Advanced water cleaning techniques are needed to meet United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) and ensure our water supplies remain sustainable, say University of Sheffield researchers.
Advanced water cleaning techniques are needed to meet United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) and ensure our water supplies remain sustainable, say University of Sheffield researchers.
With demand for clean water rapidly increasing worldwide, the UN’s SDG is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030, but 2.2 billion people still have no access to safe drinking water, and a further 844 million people lack even a basic water service. Adding to this, pressures from the demand for fresh water means we rapidly need to find more effective ways to reuse the water we have.
A new review investigated the benefits of advanced water treatment techniques and highlighted in particular how one of these techniques - photocatalytic water treatment - could help more effectively eliminate micropollutants from our water resources.
Industry, agriculture and domestic wastewater all contribute to water pollution. The micropollutants from these are found in surface, ground and drinking water, and can cause long-term, severe effects on the environment and human health.
Micropollutants are synthetic or man-made in nature and include chemicals from things like prescription medications such as antibiotics, painkillers and hormones, personal care products and toiletries, industrial chemicals, pesticides and herbicides used in farming and many more.
Read more at: University of Sheffield
