Membrane Technology in Water Treatment in the Mediterranean Region
Water is the most essential resource of life. About 97,5 % of the World’s water resources (1.386 Mio km³) are salty seawater, not usable for agriculture, technical purposes or simply quenching the thirst of about 6 Billion people on Earth. Just 2.5 % of the world’s water is fresh water, but only 30 % of it are accessible for us, either as groundwater or as surface water bodies. These fresh water sources are not equally distributed, there are regions in the world with plenty of good water and other, often highly populated regions, where fresh water is a very scarce good.
Middle Eastern and Northern African (MENA) countries belong to those of the world. A growing population in combination with demand for irrigation in agriculture leads to a dilemma, that will seriously affect food and water supply security of more than 340 Million people in that region. Global warming and resulting climate change is even worsening the situation, accelerated by an increasing population (in 2025 about 430 Million people are expected to live in the target region). But there will be no increase in the amount of available water unless we all work on that issue.
In order to solve the problems of water scarcity a threefold approach is useful:
· Appropriate technology
· Exchange of know-how and information
· Applied research and development
Membrane technology is a powerful technical tool to significantly improve the water supply situation in the MENA region. Membranes can be used for producing potable water from seawater. They can also be used for purifying wastewater for reuse, either in a combination of different membrane separation processes, or in combination with other technologies, such as biological treatment.
PROMEMBRANE was initiated to provide a platform to collect and exchange information. Furthermore, it was planned to create a pool of experts which could be contacted in case of special expertise is required. As a technology transfer institution it is the aim of ttz-Bremerhaven to promote and support such activities.
Resources
The issues in this article are addressed in the publication, Membrane Technology in Water Treatment in the Mediterranean Region, by Antonia Lorenzo and Anibal Vega.
Summarizing the main activities and outcomes of PROMEMBRANE, it is a useful source of information to initiate and to carry out future research to develop sustainable solutions to solve the water scarcity problem in the MENA countries.
Click Here to read 'Promotion and Dissemination of MT Research in the Mediterranean Region'.
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