Environment Technologies that Help Extract Optimum Value From Wastewater Prove Hugely Successful

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The rapid depletion of natural resources and exacerbation of environmental issues following large-scale industrialization is intensifying the need for advanced environment and sustainability (E&S) technologies. One of the biggest concerns around the world is the scarcity of fresh water. Nearly a fifth of the globe’s population lives in areas of water scarcity, and some of these countries are poised for significant economic and population growth. This, along with the effects of climate change, will intensify the water stress, especially in emerging nations and arid regions in the Middle East. In response, E&S technology developers in countries like Israel are setting up solar desalination plants with innovative membrane technologies to generate thousands of gallons of fresh water.

Top Technologies in Environment and Sustainability, 2017 is part of Frost & Sullivan’s Clean & Green Environment Growth Partnership Subscription. The study offers in-depth strategic analyses of the top 10 E&S technologies: precision agriculture, off-grid desalination, wastewater membrane filtration, wastewater nutrient recovery, zero-liquid discharge, micro irrigation, waste-to-energy, advanced oxidation processes, produced water remediation, and carbon capture as well as utilization and storage. As these technologies are highly labor intensive, they also influence the socioeconomic status of the people in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. 

“Wastewater treatment technologies, waste-to-energy systems, and wastewater nutrient recovery plants are widening the scope of innovation for technology providers. For instance, nutrient recovery from wastewater will boost the sale of fertilisers, which may, in turn, establish a steady revenue stream for wastewater treatment plant operators,” observed Frost & Sullivan TechVision Research Analyst Sharath Thirumalai. “Similarly, E&S stakeholders are promoting the use of precision agriculture and micro irrigation techniques to generate economic and environmental benefits for technology adopters.”

Futuristic farm management technologies like micro and drip irrigation systems will greatly bolster the agriculture industry in developing countries. The implementation of the cash-and-carry model will allow companies to participate all along the agricultural value chain, so they can provide inputs to farmers on micro irrigation solutions, seeds, saplings and skillset development.

“E&S innovators are enhancing the efficiency of advanced oxidation processes and wastewater treatment technologies by employing a combination of equipment that can reduce the number of processes in each technology,” noted Frost & Sullivan TechVision Research Analyst Shrinivas Chandrakant Tukdeo. “They are also striving to develop systems that lower the energy consumption in all technologies and, thereby, be more economically and environmentally viable.”

However, high CAPEX and OPEX of top technologies like advanced oxidation processes and wastewater membrane filtration, and the general lack of end-user awareness, will restrain their adoption rates, even in urban areas. These issues can be mitigated to a large extent by public-private partnerships between governments and non-governmental organizations of developing countries to educate end users in rural and semi-urban areas about the importance of the technologies in creating a sustainable environment.

Besides, with more innovations, there will be a substantial reduction in the CAPEX and OPEX of E&S technologies. In the future, R&D of brine management and other wastewater resource recovery solutions will be given more importance so that complete commercialisation of these technologies will be possible, even in developing nations.

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