Emerging Membrane Technology for Sustainable Water Treatment

Rajindar Singh, Nicholas Hankins

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780444633125
• eBook ISBN: 9780444633163
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Emerging Membrane Technology for Sustainable Water Treatment provides the latest information on the impending crisis posed by water stress and poor sanitation, a timely issue that is one of the greatest human challenges of the 21st century. The book also discusses the use of membrane technology, a serious contender that can be used to confront the crisis on a global scale, along with its specific uses as a solution to this escalating problem.- Provides a unique source on membrane technology and its application for water treatment- Focuses on technologies designed for the treatment of seawater and brackish water- Highlights the most economically and environmentally friendly membrane technologies- Lists various technologies and emphasizes their link to renewable energy, energy efficiency, nanotechnology, reuse, and recycle

Section 1

Membrane Processes for Global Water Solutions

Outline

Chapter 1. Ethical and Sustainable Utilisation of Water: Global Scenarios and Engineering Responsibilities

Chapter 2. Introduction to Membrane Processes for Water Treatment

Chapter 1

Ethical and Sustainable Utilisation of Water

Global Scenarios and Engineering Responsibilities

W. Richard Bowen FREng, i-NewtonWales, Swansea, UK

Abstract

The United Nations recognises access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as human rights that are essential for the full enjoyment of life. As a result of initiatives arising from the Millennium Development Goals, significant progress has been made in increasing such provision on a global basis. Even so, hundreds of millions of people still do not have access to safe drinking water and billions still lack access to safe sanitation. Such lack has dire consequences for human health and agency, as well as being a potential cause of violent conflict. Thus, new global initiatives are planned which aim to achieve sustainable water for all. These initiatives will require substantial innovative input from engineers. Indeed, they provide great opportunities for engineers to use their knowledge and skills in ways that can lead to highly beneficial contributions to human well-being. Membrane engineering has great potential for contributing to these goals of universal and sustainable provision.

Keywords

Engineering responsibility; Global perspectives; Global plans; Human rights

1.1. Introduction

The development of a broad international consensus about the importance of human rights is one of the outstanding achievements of the twentieth century. The concept of human rights may be described as [1]:

There is something about each and every human being, simply as a human being, such that certain choices should be made and certain choices rejected; in particular, certain things ought not to be done to any human being and certain other things ought to be done for every human being.

The international consensus about this concept was first and most prominently demonstrated in 1948, through the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) [2]. This recognises that respect for the inherent dignity, and consequently for certain equal and inalienable rights, of all human beings is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. The Declaration has been developed through various international, regional and national legal instruments. At the international level, two of the most important are the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Human rights discourse continues to develop. Thus, in 2010 a resolution [3] of the General Assembly of the United Nations acknowledged ‘the importance of equitable access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as an integral component of the realization of all human rights’, and further recognised:

the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.

This resolution provides a very clear statement of the internationally recognised ethical importance of each person's need for access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Furthermore, this importance should be considered in the context of the UDHR challenge that ‘every individual and organ of society … shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance’.

Progressive measures to meet each person's needs must be sustainable if they are to be truly effective. Thus, sustainability has become a major international concern, as exemplified by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The outcome document [4] of this conference had a vision of ‘commitment to sustainable development and to ensuring the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations’. It envisaged a world that is ‘just, equitable and inclusive’ in which people participate in decision-making that influences their lives. Water and sanitation are prominent in the document:

We recognize that water is at the core of sustainable development as it is closely linked to a number of key global challenges. We therefore reiterate the importance of integrating water into sustainable development, and underline the critical importance of water and sanitation within the three dimensions of sustainable development… We stress the need to adopt measures to significantly r...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• Section 1. Membrane Processes for Global Water Solutions
• Section 2. Desalination and Potable Water Purification
• Section 3. Wastewater Treatment for Reclamation and Reuse
• Section 4. New Membrane Materials and Applications
• Index