Latest Water Technologies by Veolia - GineersNow Engineering Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies
1
WORLD’S FIRST ENGINEERING NEWS
FOR YOUNG ENGINEERS
SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE NO. 007
VEOLIA WATER
TECHNOLOGIES:
SUSTAINABLE WATER
CHAMPION
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE COO
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEWS:
Water For People
Cranfield University
Imagine H2O
WaterAid
Aviscus

Ems Bagatsing
Sales & Marketing Director
Ems@LincolnMartin.com
Robert Bagatsing
Editor-In-Chief
editor@GineersNow.com
Engr. Alice Hernandez
Senior Editor-At-Large
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Note
Editor's
If you’re reading this, make sure
you look around you and realize
that you’re one of the lucky few
who enjoys the simple things in
life. It may include catching a
few Pokemon characters on your
smartphone or browsing through
your social media without a care
in the world. But think deeper and
realize that there are more things
we should be thankful for and that
includes the water we’re drinking,
bathing and using for everything
else. Unfortunately, that’s not always
the case for most of us anyway. Most
of us just take advantage of the idea
that clean water will always be there.
The truth is we’re running out of
freshwater supply and it’s evident
in so many regions of this planet
already. Millions of people are
already suffering from the lack of
access to clean water. Millions have
died because of diseases related to
diarrhea. It's a scary thought that
one day, you will no longer see
water coming out of your faucet.
It's terrifying to think about a
future where only billion-aires can
afford water. What was once taken
for granted will become the most
valuable resource to survive in this
ever-changing world.
In this month's issue, different
water technologies are given the
spotlight. Different stories about
how engineers and scientists
all over the world are working
together to provide clean water for
the billions of people worldwide.
We’ve included feature stories about
engineers contributing to social
good around the world as well. Also
included in this month's issue are
exclusive interviews from different
companies about what they're doing
in saving the planet, in providing
new technologies to provide safe
water and sanitation to different
regions around the world.
With so much to do yet not enough
technology to solve the world's
most pressing issues in water, we
are running out of time. If we
don't make swift actions to solve
these problems, it'll only take
a few decades before suffer the
consequences. So take a good look
of that glass of water in front of you,
appreciate the idea that you're lucky
enough to have access to clean water
now. May it inspire you to make a
movement in saving our planet's
precious water resources.

CONTENTS
06
12
15
16
22
26
PAGE TITLE
28
33
PAGE TITLE
VEOLIA: INTEGRATING WATER,
WASTE AND ENERGY TO OPTIMIZE
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE
GROUNDWATER TABLE
WHAT DO THEY DO IN WATER
ENGINEERING?
IS IT STILL POSSIBLE
TO CLEAN THE WORLD’S
OCEANS?
THIS ROBOT MERMAID
LENDS A HELPING HAND IN
OCEAN EXPLORATION
BACTERIAL RESEARCH
COULD LESSEN
PHOSPHORUS POLLUTED
WATERS
HOW DO COMPANIES
WATERPROOF YOUR DEVICES?
THE KIDS ARE SAFER THAN
EVER IN POOLS WITH THIS
WEARABLE WARNING
DEVICE
34
40
48
52
THIS INTERACTIVE WATER
BOTTLE TEACHES KIDS TO
DRINK MORE WATER
THESE WATER HACKS WILL
GET BUSY ENGINEERS TO
DRINK MORE WATER
THE WATER YOU’RE
DRINKING COULD BE OLDER
THAN THE SUN
WHY I MARRIED AN ENGINEER
54
58
64
66
72
76
78
82
WATER FOR PEOPLE: BRINGING SAFE
WATER AND SANITATION TO 4 MILLION
PEOPLE ACROSS 9 COUNTRIES
AVISCUS: CREATING A WORLD WHERE
ACCESS TO WATER, SHELTER, AND
ELECTRICITY IS AFFORDABLE
IT MIGHT GET WORSE:THE
BEST PREDICTION ABOUT
ASIA’S WATER PROBLEM
WATERAID:TRANSFORMING
THE LIVES OF MANY WITH
CLEAN WATER
IMAGINE H2O: INSPIRING
PEOPLE TO TURN WATER
CHALLENGES INTO
OPPORTUNITIES
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY:
REINVENTING THE TOILET
HOW THE WATER CRISIS
IS CAUSING HEADACHES
FOR THE PEOPLE IN LATIN
AMERICA
WATER SCARCITY: A
PROBLEM EVERYBODY
SHOULD BE AWARE OF
84
88
THE DAYS OF ABUNDANT
POWER AND WATER MAY
BE OVER
THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE’S
WASTEWATER DISCHARGE
COVER STORY

SEPTEMBER 2016
6

COVER STORY
SEPTEMBER 2016
7
VEOLIA WATER
TECHNOLOGIES:
INTEGRATING
WATER, WASTE
AND ENERGY TO
OPTIMIZE RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Veolia Water Technologies provides public authorities and
industries with a range of water, energy and waste management
services vital to human development and sustainable growth in 48
countries around the world.
They continue to adapt and innovate in step with economic growth
and human development by designing and implementing solutions
that will have a positive impact on the environment and resources.
GineersNow conducted an exclusive interview with Thierry Froment,
the Chief Operating Officer of Veolia Water Technologies in the
Middle East
Thierry Froment grew up in the French Alps and got his engineering
diploma from the Mining school of Paris and his Master of Science
in Structural Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
He started his career working for a drilling contractor, a subsidiary
of Schlumberger, and since 30 years he has been working in water
treatment as Managing Director of various companies in France
and abroad for almost 20 years first in desalination, then in water
treatment associated to the Oil & Gas industry.

SEPTEMBER 2016
8
THE COMPANY
GN: Tell us about your
company. Describe your
mission, vision and values.
Froment: With 160 years
of expertise, over 174 000
employees worldwide and
a consolidated revenue of
€25 billion in 2015, Veolia
promotes under the banner
“Resourcing the World” an
approach that integrates
water, waste and energy
to optimize resource
management.
Within the Veolia group,
Veolia Water Technologies
offers integrated water
treatment solutions, from
design & build projects to
standardsystems.Itappliesits
process expertise and industry
knowledge to respond to the
needs of industrial clients as
well as municipalities in terms
of both process water and
wastewater, with a specific
focus on water reuse. We
strive to deliver innovative,
sustainable and cost effective
water solutions to our
customers to improve their
economic and environmental
performance. In the Middle
East we employ more than
1300 people with a revenue
in excess of 500 million Euros.
Our vision is to be a trusted
partner in the Middle East,
combining the global
expertise of a worldwide
leader to the strength of
our local teams. Increasing
access to resources as well
as preserving and renewing
them is our motto.
Ourvaluesareconcentratedon
our Customers’ Satisfaction,
seawater or aquifer water so
water reuse plants operation
requires more attention than
conventional process water
treatment plants), Veolia can
operate the plants on behalf
of the customers bringing
its wealth of operational
experience and increased
productivity.
INTRODUCTION
GN: How does your company
define clean water and
wastewater? How do people
gain access to clean water?
Do we have limited access to
clean, drinkable water? Are
we running out of it?
Froment:Cleanwateriseither
potable water, irrigation
water or process water (used
for industrial purpose). In
the Middle East due to the
very significant increase in
the Clean water consumption
and the limited aquifer water
available, most of the Clean
water is generated using sea
water desalination at a high
energy cost (in Qatar 87%
of the Clean water comes
from desalination). Waste
water comes from both the
human consumption and
the industries. This waste
water has to be treated to
be rejected (generally back
to the sea) or reused. In the
region, unlike other parts
of the world, the reuse of
waste water as potable
water is not acceptable
although technically such
treatment is easy. So most
of the reused water is used
as irrigation water or treated
to the characteristics required
for industrial process water.
According to the Arab Water
Council only 40% of the
waste water in the MENA
region is reused and more
than 50% is discharged
without treatment.
THE MACRO LEVEL OF
CLEAN ENERGY
GN: Where are we today?
What is the current situation
Responsibility, Respect,
Solidarity, and Innovation.
GN: Where is this company
headed? What’s your future
expansion plans? Describe
briefly your strategic goals
(10 years to 20 years plan)
Froment: We are fortunate
enough to be active in the
Middle East in both the
municipal and the industrial
fields and with growing water
scarcity, water reuse is our
top priority. Of course we will
continue to chase and execute
large desalination projects or
municipal water treatment
plants in the region where
we can differentiate through
improved energy efficiency or
better value for money for our
clients but with our objective
of “Resourcing the World”, and
with the increasing scarcity of
water in the region and the
ever growing need of water
for human consumption,
industries and agriculture, we
want to focus on developing
water reuse. This is the best
way to reduce the electricity
consumption related to water
treatment. With its wealth
of in house water treatment
technologies (more than 350)
Veolia can basically treat
almostanykindofwastewater
to pretty much any required
process water characteristics
while minimizing the
energy consumption of the
process. In addition where
our customers do not wish
to develop in house the
skills to operate such plants
(waste water varies much
more in characteristics than
A lot of the trends we
see have to do with reducing
carbon footprint, increasing
renewable energies and with
water reuse
COVER STORY

