Answer to Question #179950 in Civil and Environmental Engineering for Salah yahye

Question

1.Discuss five technologies applied in water resources development and/or Environmental Management.

Answer 1

1. Solar power desalination- A new system of seawater desalination has been developed, consisting of a solar heat collector made of a transparent film surface in a pyramid-shaped tent and another dark one (to retain the maximum amount of heat) material inner truncated pyramid parallel to the former, generating a layer of heated air. Heat accumulates at the vertex, where high temperatures are achieved. This allows the evaporation of seawater injected by micro-nebulizers, resulting into moisture-laden air being pulled by a central axial tube leading to a 'cold spot' located underground. Here a network of galleries, filled with the stored water, provides cold temperature to dissipate heat and to condense the steam into pure water. Partners to further develop the technology and/or to establish commercial agreements along with technical cooperation are sought.
2. Smart device focused on real-time water management- Applicable both drinking water and industrial and waste waters, monitored parameters include cations (Fe (III), Hg (II), Al (III), etc.), oxidants (Cl, nitrites, peroxide, etc.), biogenic amines, trinitrotoluene, pH, turbidity, conductivity, etc. This developed technology, composed by a series of sensors, small biochips, which experiment a change of color when contacting the analyte of interest. This change is captured by a digital camera and is sent via Wi-Fi to a database, where it is analyzed and registered. It is also possible to issue a report and/or inform clients in real-time.
3. Monitoring device for toxic substances in water- The invention belongs to the field of water quality and safety monitoring. More specifically, it is related to systems and methods of early detection of micro-contaminants in surface waters. Traditionally the assessment of toxicants in the water relies on water extraction and analysis by chromatography and mass spectrometry, but the chemical analysis is expensive and time-consuming. Specialized technicians are required for sampling and analysis. Only target compounds can be detected and due to poor information on toxic effects of mixtures, there are difficulties in the impact assessment. The monitoring device developed is able to measure in continuous the impact of contaminants on an aquatic ecosystem using a ‘local reference’ and coupling also passive sampling for confirmation, representing a step forward in assessing environmental risks in water. The main final users are WWTP managers, Water administrations and industries, we expect that these stakeholders widely could apply this tool, being able to rapidly take measures in case of that impact on the ecosystem or humans is detected and checking water quality in real-time in remote, saving in this way up to 50% of money invested in monitoring analysis.
4. Wastewater treatment installations- developed for the purification of wastewater in small towns, offering an economic and environmental solution, with multiple advantages.
5. Water recycling- The patent application consists of new materials that eliminate inorganic and organic pollutants in a single step. In this way, these materials avoid the multi-step sequential protocols that are currently applied in water recycling plants. The materials of this invention are based on Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks (MTV-MOFs). They have a wide range of applications in water recycling plants such as pharmaceutical, textile, food, plastic, mining... etc, as well as for agricultural and domestic use.