Research Frontiers
At the beginning of SIWW, I was talking with co-workers and the question was asked, if you were given $100 m to spend on research, how would you spend it? What a problem to have!! There are still so many research frontiers in the water industry, it is hard to choose – it is like going to the candy store! We all have our favorite areas so I will name a few of mine.
1) Further development of energy efficient MBRs. The technology offers so many advantages to the wastewater treatment field, but energy efficiency still needs work.
2) Energy and waste neutral wastewater treatment. Wastewater is a great resource! It has energy and nutrients we can recover but currently we waste them. We need to find a sustainable solution that optimizes this resource.
3) Nanotechnology. We hear about it with respect to all fields, but how can we truly use nanotechnology to leap frog forward our water solutions?
These are just of few of my thoughts so I put the question to you – Based on what I see and hear in Singapore this week, if you were given $100 m to spend on research, how would you spend it?
Posted by Cindy Wallis-Lage
Constance Ward
In the plenary forum yesterday, research into the link between water and food security was discussed…that would be my vote
Tony Koodie
Interesting selection.
Although new water legislation is our friend in providing us opportunities to design and build new treatment works, perhaps we should consider research into challenging some of the historical legislative decisions that have been made. In Europe the cessation of biosolids / sludge disposal to sea has resulted in the vast movements/reductions of fish stocks and the detrimental impact of this disposal route has always been questionable. Vast sums of money and a whopping carbon cost has been spent on building new biosolids facilities. However, with the emergence of a more carbon conscious society we should potentially revisit not only this area but where we have a tightening of effluent consents. Is the cost of saving two tilapias in a watercourse worth the potential massive carbon footprint of a new works?
My candy store money would be spent on looking at incorporating carbon footprint into technology selection decisions and mechanisms that provide government incentives to those organisations that
make a real difference.
Gerry O'Toole
I’m with you on this Tony…