SEPTEMBER 2016
9
of clean water and waste
water (locally or globally)?
What are the latest water
technologies today?
Froment: A lot of the trends
we see have to do with
reducing carbon footprint,
increasing renewable energies
and with water reuse. With
climate change concerns,
there is a strong push to
reduce carbon footprint.
Although carbon dioxide is
released into the atmosphere
in much greater amounts,
methane has contributed just
as much to global warming
over the past two decades.
Waste and wastewater
treatment activities can
produce a lot of methane,
which can be repurposed to
produce renewable energy
through biogas, quickly
producing positive effects.
Obviously, sludge offers a lot
of potential as far as energy
production goes and it is
viewed more and more as a
valuable resource to capitalize
on rather than a waste
that needs to be discarded.
Our innovative Exelys™
technology, for instance,
representsthenextgeneration
of thermal hydrolysis. By
concentrating the matter to
be treated, the volume to be
heated is reduced, yielding
20-40 percent more biogas
than conventional digestion
and up to 50 percent more
capacity for existing digesters.
We also see a lot of interest in
evaporation and Zero Liquid
Discharge (ZLD) technologies.
As regulatory issues,
environmental sensitivity,
and long term water supply
concerns increase, many
industrial companies are
considering ways to reduce
their water discharges and
ZLD is a great solution. Shell
is one of the many companies
that chose to implement
a sustainable ZLD water
management solution, at
their Pearl GTL complex in
Qatar.
Water scarcity is a serious
problem in many parts of
the world particularly the
Middle East. More and more
industries are interested in
implementing solutions that
use as little fresh water as
possible, and reuse as much
as possible. Veolia has
been working with Nestlé
at several of its plants to
reduce the company’s water
consumption and results
have been particularly good
at its new dairy plant in
Lagos de Moreno, Mexico.
Nestlé has reduced its water
consumption globally by
one third during the past 10
years and by 50 percent at
its plants in Mexico, even
while global production has
increased. Antero Resources,
one of the top ten producers
of natural gas in the USA,
is another company that is
proactively addressing water
consumption by building a
US$275 million centralized
water treatment facility to
treat 9,500 cubic meters of
produced water per day for
reuse. Recycling the produced
water from its shale oil and
gas operations will enable
Antero to realize substantial
savings, as well as reducing
its environmental footprint.
Most companies nowadays,
big and small, are looking into
ways to reduce their water
footprint and we definitely
see this trend going on and
accelerating in the future
particularly in the Middle East.
GN: Where should water tech
head 20 years from now? Are
we on the right track? Are we
delayed? Are we progressing?
Froment: As mentioned
above, Veolia already
has in housed most of the
technologies necessary to
generate water with any
desired characteristics from
any waste water so we believe
the next challenges are to
make these technologies
more competitive and more
accessible to our clients,
preserve and explore all
the different ways to reuse/
recycle every drop of water
while reducing the carbon
footprint of the plants and
recovering the pollutants in
such a way they can also be
recycled.
THE MICRO LEVEL
GN: What are the initiatives /
projects that you are doing (or
have done) that will provide
clean water to third world
countries?
Froment: Veolia supports
humanitarian, educational,
biodiversity and conservation
programs with 1,000 projects
supported to date. Check out
Veolia Foundation website
to discover all the actions
deployed in the third world
countries: http://fondation.
Water treatment
and more widely
Environmental Engineering
contribute directly to creating
a better world tomorrow

COVER STORY
SEPTEMBER 2016
10
veolia.com/en. Directly, Veolia
works with municipalities in
many third world countries
to finance, build and operate
water treatment plants
providing clean water to the
populations.
GN: What are the future
innovations that you or your
company pursuing?
Froment: The past few
years have presented many
challenges for Veolia Water
Technologies, with a market
that has been rapidly
changing and we ourselves
now need to change and
adapt. As Veolia Water
Technologies, our wealth is
made of our technologies
and we will keep capitalizing
on them, improving them
and developing new ones.
Meanwhile, we want to
simplify our portfolio of
technologies, making them
available faster and at a more
competitivepricepoint.Weare
also looking into digitalization
of some of our standard
equipment. Another key point
for us is to further develop our
bundled services, for instance
our mobile water services,
traceability for specific
regulations, digital functions,
etc. There is a strong demand
for these types of services and
we want to better capitalize
on that through our local
teams. We are still relying
on our strong design and
engineering capabilities to
secure some big design-and-
build contracts, for instance
for desalination plants in the
Middle East, municipal water
and wastewater treatment
plants in Europe, Africa and
Asia, and industrial projects in
North and South America.
GN: What impact have you
delivered (social, economic
and environmental)? Do you
have metrics or statistics of
your accomplishments?
Froment: Here is an
infographic of Veolia’s
accomplishments:
(See figure A)
THE CHALLENGES &
SOLUTIONS
GN: What are the greatest
challenges in the water
industry? What do you think
the government, private
companies and NGO of each
country should do to get rid
of this? How do we provide
water accessibility to more
than 7 billion people?
Froment: Demand for raw
materials, including water,
is exploding as a result of
demographic growth, rising
living standards and climate
change. As we are all aware,
we cannot endlessly draw on
the natural environment–a
number of shortages are
already making themselves
felt and the growth model
based on linear consumption
(extract-use-throw away)
has reached its limits.
Scarcity of raw materials,
scarcity of water, carbon
footprint: these are huge
challenges facing our world
today. The management
of environmental issues
is becoming increasingly
important and complex in
Figure A: Infographic of Veolia's Accomplishments

SEPTEMBER 2016
11
both rapidly developing and
developed countries.
Access to water is a key
factor in the growth of entire
economies, cities and many
different industries. Today,
on a worldwide scale, barely
2 percent of wastewater
is reused: that remaining
98 percent of wastewater
represents a valuable and
readily available resource that
we must tap into. Wastewater
also has the tremendous
advantage of being available
where water is needed. The
whole point of the circular
economy is to give back value
to things that had lost their
value, which of course applies
to water and wastewater.
When scarcity strikes, the
circular economy allows
economic players not only to
secure their supplies, but also
to reduce their expenditure
and create additional
revenue. This approach does
not arise exclusively from
environmental concerns; for
the regions, it is a factor in
their development and for
businesses, it is a source of
competitiveness and wealth.
Last year Veolia unveiled its
energy efficient desalination
pilot plant for Masdar in
Abu Dhabi. How much
emphasis does Veolia put into
desalination technologies and
why? Veolia has always been
very active in developing new
technologies in all disciplines
of water treatment; you
could even say that it is a
part of our DNA. Particularly
in desalination, we have
constantly innovated over the
years on design and processes
involved in desalination
plants to improve their
efficiency and reliability,
and cope with changing
economic parameters and
physical conditions, especially
in the Gulf. One of the great
advantages Veolia has to
ascertain its own design, and
the suitability of the whole
conception of a desalination
plant in a defined technical
and economic environment,
is its dual competence and
experience as designer and
builder in addition to operator.
Veolia is also a leader in all
desalination technologies,
be it thermal or physical,
which allows a fully objective
approach towards our clients
to put forth the most suitable
solution to address their
specific needs and objectives.
We have pioneered energy-
efficient hybrid desalination,
which combines Multi Effect
Distillation (MED) and Reverse
Osmosis (RO) to optimize
electricity use and reduce
production costs.
We are very involved in
the coming challenges of
desalination that are linked
to environmental protection
and energy savings. These are
two major components that
still have to be improved for
the ever growing desalination
demand in water-scarce
regions. That is why, when we
found out about Masdar’s bid
for the development of new
desalination technologies, we
applied without hesitation as
we were eager to implement
ongoing developments
on several process parts.
Many developments will be
coming in the near future as
innovation is in the genetics
of Veolia. Most of these
developments converge to
better power efficiency and
at the same time, to extend
the lifetime of the plant.
Contributing to building ever
more reliable and efficient
desalination plants is one of
our main drivers.
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG
ENGINEERS
GN: Please give advice and
words of wisdom about
water and wastewater to our
young global audience. What
would you like to tell to the
millennials? Any inspiring
words that you can share?
Froment: Water treatment
and more widely
Environmental Engineering
contribute directly to creating
a better world tomorrow and
are necessarily attractive to
young engineers wanting
to take an active role in this
task. With its “Resourcing the
World” motto, I believe Veolia
is definitely contributing to
this aspiration of making
a better use of the Planet
limited resources particularly
as the population develops.

THINGS TO KNOW
ABOUT THE
GROUNDWATER TABLE
SEPTEMBER 2016
12
To be able to understand what a
water table is, let’s take a look at a
cut section of the earth. The image
shows the different layers of the
earth according to the relationship
of the water and the soil.
Basically, the water table or
groundwater table is that boundary
separating water-saturated ground
and unsaturated ground. The
water-saturated ground, or zone
of saturation or phreatic zone, lies
below the water table wherein
all the openings of the rock are
filled with water. Meanwhile, the
unsaturated ground, also called as
zone of aeration or vadose zone, is
the layer or part of earth between
the land surface and the top of
zone of saturation. Vadose means
Photo by CuttingsWaterworks
Photo by Quizizz
“shallow” in Latin, which is exactly
what relative to the ground.
Water table is not a fixed surface
as it fluctuates depending on how
much the water seeps downward
from the ground surface. This is
why it varies over the course of
seasons and climatic variations –
during drought, the water table is
low; during deluge, the water table
is high. But to be safe, better build
that shallow or deep well as deep
as possible into the ground enough
to reach the zone of saturation to
have supply of water.
It is not a flat table as what others
might think – being a table –
but it almost always follows
the topography of the land
above them. The water table is
influenced by geology, weather,
ground cover, and land use, other
than topography.
Aquifers are pockets of water
that exist below the water table.
They are used to extract water
for people, plants and every living
organism. It is a finite source of
water, with some aquifers already
threatened to be totally drained
from over usage.

