays a pivotal role in protecting waterways from prescription and illicit drugs. Some scientists are developing a new treatment technology specifically designed to eliminate these substances from water. Residues from prescription and illicit drugs enter the sewage system through the urine of those individuals taking...
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The Canadian province of Manitoba has a long history inextricably intertwined with agriculture, which includes a legacy of combating weeds by any means necessary. Herbicides have been used in the area since the 1930s, including along public rights-of-way and rural ditches to prevent the spread of weeds into fields growing valuable crops such as wheat; however, it appears...
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Sewage is a source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products and naturally occurring hormones found in the environment, but according to a new study from University of Illinois researchers rural sewage treatment plants are generally effective in removing these compounds. The scientists sought to determine whether aerated lagoon systems, typically used for water...
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