THIS MINI
GENERATOR GETS
ENERGY FROM
SALT WATER
OREGON COMPANY
USES THE POWER
OF THE SUN TO
PURIFY WATER
SEPTEMBER 2016
13
Aleksandra Radenovic,
a nanoscientist at the
Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology, recently
published the schematics
of a new type of flat,
membrane-like power
generator. This generator will
get energy from the process
of osmosis. Osmosis happens
when the salts in salty water
spreads out evenly into
freshwater passing through
a membrane.
This mini generator will
only be three atoms wide at
its thinnest point. It could
be used in places like river
mouths and creeks, or other
places where waters with
different salinities constantly
mix.
The membrane is a thin sheet
that is studded with an array
of very tiny holes. It is made
up of cheap compound called
Portland is a start-up
company based in Oregon
that is using solar technology
to reduce E. coli, Salmonella
and Listeria contamination
in agricultural water. They
have received a state grant
to develop their passive
treatment system, “Ray”.
According to Ken Vaughn,
the commercialization
director at Oregon Best
(a supporter of the
development of cleantech
businesses), that while the
idea of Portland-based Focal
Technologies Innovative
Solar Water Treatment
System is not new, small
scale efforts to purify water
with similar technology have
been expensive. He says that
Ray is a promising clean
technology that may be able
to provide an inexpensive,
molybdenum disulfide. The
holes are just the right size
so that only certain sized
salts can pass through.
According to Radenovic,
the electric promise of
her generator could be
enormous. Estimating only
a three foot square made of
her flat device will be able
to theoretically produce a
megawatt of power.
large-scale solution to
using solar energy in
purifying water.
“So it looks like Focal
Technologies has a new
product that they’ve been
developing over a number
of years that’s really
a fundamentally new
technology that harnesses
the power of the sun to
provide a cost-effective
way to treat wastewater,”
Vaughn said.
Photo by WomenInNanoPhoto by Scoopnest

WHY
ENGINEERS
SHOULD
CARE ABOUT
OCEAN
EXPLORATION
SEPTEMBER 2016
14
Whatmajorityofthepeople
know about the Earth’s
oceans are merely on the
surface, or just the shallow
part of it. Rarely do people
recognize the importance
of the vast ocean space
that lies hundred meters
and further below. This can
only be done by ocean or
deep sea exploration.
There are still a lot to
discover about the ocean
water. Only about 5% are
explored of the Earth’s
ocean, and there are still
more to know about it to
unfold mysteries that some
of our food, energy and
other resources depend on.
Ocean exploration is a
disciplined and systematic
science that includes
rigorous observations
and documentation of
biological, chemical,
physical, geological, and
archaeological aspects of
the ocean. It’s not merely
wandering underwater and
hoping to find something
new. The science is to
further provide high-
value environmental
intelligence that address
Photo by Youtube
PhotobyOceanExplorer
PhotobyOceanExplorer
emerging science and
management needs. And
engineering too, so that
what we discover from the
ocean can be utilized with
the least environmental
impact possible and
squeezing out the best in
their applications.
Going deep into the sea
offers an understanding
of future conditions
and informed decisions.
Who knows, we might
discover new sources
for medical drugs, food,
energy resources and
other products that
have been lurking below
sea level for a long time.
Deep sea exploration also
helps in the prediction of
earthquakes and tsunamis
by checking on fault lines
not on land. And engineers
are also responsible of that.
The challenge is to have
more links towards the
engineering of deep sea
exploration because it is a
struggling field right now.
There is still so much space
in the ocean that needs to
be discovered.

WHAT DOTHEY
DO IN WATER
ENGINEERING?
SEPTEMBER 2016
15
The Earth is about 70%
water. It’s just fitting that
there’s a field in engineering
dedicated and take care of
just that.
Water engineering is
that discipline where the
relationship of water with
its environment – built and
natural – are studied. It is
the field in engineering that
looks at the behaviour of
natural systems such as rivers,
estuaries and the coasts; and
manages the design of the
infrastructure to store and
direct water.
Itdealswiththewaterdemand
like drinking water, water
for industry and agriculture,
and water for the natural
environment, while constantly
addressing challenges
like global warming,
aging infrastructure,
population growth, and
higher quality living
standards. It also studies
flooding, groundwater and
coastal water. Also, water
engineering makes sure that
water quality requirements
are met.
With the mentioned areas of
study, water engineers need
a background in repairing,
maintaining and building
structures that control water
resources, e.g. sea defence
walls, pumping stations
and reservoirs to effectively
serve humankind. All those
are anchored in asset
management.
One can get degrees in
environmental engineering,
c h e m i c a l / p r o c e s s
engineering, biochemistry,
environmental science
(physical), geography
(physical), geology,
geophysics/geotechnology
, mechanical engineering
and civil engineering to be
relevant in the field of water
engineering.
Photo by Envirotect

IS IT STILL
POSSIBLE TO
CLEAN THE
WORLD’S OCEANS?
SEPTEMBER 2016
16

The world is in big trouble now.
Our trash has endangered
different species and have
cause calamities in different
parts of the world. With the
alarming rate of disasters and
different deaths of animals,
scientists, engineers and
researchers have worked hard
to find a solution to problems
in pollution. This includes
cleaning the world’s oceans.
The Ocean Cleanup just
recently released a very simple
prototypethatcouldhelpsolve
water pollution problems.
This barrier prototype is 328
foot-long and it collects trash
that floats around in the
North Sea. People behind the
project wants this prototype
to work given the harsh water
conditions in the sea so this
one’s an ambitious project.
If the prototype launching
becomes successful, it will
send a 62 mile-long barrier to
the Pacific Ocean. It aims to
collect half of the trash field
in 10 years!
If you’re worried that it could
disturb the animals in the
sea, don’t worry. It won’t.
However, Jeffrey Drazen from
the University of Hawaii
warned Scientific American
that this barrier could mess up
the distribution of the animals
in the region. He also says that
this barrier could only clean up
what’s in the surface of the
ocean.
Photo by Engadget
SEPTEMBER 2016
17

SEPTEMBER 2016
18
THE AMSTERDAM
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS
DIRECTLY OVER WATER
Would you live in a house
over a body of water?
For some people in
Netherlands, that’s not a
problem anymore because
they are already living that
kind of life. And they love it.
The diminishing area of
land for residences, as a
consequence of rising
water levels due to climate
change, has made a certain
neighborhood in IJburg,
Netherlands to live and
love the life above water.
Built by Architectenbureau
Marlies Rohmer, the
homes in this Amsterdam
community feature a
modern design of colored
plastic or glass panels,
also spaced and faced to
Photo by AlJazeera
Photo by AmusingPlanet
Photo by Inhabitat
optimize interaction with
the neighbors. The houses
are designed to have almost
uniform height and aesthetic.
The water just right outside
of the houses serves as an
instant swimming pool for the
family during the summer,
and an instant ice skating
field during the winter.
To make this virtually
unsinkable, this floating
neighborhood is made with
concrete foundation then
filled with styrofoam. This
urban planning experiment
might be the first floating
neighborhood there is, with
97 houses.

ENGINEERING
MARVEL: AUSTRIA’S
MOBILE FLOOD
WALLSTechnology has so many
applications in our world
today, this includes saving
humankind from disasters such
as earthquakes, fire, and floods.
Over the years, many engineers
have been developing different
technologies to keep us safe
from such dangers. An example
of such, is an engineering marvel
that was developed to save
millions of lives from the dangers
of floods— mobile flood walls.
When a city in Austria was
swamped from the Danube River
in 2013, many were in danger of
being hit by the overflowing river
water. That’s why city officials
and officials from other territories
tried to find technology that
could ensure the safety of the
citizens. This is when the mobile
flood walls were installed.
Flood Resolution Co. Ltd., a UK
based company explained the
technology behind these flood
walls. The system is composed of
two parts: permanently built solid
foundations and the removable
mobile barriers.
As the flood water rises,
removable mobile barriers will be
added. This system can protect
the land from up to 4.6 meters
at the upstream end of the site.
SEPTEMBER 2016
19
Photo by StrangeSounds
Photo by India

SEPTEMBER 2016
20
Not everyone has access to clean water
today. The United Nations even predicts
that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will suffer
living with absolute water scarcity. But
this may change when companies like
IDE Technologies will expand to use the
desalination process in producing clean
water.
IDE Technologies in Israel is already
revolutionizingthewatersectorbytreating
sea water to become fresh water. The
company claims to produce 3 million cubic
meters of high quality water worldwide in
only a day. It boasts of the Sorek Project,
which the company say is the world’s
largest and most advanced seawater
reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination
plant. The plant uses a process called
reverse osmosis, wherein the sea water
is pumped out of the sea and is forced
through membranes under high pressure
which leaves the salt behind.
Miriam Faigon, senior director of
water solutions and products at IDE
Technologies, affirms the company’s
contribution with the water supply in the
country. She said, “The Sorek desalination
plant is producing 624,000 cubic meters
(of water) per day, which is about 20
percent of the domestic usage in Israel.”
IDE Technologies is only one of the more
than 18,000 desalination plants in the
world as reported by the International Desalination Association (IDA) in June 30 last year. Collectively, the
desalination plants generate 22.9 billion gallons of water everyday, to which over 300 million people depend
on.
HOW MUCH
WATER DO WE
REALLY GET FROM
DESALINATION
PLANTS? Photo by IDE
Photo by GrahamScutt

SEPTEMBER 2016
21
In a 2016 study that linked water
shortages due to climate change
to power generation on a global
scale, it showed that not only are
power plants one of the main
causes of climate change, they
might also be the most vulnerable
to its effects.
As rivers slowly dry up, and what
water is left starts to warm,
power plants that use water as an
integral part of their generation
will suffer. Hydroelectric power
plants, of course, rely on strong
river currents with lots and lots
of water to power their turbines,
while thermoelectric power plants
– nuclear, biomass, as well as
fossil-fuelled – need water to cool
down.
According to the study, the 40%
shortfall in the global water
supply will cause more than 60%
of power plants across the globe
to drastically reduce capacity
starting from 2040 onwards. This
will be worse during the hot and
dry summer months.
The study recommended short-
and long-term solutions, which
included a deeper understanding
of the “water footprint of energy
technologies” and the creation of
a regulatory framework that will
oversee the production processes
of existing power plants. A
shift towards renewable energy
sources was also reiterated, as
well as the development of better
energy infrastructure. The authors
of the study stressed the need
for international cooperation,
especially in terms of utilizing the
over 200 transboundary water
basins that make up 45% of the
planet’s surface.
In other words, the water shortage
can only be solved through
international cooperation –
because if that doesn’t happen,
then we have a Mad Max-level
doomsday scenario on our hands.
WATER SHORTAGES FROM
CLIMATE CHANGE THREATEN
GLOBAL POWER SUPPLY
Photo by Eurelectric
Photo by WSCorp

SEPTEMBER 2016
22
Recently, a not-so-ordinary diver
visited the shipwreck La Lune in
Mediterranean waters, a vessel
in King Louis XIV fleet which was
untouched and unexplored on the
ocean floor since it sank in 1664.
What makes this quest so special
is the fact that the diver that
visited the wreck isn’t a human,
it’s a robot.
Meet “OceanOne”, an orange
diving robot-slash-mermaid that
was designed to help out in ocean
exploration. It is about 5 feet and
like a mermaid, its torso is human-
shaped. It has stereoscopic vision
and it has articulated arms. Its
lower body contains its computer
brain, power supply and eight
multidirectional thrusters.
Remotely operated vehicles
(ROV) are already commonly used
for ocean exploration. OceanOne
is special because it was not only
designed to investigate parts of
This Robot Mermaid
Lends a Helping Hand
in Ocean Exploration
the ocean, but it can also do so
with the flexibility and dexterity
of a human diver.
OceanOne is guided by a
computer scientist from a boat.
OceanOne is a combination of
artificial intelligence, sensory
feedback and mechanical artwork
to be able to perform needed
tasks underwater. For example,
retrieving sensitive artifacts from
the wreck and securing it in a
box so it could be brought to the
surface.
Photo by LiveScience

SEPTEMBER 2016
23

SEPTEMBER 2016
24
WORLD’S BIGGEST
INDOOR VERTICAL FARM
WILL SAVE LOTS OF
IRRIGATION WATER
Photo by WebUrbanist
From being an old steel
factory in New Jersey, this
69,000 square foot space is
the new home of the world’s
largest vertical farm. It is
predicted to grow 2 million
pounds of pesticide-free
produce every year, making it
75 times more productive per
square for than open fields.
Called AeroFarms, the facility
can accomplish the same
output as s farm field while
using 95% less water. The
company explains, “We use
aeroponics to mist the roots
of our greens with nutrients,
water, and oxygen. Our
aeroponic system is a closed
loop system, using 95% less
water than field farming,
40% less than hydroponics,
and zero pesticides.”
The vertical farm boasts of
a smart pest management
and detailed data feedback
loops to monitor efficiency
and provide opportunities for
improvement. Another factor
is that the facility is close to
the Big Apple which lowers
the transportation costs and
attracts a large urban market
wanting fresh local produce.
AeroFarms aims to produce
safe, dependable, nutritious
locally grown food by
transforming technologies
related to agriculture. Their
work now depends on
specialized LED lights and
climate controls that remove
the need for sunlight or soil.

Photo by WebUrbanist
SEPTEMBER 2016
25
Photo by NJBMagazine

BACTERIAL
RESEARCH
COULD
LESSEN
PHOSPHORUS
POLLUTED
WATERS
The agricultural industry
uses different chemicals
to help their crops grow
efficiently, this includes
phosphorus. Phosphorus
is an important nutrient
that is frequently added to
crops. However, too much
phosphorus can be carried
by rainwater into bodies
of water which can cause
problems for aquatic
environments.
Phosphorus in small
amounts, around less
than 0.02 parts per
million, phosphorus is
good for water systems.
It aids in the growth and
development of algae
and other aquatic plants
which provides a good
habitat for fish and other
organisms. But if too
much phosphorus goes
into waterways, there will
be overgrowth of algae,
and therefore leading to
depletion of dissolved
oxygen which can kill
aquatic life.
To stop this problem,
researchers at Penn
State collaborated with
Cornell, Central Michigan
University and the USD.
They are trying to learn
more about the different
kinds of interactions that
affectphosphorusmobility
in agricultural soils and
streams. Their findings
are going to be used to
develop better methods to
control phosphorus losses
in agriculture.
According to John
Reagan, a progessor
of environmental
engineering at Penn
State and lead project
director, "We are trying
to understand two groups
of bacteria that could
affect whether phosphate
is retained in the soil or
becomes mobile and gets
into the water,"
Once the researchers will
beabletofindouthowand
to what extent bacteria
influences the release of
phosphorus, they will be
able to include microbial
processes in their models.
Photo by ModernFarmer
SEPTEMBER 2016
26

Photo by PSU
SEPTEMBER 2016
27

SEPTEMBER 2016
28
How Do
Companies
Waterproof
Your
Devices?
Who doesn’t want a
waterproof smartphone? I
mean, you can carry it around
without the fear of water
wrecking your smartphone’s
internal parts. You can use it
underwater or while in the
shower too, to optimize your
smartphone use. While that
is convenient to some ready-
made waterproof devices,
there are companies willing
to coat your existing device to
make them waterproof.
P2i has offered a solution
by coating devices with
invisible, water-repelling
nano-polymers. But this is only
limited to splashes and not
submersion. So if you’re fine
with that, P2i is the company
you are looking for.
But there’s HzO in Utah and
Liquipel in California able
to make your smartphones
repel water totally. These
companies place the device
inside a sealed chamber, in
which the air is sucked out
after and injected with
a carbon-based gas. The
vapor is let to settle on the
smartphone parts and soon
solidifies as a transparent
layer that is one thousandth
the thickness of a human hair.
Photo by Inhabitat
Voila, you have a waterproof
cellphone. The next time your
waterproofed smartphone is
exposed to water, the water
beads up and just rolls off.
HzO specializes in protecting
your smartphone’s internal
parts such as processors and
sensors, while Liquipel coats
both the interior and the
exterior.
This makes you want to
waterproof your smartphone
now, eh?

SEPTEMBER 2016
29
ROLLS-ROYCE WANTS
AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING
FOR CARGO SHIPS
It’s a trend in automotive
companies to make cars
driverless nowadays. If a
company’s not planning to
produce an autonomous car,
then chances are they’ll get
left behind by technology.
Later on, people would
start choosing cars that no
longer requires people to
drive it anymore. But how
about ships? Would heavy
cargo ships be safe to travel
without crews inside it?
Now, Rolls-Royce PLC wants
autonomous shipping
to be the future of water
transportation. In a paper
(Advanced Autonomous
Waterborne Applications)
released by the company,
it announced its plans of
making ships driverless.
Oskar Levander, the
company’s Vice President of
Innovation - Marine, spoke
during the Autonomous
Ship Technology Symposium
2016 and said:
“This is happening. It’s not if,
it’s when. The technologies
needed to make remote and
autonomous ships a reality
exist. The AAWA project is
testing sensor arrays in a
range of operating and
climatic conditions in Finland
and has created a simulated
autonomous ship control
system which allows the
behaviour of the complete
communication system to
be explored. We will see a
remote controlled ship in
commercial use by the end
of the decade.”
These driverless ships would
only be communicating
via satellite. If anything
happens within the ships,
people assigned in control
site would send drones over
to check what’s wrong.
Photo by DesignBoom

SEPTEMBER 2016
30
HELP FUND CLEAN WATER
JUST BY BEING 5 MINUTES
AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE
How is it possible to support
a clean water project just by
separating yourself from your
phone for just 5 minutes?
It’s quite a disconnected
agreement, but this is what
the UNICEF Tap Project is all
about.
Giorgio Armani and S’well
committed to provide the
funding equivalent of one
day of clean water for a child
for the UNICEF Tap Project ,
if a user of a mobile phone
visit the UNICEFTapProject.
org site, click “Begin” and
put the phone down for five
minutes. That’s it. Although
this is quite a hassle for those
who live by their phones, this
simple contribution will go a
long way.
This month of March, this
campaign can get up to
$75,000 from Giorgio Armani
Fragrances, while up to
$100,000 from S’well, which
depends on the participation
of the users.
With an increasing threat
in polluted water, millions
of children still are deprived
of safe, clean water to
drink. Approximately 663
million people do not have
clean drinking water and 2.4
billion live without adequate
sanitation facilities.
This is how we can take part
for cleaner water in the world!
Visit UNICEFTapProject.org
now and leave your phone for
just five minutes.
PhotobyTumblr

SEPTEMBER 2016
31
As the old saying goes,
“Cleanliness is next to
godliness.” Cleaning has
always been part of every
household life. The most
dreading part of the house to
clean? The toilet, of course!
The stench and the grueling
back and forth scrubbing,
soap and dirt splashing on
you everywhere—Ugh! You
can only wish someone would
invent something to make
your life easier. Well, your wish
has been granted!
Spyglass Innovations'
Garry Stewart has wowed
the toilet cleaning industry
with the launch a new
germ-killing, quick-drying
reinvention of the toilet brush
called the “LooBlade”. This
ingenious invention works on
SwipeClean Technology(TM)
and follows hard-to-reach
toilet contours.
Unlike the bristles of an
ordinary brush, this blade
easily reaches under the rim
and has an anti-microbial
additive to kill 99.9% germs.
It also has hydrophobic
properties that repels water
and dries quickly unlike
your traditional brush that
sprinkles water droplets all
over the bathroom surface.
The blade’s ‘hollow-point’
head feature acts as a nozzle
to clear blockages. Its unique
holder design allows for free
air flow to ensure that no
residual water collects. Now,
you don’t have to scrub your
toilet surface back and forth,
as this new blade maintains
continuous contact with the
toilet bowl so that its blades
wipe the surface clean in a
single pass.
Appearance is always
important in any product in
the market. So, why spare a
cleaning tool? This new brush
scores high on its looks for its
iconic handles, aesthetically
pleasing head and modern
range of color options.
The brush also cuts down your
cost and helps you in saving
water. As an effective cleaning
tool, this brush requires lesser
bleach and water to make
your bathroom shine like it’s
new. That’s not all! The new
brush comes with a 3-year
replacement guarantee.
The new brush has been
designed with an idea to
improve existing toilet
cleaning techniques and
replacing one of the most
poorly-designed available
products in the market.
The kickstart campaign has
already collected a total of
£28,336 against its target of
£20,000. Let’s see how much
more interest this innovation
can generate.
REVOLUTIONIZING
THE TOILET
CLEANING
TECHNOLOGY
Photo by LooBlade

For those of you who love doing
outdoor activities like camping,
hiking, or trekking, I’m sure
there is always one thing we
would like to do after doing these
activities—take a comforting hot
shower. Unfortunately, taking
a quick shower isn’t always easy
to find outdoors. Now, you won’t
have to worry because there’s
a new gadget just for you. This
pocket camping shower allows
you to take a hot shower, anytime,
anywhere.
The Summer Shower portable
hot shower uses solar power, so
you can use this awesome device
even without electricity. It can
hold up to 5 gallons of water and
Most showers head tend up
to use a lot of water when we
use them. This shower head,
however, conserves water when
you use it—and still leaves you
squeaky clean and satisfied with
your bath.
The Nebia Atomized showerhead
is a new innovation that are re-
engineered versions of traditional
showerheads. It gives you a new
refreshing after-bath feeling,
just like a normal shower, but it
makes you use 70% less water
than that of an ordinary shower
head. So how does it work?
This shower system technology
uses pressure to break down the
streams of water into millions
YOU CAN NOW
TAKE A QUICK
HOT SHOWER
ANYWHERE
WITH THIS
PORTABLE
SHOWER
has a thick reinforced front and
back panels that makes it strong
and durable.
It also has a wide handle grip that
makes it comfortable to carry and
has a variable flow shower head
so you can change it according
to your preference. So, if you’re
planning your next outdoor trip,
this portable hot shower is a must
have in your to-buy list.
of tiny water droplets—with 10
times more surface area than
that of a traditional shower. This
means that more water would hit
your body, therefore giving you a
cleaner feeling. By breaking down
the water into smaller segments,
this new shower system uses 70%
less water. This shower head is also
thermally efficient, so you’re not
only helping the environment—
you’re saving money too!
NEBIA: THE
SMART SHOWER
HEAD THAT
CONSERVES
WATER
Photo by HiConsumption
Photo by TechInsider
SEPTEMBER 2016
32

It’s summer. When the kids are
out in the swimming pools by
themselves with the guardians
dry, it’s important that they stay
afloat and enjoy their swim.
There is a lifeguard, of course,
but one can never be too sure as
sometimes swimming pools are
too crowded and kids drowning
can sometimes be noticed.
To answer this problem, a
wearable device called SEAL
Swim Safe has been developed.
It works as a band worn on the
neck, and sends off signals to
a hub. The hub will sound off if
the child wearing the band is
submerged in the water for too
long,sorescuecouldimmediately
be on the way when something
might be wrong.
The device has an alarm that can
be set according to the level of
the child’s swimming abilities.
Novice to expert swimmers can
wear the band and adjust to
whether how long they can stay
underwater. Parents with the
hub would have to be ‘several
hundred feet’ away from the kids
at most so the signal can be sent.
In a tweet, SEAL Swim Safe called
itself to be ‘the only wearable
technology designed to help
prevent drowning and drowning
injury.’ It is also the first-ever
portable swim monitoring and
drowning detection system,
which started as a crowdsourcing
effort in IndieGogo in 2013.
THE KIDS ARE SAFER THAN
EVER IN POOLS WITH THIS
WEARABLE WARNING DEVICE
Photo by SEALSwimSafe
Photo by Raleighmag
SEPTEMBER 2016
33

THIS INTERACTIVE WATER
BOTTLE TEACHES KIDS TO
DRINK MORE WATER
Many kids may not be
drinking the right amount of
water everyday, so a company
created an interactive water
bottle which teaches kids to
drink water and let them have
fun at the same time. The
Gululu Interactive Bottle isn’t
your ordinary water bottle, it
has a screen, a home button,
touch sensors, WiFi and
wireless charging. Its main
purpose is to track how much
water is being drank.
Have you ever played the
game Tamagotchi? Well, this
water bottle is similar to that.
When you first use the bottle,
you have to set a goal for
how much your child should
be drinking, then the bottle
will track their progress on
the bottle’s screen in different
fun ways. There is a map that
reached toward a goal as your
child drinks more. They will
also have a cute digital pet
which evolves as your child
meets their goals. With this fun
technology, the company hopes
to be able to motivate kids to
drink more water.
With the help of the Gululu
app, parents will be able to
check on their child’s progress.
The app sets the hydration goals
based on the child’s weight, age,
and location. Accompanying
its eye-catching designs and
interactive platform, this bottle
can also be charged wirelessly.
PhotobyPocket-lint
SEPTEMBER 2016
34

You’ve heard of smart phones,
smart cars and even smart
homes. Now, get ready for
Dubai’s smart beaches. This
project, according to Obaid
Al Shamsi - director of Dubai
Municipality, will be providing
hi-tech features, which include
env ironment a l-f r iend ly
features, to its beachgoers. It
will be launched during the
summer time at the Umm
Suqeim 2.
According to Al Shamsi:
“The pilot project will be at
Umm Suqeim 2 but once we get
the services perfected, we can
then introduce the eco-friendly
services to other beaches that
are under the supervision of
Dubai Municipality.”
GET READY FOR
DUBAI’S SMART BEACH
One of the features of the smart
beach is a smart changing
room. It has the same basic
functions but it will also
provide its beachgoers with
lockers with key-codes. This
will protect their things from
being stolen. They will also
include free wireless internet
access for everyone. Stations
will also be provided where
people can quickly charge their
mobile phones and laptops.
These stations will look like
palm trees. Just like the Smart
Palm.
Dubai has previously made
headlines with its Smart Palm,
which provide free internet
access to anyone within its
radius of 53 meters. In a
statement released by the
director general of Dubai
Municipality, Hussain Lootah,
he said:
“Through Smart Palm, the
public will be able to benefit
from free direct access to
the internet while providing
valuable public information
covering a range of topics
including weather forecasts
and orientation guides. Most
importantly, these structures
are entirely self-sufficient
thanks to their mono crystal
solar panels, which provide up
to 21 per cent efficiency.”
SEPTEMBER 2016
35

SEPTEMBER 2016
36
INDIAN SCIENTISTS
USE WASTE STEAM
TO PURIFY SEA
WATER
INVESTOR TRIES
TO HARNESS
ENERGY FROM
OCEAN WAVES
Necessity is indeed the mother
of invention. If it wasn’t for
the drought that hit 13 states
in India, this new way of
converting sea water to potable
water may not have been
devised by Indian scientists.
This new filtration process
produces 6.3 million liters of
potable water a day.
Water from the sea is being
processed by the pilot plant
at Tamil Nadu’s Kalpakkam,
which is built by scientists
of Bhabha Atomic Research
Center (BARC). They use waste
steam from a nuclear reactor to
purify the seawater. The center
also developed membranes to
Inventor and investor Adam
Norris is looking to solve
one of the most difficult
problems in the field of
renewable energy. He wants
toharnesspowerfromocean
waves. Everyone knows
the overpowering strength
of the sea, but harnessing
that energy is down-right
difficult. No one in the world
has been able to create a
commercially viable wave-
power business, and many
of these companies have
died trying.
Norris set up a company of
his own, called Wavepower
filter uranium and arsenic from
groundwater.
Devices like a bicycle pedal with
a water purifier installed and a
household water purifier using
thin membranes and special
filters were also invented by the
group. Both turn contaminated
water into potable water.
KN Vyas, Director of BARC, said
that other plants have been
built in Punjab, West Bengal and
Rajasthan to cater to the water
needs of the people.
Ltd, and hired people to work
for him. He says he’s in it for
the long haul. When he was
asked how much energy will
we be producing from waves
by 2020, he said “None. I
don’t think by 2020 there’ll
be anything meaningful out
of the wave industry,”
But hopefully in a year or
two after that, the sector will
be reaching its tipping point.
“I think in five to six years we
could be producing electricity
[that is] commercially
meaningful.” He said.
Photo by Quartz
Photo by ScottishRenewables
Photo by IndianNerve
Bhabha Atomic Research Center
Photo by NuclearWeaponArchive

SEPTEMBER 2016
37
SAY GOOD BYE TO
YOUR RAINY DAY WOES
WITH KAZBRELLA
JUST WATER: WATER
BOTTLES CAN NOW BE
ECO-FRIENDLY
Rainy days are such a hassle
even with an umbrella. Its
either you get wet or you
get some other person
soaked. Hauling around
a wet umbrella is an even
bigger problem with its risk
of getting everything wet.
We’ve all had our fair share
of rainy days and know
the inconveniences these
umbrellas provide. But what
if we told you that there’s
an umbrella design that
not only keeps YOU dry, but
everything around you as
well?
Water is the most vital
need of the human body.
It comprises of 50-65%
in adults and 75-78% in
infants. So it’s important
for us to stay hydrated
everyday. Usually, to be
able to get through the day
hydrated we usually pack
water with us or sometimes
when the need arises we
just purchase a good ol’
bottle of water from the
nearest convenience store.
In the US, more than 60
million plastic bottles are
thrown away—which can
Introducing the KAZbrella
from KAZ Designs. This
umbrella redesign is a good
way to keep everything dry
and keep everyone happy.
KAZ Designs based their
prototype out of 3 main
umbrella dilemmas: wet
floors, problems exiting
and entering a vehicle or
building, and opening amidst
a crowd. The umbrella, unlike
cause harmful effects to our
environment.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY. This
is what you’re going to see
once you open the JUST
Water website. They take
pride in their bottled water,
since their water bottle
is made up 53% paper
making it recyclable and
environmentally friendly.
According to their website,
“JUST water is responsibly
sourced, produced and
its predecessors, opens the
other way around, causing
easier transition and lesser
obstruction from doors.
The unique design combats
these problems and helps
you survive the rainy season.
packaged for improved
environmental and
community impact.”
Compared to a medium-
weight PET plastic bottle,
their water package gives
less harmful emissions like
CO2. Their water bottle is
100% recyclable, and they
use 100% spring water.
Photo by Grist
Photo by JUSTWater
Photo by CoolShitYouCanBuy
Photo by HiperFM

SEPTEMBER 2016
38
Photo by SimonGustafsson
Photo by Playbuzz
THIS
PAPER
WILL
FURTHER
FILTER
VIRUSES
IN YOUR
WATER
Access to safe drinking water
is identified by the UN as a
perennial problem in most parts
of the world, placing it among
its Sustainable Development
Goals. Researchers from various
institutions have already
devised ways to purify water,
but it’s only now that we are
offered with a solution – and it’s
a paper – to further clean the
water with its viruses.
Scientists at Uppsala University
created a paper called Mille-
Feuille Filter, which is composed
of layers of thin cellulose
nanofibers developed from
green algae. It is so named
because of its internal
architecture likened to the
French puff pastry mille-feuille.
Albert Mihranyan, lead
researcher and Professor of
Nanotechnology at the said
university, shared, “With a filter
material directly from nature,
and by using simple production
methods, we believe that our
filter paper can become the
affordable global water filtration
solution and help save lives.
Our goal is to develop a filter
paper that can remove even the
toughest viruses from water as
easily as brewing coffee.”
Water viruses are dangerous
as they are physically difficult
to remove due to their size.
They can also be resistant to
disinfectants such as chlorine.
This path, filtration, is perceived
to be the more effective and
energy-efficient purification
option and the paper being the
cheapest to date.
Diamonds are commonly used
as ornamental accessories,
but little do we know about
its many applications in the
engineering field. It is used in
precision machining, drilling,
optics, acoustics, electronics and
even wastewater treatment—
yep, that’s right. Wastewater
treatment involves using
diamonds.
According to Dr. Tim Mollart,
senior applications engineer
at Element Six group in a
podcast there are many
applications for the boron
doped diamond. This include
caustic wastewater from oil
refining processes, de-coloring
of textile waters, toxic
pharmaceutical wastewater,
HOW
DIAMONDS
ARE USED IN
WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
and landfill leachate which can
include ammonia and nitrates.
“It’s the fact that diamond is
a catch-all advanced oxidation
treatment process that’s really
key here,” Mollart said in a
podcast.
According to the podcast, boron
diamond is effective for three
important reasons:
“It suppresses the oxygen gas
generation while generating a
hydroxyl radical.”
“It is chemically inert.”
“You can operate the systems
at extremely high-power density
and extremely high efficiency.”

THIS GIRL INVENTED
SOMETHING AWESOME
FOR HER PEN PAL
SEPTEMBER 2016
39
Photo by TreeHugger By Alice Hernandez
What did you do when you were 15
years old? Were you busy studying
for your math exam for the next
day? Were you one of those kids who
was part of the cool crowd? Were
you one of those who obsessed over
boy bands and sexy solo artists?
While most of us engaged in
activities that were appropriate for
young teenagers, Hannah Herbst
got inspiration from her 9-year-old
pen pal in Ethiopa and designed
a probe that generates power and
fresh water from ocean currents.
Now that’s something we normally
don’t expect a 15-year-old would do.
In this year’s Discovery Education
3M Young Scientist Challenge,
this young girl from Boca Raton
won the title of “America’s
Young Top Scientist” and received
$25,000 USD. The competition
was held at 3M Innovation
Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
For three months, Herbst and
other competitors worked with
3M scientists to develop their
own inventions and showcase
it during the competition itself.
Herbst was paired with one of the
company’s corporate scientists,
Jeffrey Emslander. All the finalists
presented their inventions in
front of judges such as Science
Channel’s Outrageous Acts of
Science star, Hakeem Oluseyi.
Aside from their presentation, the
finalists also had two challenges:
yielding new solutions by using
different 3M technologies and
building new technology while
applying science and technology
concepts.
Eigth grader Raghav Ganesh won
second place in the competition.
His invention was for people with
Autism Spectrum Disorder and
how it can monitor physiological
and environmental factors that
may trigger their meltdown.
Third place went to seventh
grader Amulya Garimella, who
invented a system that monitors
EEG brainwaves and alerts users
when he or she is distracted.
As for Hannah Herbst, aside from
saving some of it for her college
funds, she plans to give part of the
money she won to her Ethiopian
pen pal and the other part of
her money will be donated to her
school.
Isn’t it amazing how these young
kids are making a difference in
science and technology? Hopefully,
more kids would follow in their
footsteps.
Photo by TechInsider

SEPTEMBER 2016
40
Everyone knows how important
drinking water is. Unfortunately,
there are a lot of people who find
it difficult to drink the necessary
amount of water everyday. Some
find water not suitable to their
taste, or their schedules are just too
busy that they forget to drink water
throughout the day. Lack of water
in our bodies could lead to different
medical problems. With this in mind,
here are some tips on how to get you
to drink more water.
THESE
WATER
HACKS WILL
GET BUSY
ENGINEERS
TO DRINK
MORE WATER
#1 Find a drinking buddy
Find another water-phobic friend
and have water-drinking goals
together. It’s just like having an
alcohol- drinking buddy, except
you’re drinking for healthier goals.
#2 Add some flavor into your drink
Add a bit of lemon juice into your
drink, or any citrus fruit juice, just to
transform that flavorless liquid into
something that will suit your palette.
Photo by SkymetWeather
Photo by BodyAndSoul
#3 Add some chunks of something
Natural flavoured water is becoming
a thing now. You can add frozen
fruits like watermelon, strawberries,
cucumbers and even mint leaves.
They can also help detox your body.
Photo by Elle

SEPTEMBER 2016
41
Photo by BlueRoadToHikingTrails
Photo by BlogspotKathyFannon
#4 Sleep next to a glass of water
Sometimes we wake up in the middle
of the night thirsty, and we get too
lazy to stand up and get water from
the kitchen so we just go back to bed
and wake up sallow and dehydrated.
Having a glass of water by your
bedside table will help a lot.
#5 Invest in a water bottle
Get a water bottle that’s visually
appealing and at the same time
functional, that way you’ll be more
tempted to drink more often. You’ll
also be helping the environment, since
you won’t be buying bottled water.
Photo by TheOnion
#6 Mark your water bottles
Mark lines on your bottle with
different times you should be drinking
throughout the day.

Photo by SBsportlive
Photo by Mercola
CAN
COCONUT
WATER
REPLACE
SPORTS
ENERGY
DRINKS?
Most athletes and busy
people like engineers, nurses,
and even students rely on
sports energy drinks to be
able to be productive in their
routines. Unfortunately,
while sports energy drinks
do work, they are artificial.
So is there a more natural
alternative for energy drinks?
Yes—Coconut water.
Pure coconut water is loaded
with lots of electrolytes, like
sodium which is the one that
is most lost from our body
when we sweat. According
to a study published in
Medicine & Science in Sports
& Exercise, coconut water
replenishes our bodily fluids
just as well as sports drinks
and even better than water.
It is only the flavor of the
sports drinks that attracts
the masses.
According to sports
nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS,
RD and author of Nancy
Clarks Sports Nutrition
Guidebook, coconut water
won’t rehydrate the body
unless you can drink plenty
of it. If one can tolerate large
amounts of this, it could help
in keeping you hydrated.
SEPTEMBER 2016
42

EXPLAINED: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
DISTILLED, MINERAL AND PURIFIED
WATER
There will always be that moment in
the grocery store where one stands
in front of the bottled water station
or shelf to choose which one to buy.
You are confronted with many types
of bottled water – distilled, mineral
and purified – and in different brands.
But what exactly is the difference
between the three?
Distilled Water
Water that is a product of distillation
is called distilled water, of course.
Essentially, the process of distillation
is just boiling pure water to remove
the contaminants or solid residues
like inorganic minerals, metals,
etc. Such contaminants have high
melting points and even higher
boiling points. The water, along with
its contaminants, is boiled and the
pure water turns into steam which
is captured and cooled to become
distilled water. What’s left after
boiling are the contaminants already
separated from the water.
Purified Water
As the name suggests, purified water
is the type of water that is in its
purest form. It is often confused with
distilled water but the truth is that
this water undergoes more processes
like deionization and reverse osmosis
to reduce impurities to extremely low
levels. The impurity load of dissolved
solids in purified water cannot exceed
10 parts per million.
Mineral Water
This type of water also bears the clues
in its name. Mineral water is water
from a mineral spring that contains
various minerals, such as salts and
sulfur compounds. It includes calcium,
magnesium, sodium, potassium,
chloride, sulphate, fluoride and nitrate
that are beneficial to health at certain
amounts. But the minerals can also
be added artificially. Mineral water
may be effervescent, or sparkling, due
to contained gases.
Which one would you grab the next
time you stand in front of the sea of
bottled water?
Photo by LiveStrong
SEPTEMBER 2016
43

SEPTEMBER 2016
44
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU
DRINK ONLY WATER FOR 30 DAYS?
Everyone loves a good cup of coffee, tea, soda or juice everyday. But have you ever thought what might happen if
the only liquid you drink everyday for 30 days is water?
Our bodies are very reliant on water. After all, it makes up more than 50% of our bodies. Water can greatly affect
our daily performance. When you drink only water as your primary drink, there are a lot of awesome things that
can happen to your body. Here’s what can happen if you drink only water for 30 days without changing your diet.
A Boost in Mental Creativity and Performance
According to the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Journal, drinking
only water for 30 days makes your brain react faster. This is because
the brain needs a lot of oxygen to operate efficiently, and therefore
drinking water will boost your brainpower. Drinking 8 to 10 cups of
water daily can improve your brainpower by 30%
You Age More Slowly
Drinking water helps slow down the aging process by keeping your
skin hydrated. Water moisturizes your skin, keeping it soft, plump,
glowing, and wrinkle free. It helps maintain muscle tone as well.
Immunity is Boosted
Drinking adequate amounts of water everyday helps the
performance of your liver and kidneys—the organs that remove
toxic substances and salt from your blood. Water strengthens your
immunity, and helps battle body aches and headaches as well.
Strong Heart
A glass of water an hour before bed is said to prevent heart attacks
or strokes. Water helps the heart become healthy and decreases
the risk of heart attack my preventing the thickening of blood and
lowering blood pressure.
Your metabolism will be enhanced
According to studies, consistently drinking water everyday
helps dynamic metabolism. And according to the Health Fitness
Revolution, drinking 16 ounces of water upon waking up in the
morning raises your metabolism by 24%.
Photo by NaturallySavvy
Photo by Infruition
Photo by MyHealingPartner
Photo by TaberuKintore
Photo by Shape

SEPTEMBER 2016
45
‘BONER KAYAK’ SOUNDS LIKE AN
EXCITING RIDE, AND IT ACTUALLY IS
It is highly likely that there won’t
be ads for the Boner Kayak in the
English-speaking world at least for
the foreseeable future. Nonetheless,
you’vegottoadmitthatitisabeautiful
kayak. The design is sweet enough
to appeal to any kayak enthusiast
irrespective of the language barrier or
the unusual name. The Boner Kayak
is the creation of one Hans Boner, a
Swiss inventor.
However, once you take a look at
the kayak, the name will be the
last thing in your mind. It features
a modular design that allows the
kayak to be broken down into 3 parts.
These pieces can be slotted together
to make it easier to carry. Broken
down, the kayak can be stuffed inside
the backseat of your car. No more
do you have to indulge in a bit of
exercise trying to get the damn kayak
attached to the roof of the car.
Of course, modular kayaks by
themselves are nothing out of the
ordinary. There are quite a few of
them these days. However, what
makes the Boner Kayak stand out is
that it eschews plastic, the popular
construction material for modular
kayaks. Instead, it opts for fiberglass
and wood. That makes the kayak look
like a classy work of art when floating
across the waters.
When assembled, the kayak will
give you a high seat along with a
comfortable support for the knees.
There are even foot rests that can
be adjusted as per your needs. Pretty
nifty, right? You even get locking
hatches to store items. The storage in
front has a capacity of 55 liters and
75 liters in the one at the back. Quite
useful for those tranquil overnight
trips.
When broken down, you can use the
wheel attachment provided to carry
it wherever you want, even to the
very edge of the waters. Moreover, it
can be assembled in just 3 minutes
without any tools whatsoever.
Kayaking is now extra convenient
because of this innovation.
Photo by: woodz

SEPTEMBER 2016
46
Water Scarcity to Hit
Two-Thirds of the World
in 10 Years
“Currently, the status of water
resources is worrying, since
groundwater levels have fallen by
20% and many parts of the world
are faced with a lack of water.” This
is what Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabaei,
the Secretary of the Iran Urban
Economics Scientific Association
(IUESA), said and warned about the
increasing growth in the need for
water.
The secretary followed his statement
with a more important cause of
alarm, saying that about two-thirds
or the world’s population will suffer
from severe or relative scarcity by
2025 according to some experts.
Right now, 80% of the world’s
population has access to only 20% of
the world’s safe drinking water.
Tabatabei’s call to action is the
investment of developing countries
in their water and sanitation sector.
He also urged city managements to
make specific decisions to reduce
water consumption by having
a scientific and comprehensive
approach to water consumption
management.
He believes that water and its
resources remain core issues related
to sustainable development – food
security, health and environment are
all affected by water.
Photo by TheGuardian

SEPTEMBER 2016
47
New Desalination
Technology in
the Works in
Qatar
The world is divided into two sides,
those who don’t mind peeing in the
shower, and those who do.
This topic has been long debated
over, and we think that peeing in the
shower is a thumbs up and we have
the mathematical evidence that may
help (those against) change their
minds.
There have been reports that peeing
in the shower could help save the
world! How? By conserving water!
Flushing toilets account for around
27% of Americans’ water usage,
that’s with each standard toilet that
uses around seven liters per flush!
The average adult pees around seven
times a day, and if we flush each time,
that will be around 49 liters of water
Membrane distillation is an emerging
desalination technology, and Qatar
University College of Engineering (QU-
CENG) is up for the challenge to forward
this field.
The research project led by QU-CENG
chemical engineering professor Dr.
Farid Benyahia, with the funding from
ConocoPhillipspioneeredaprocesscalled
membrane distillation desalination. The
projecthasdiscoveredthatahydrophobic
per day. If you compute that, it’ll
add up to more than 17,000 litres of
flushed water, per year, per person.
Wow! That’s a lot.
By peeing in the shower, you will
reduce the amount of water being
used for one out of seven of your
daily pees. Let’s say you do this for a
year, you’ll save 2,555 liters of water
per year.
If you’re worried about how gross
this is: Reassured, you’re pee isn’t
toxic and won’t ruin your precious
skin. You’re in the shower and getting
yourself clean anyway. And while this
may be an interesting read, let’s all
genuinely save the world and reduce
the amount of water we use on a
daily basis.
Photo by Mamamia
Photo by Teen
PEEING
IN THE
SHOWER
COULD SAVE
THE WORLD
membrane disallows salty water to
pass through and allows fresh water
vapour to permeate and condense.
Requirements of this process are
minimal to a low temperature feed
of salty water, often not exceeding
80 ºC, and low usage of atmospheric
pressure.
The process has been tested in two
pilot plants at the Ras Bou Fantas
power and desalination plant and
got promising results. The tests
showed that membrane properties
need to be improved for long-term
usage and to combine thermal
integration with existing chemical
processes in Qatar. This will exploit
low-grade heat being dissipated
into the environment, which in turn,
will reduce energy consumption
for fresh water production, thus
cheaper water.

SEPTEMBER 2016
48
THE WATER YOU’RE
DRINKING COULD
BE OLDER THAN
THE SUN
We all know that our Earth is old, and
so is our sun. But did you ever think that
water could be older than the both of
them?
It has always been a mystery on how
our earth came to be, and how water
became part of it. But there has been
one prevailing theory that says that
4.6 billion years ago, water came to our
earth from ice specks that were floating
in a cosmic cloud even before our sun
went ablaze.
According to astrophysicists’
calculations, half of all the water on
earth may be from that interstellar gas.
This could mean that the same water
we are drinking and the bodies of water
on our earth may be millions of years
older than our solar system!
The astrophysicists believe that some
of the ancient ice made it through
the solar system’s chaotic creation and
found its way to earth. Researchers
analysed the oceans’ water molecules
for clues of their history.
The clue was through finding “heavy
water”.Heavywaterhaswatermolecules
that contain hydrogen’s twin—
deuterium. Water rich with deuterium
is found on other planets and moons,
even here on our world, but researchers
aren’t really sure where they came from.
An idea is that most of the heavy water
formed in the interstellar cloud then
found its way across the solar system.
The researchers concluded that
remnants of that ice remain scattered
in our solar system. This includes the
moon, different planets, and even your
water bottle. So, let’s drink to that!
Cheers!
Photo by IOP
The ice floating on the water is made from normal water (H2O), while the ice
on the bottom is made from heavy water (D2O)
Photo by Scind

SEPTEMBER 2016
49
NASA’S
CURIOSITY
ROVER TO
SAMPLE
WATER ON
MARS
NASA scientists have been
searching for liquid water
on mars, and they’ve found
hints. Now, they want to
have a closer look at it. NASA
revealed that the Curiosity
rover will be investigating
recurring slope lineae—
the dark narrow streaks on
the above photo—around
Mars’ Gale Crater hoping to
find water.
It will first take a photo
using its mast camera to
make sure that there really
is water. If it does find
water, the machine will
go and get samples. The
agency is expecting to take
photos within a year.
However, finding water
doesn’t mean Curiosity will
find life. As we all know,
Mars’ harsh conditions like
fierce radiation might have
prevented life in the first
place. We may take a look
at this investigation as a
stepping stone for mankind.
By getting results, the
findings Curiosity will collect
may help plan a mission
for finding signs of life. A
small success in this trip may
lead to greater things in the
future.
Photo by: Express

SEPTEMBER 2016
50
ASTRONAUTS’ PEE
TURNED TO ENERGY
AND DRINKING
WATER – GULP-GULPWhen we think about space exploration,
we usually end up thinking something
along the lines of Star Trek. The
immense expanse of space filled with
undiscovered planets and solar systems
is certainly a breathtaking idea. Few
consider to imagine the less glamorous
side of it all, such as waste. However,
for the guys at NASA, it is a crucial
point when it comes to making space
exploration livable.
According to scientists, the human waste
generated during any space journey
is half of their total waste generated.
This includes trash, used food cartons,
etc… Therefore, they are trying to come
with a solution that is more useful than
simply ejecting the waste into space.
Their aim is to develop a technique that
can convert the pee of astronauts into
drinkable water and even fuel. Before
you get all disgusted, remind yourself
that this technique can be potentially
lifesaving when you are wandering
around in space. After all, there are no
water tanks in space where you can refill
your water supplies.
For this purpose, the scientists used a
specific wastewater treatment process
known as forward osmosis. When
combined with a fuel cell, this process
can be used for generating power. That
is actually cool once you get over the
fact that the major component will
be pee. As for the scientist, they used
wastewater from the shower and urine
and processed it with forward osmosis
to separate urea and water from the
contaminants. With the help of the
new Urea Bioreactor Electrochemical
system developed by them, the urea
was converted into ammonia which is
further transformed to energy.
This tech does have potential
applications in space. After all, it will
enable astronauts to get an additional
source of water if the supplies they
have onboard prove to be insufficient.
However, it can also be used back here
on Earth for processing wastewater into
something more useful.
PhotobyScienceNews

SEPTEMBER 2016
51
FILTER HELPS ASTRONAUTS
DRINK THEIR OWN PEE
TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP TRACK
OF YOUR PEE AT HOME
It is one of the toughest jobs to ensure
that astronauts have enough drinking
water when they are travelling in space
for a long time. Water is a substance that
is rapidly used up in space. It is also very
difficult and expensive to procure them
in the orbit. It should be noted that the
cost involved in travelling to space is
$10,000 for each and every pound of
weight. A gallon of water has a weight
of 8.33 pounds. Thus, it would be veeery
expensive.
Astronauts are currently researching
Just pee once and we can provide you
with your exact medical reports.
Yes, it’s true! Lucy Jung, Do Hyung Kim,
Jee Young Kim and Green Kim brought
artificial intelligence to your washrooms
with their new product called The
GP Toilet. They together created an
intelligent washroom that can keep a
tab of your entire medical condition, be
it diabetes, blood pressure, BMI or any
other. This innovative idea will simplify
your life and if permitted, it can even
track your social media accounts and
post results there.
The new invention was designed
considering the fact that toilet is a
ways for people to live on Mars. Thus,
they will have to find an effective way to
recycle and reuse water. Astronauts are
allowed to drink up to 3 gallons of water
every day. So, with the scarcity of water
in space, recycling could really be a great
help.
So what is their ingenious plan? Drink
your own urine!
Wait. What?!
Since 2009, astronauts have been
drinking their own urine that passes
through a process of distillation. This is
a way that has been developed by them
to battle the problem of water scarcity.
However, the process has not been
perfected yet. The purifier is heavy,
slow and has a tendency of breaking
down. The purifier spins at a high speed
which then isolates the water vapor.
Then the separated vapor is treated in
a chemically. The system is capable of
producing about 6000 liters of water in
a year. This is still not sufficient for a big
group of astronauts who are travelling to
space for a long period of time.
So, the astronauts of the International
Space Station are looking for new ways
to filter urine for drinking purposes. A
Danish Biotech Company, Aquaporin
A/s, is known to have manufactured a
filter that makes the use of aquaporin
protein to take out clean water out of
sweat, urine condensation, wastewater,
or any other source of liquid that is
available in space. Aquaporin molecules
are present in the membranes of the cell
and very efficient to let only water pass
through it.
Hopefully, this device will be able to help
our astronauts in their space missions.
So how do you feel about drinking your
own urine? Well, if you’re in Mars,
you don’t have much of a choice. But
who knows, you might not notice the
difference!
Photo by SmithsonianMag
Photo by Walyou
known place where everyone visits at
least once a day. It has made the toilet
talk to the humans by analyzing the
patient’s urine and giving a report on
it. A sort of needle sprouts out of the
throne to take your samples when you
do your thing. It then, analyzes and
displays the results on the screen.
So, next time when you plan to visit
a doctor for your menstrual cycles,
pregnancy or sugar levels, think about
trying this innovative device once. This
one-time investment can save you huge
money for years to come. Now, your
toilet will always be there for your help!

SEPTEMBER 2016
52
WHY I MARRIED
AN ENGINEER
Reader, I married him. The man of my
dreams, the love of my life, an engineer.
I know what most of you will be thinking
right now – an engineer?! A civil engineer?!
Aren’t they all introverted, unsociable nerds
who have pocket protectors?
Well, reader, maybe the stereotype has a
grain of truth to it (though obviously not in
every case), but why is that automatically
a bad thing? Not everybody likes going out
that much – I certainly don’t – and while
it might take a few glasses of wine to get
me to admit to an encyclopedic knowledge
of the Wheel of Time series (I’ll never tell),
what’s wrong with being nerdy? In practice,
all it means is that you are knowledgeable
about the things you love, and really…is
there anything wrong with that?
Be assured: smart really is the new sexy.
I admit that sometimes we have our
differences – our personalities can be very
different, with him not understanding that I
just need to vent sometimes: I don’t need any
problems solved, I don’t want a reasonable
voice explaining to me what is happening – I
just want to be heard with a sympathetic
ear! But all types of engineers – chemical
engineers, mechanical engineers – have
been trained to seek solutions for problems.
That’s just how they approach things, and
unfortunately it sometimes bleeds over into
their personal lives too. All it took was an
explanation (and, to be completely honest, a
few reminders…), and my husband now lets
me vent, gives me a hug or a drink depending
on how bad the venting session was, and we
get on with our lives!
By Margaret Banford

SEPTEMBER 2016
53
We all have our quirks – I may not understand
why my husband has to have his socks rolled
up into perfectly symmetrical balls in the
sock drawer (I mean, seriously…WHO DOES
THAT?!), but I’m sure he finds my habit of
leaving my shoes and coat in a heap by
the door after I’ve had a hard day equally
annoying. We all annoy each other, and are
annoyed in our turn by them. At the end of the
day, we love each other, so I will roll his socks if
I’ve done a load of washing, and he will hang
my coat up if I haven’t got round to it yet.
He can fix next to anything! Even if he is a bit
useless at deciding what colour we should paint
the hall (hint: cream), the actual painting is a
dream, because he brings the same intensity
towards it that he does towards most aspects
of his life – electrical engineers are particularly
good for this, because they straddle the line
between building things and making them run
properly. No light fixture is safe in his domain!
That intensity is probably the highlight of my
life right now – my husband is an extremely
focused man, and while the majority of his
focus is on his work, when that focus is turned
to me, he makes me feel like the only woman
in the world!
Does his engineering brain ever make life
difficult? Well, yes, sometimes. Perhaps. It can
be difficult for him to switch off, just because
of how he thinks. I can quite easily switch
off my brain after coming home from work
(sometimes with the aid of aforementioned
venting session), and spend a happy evening
watching tv, reading, playing against in a
game of League Of Legends…but he finds it
much more difficult to stop thinking in that
way. It can be frustrating, because if I’ve
had a bad day, I just want to leave it behind
and focus on an enjoyable evening, and
my software engineer husband is still lost
in thought about the latest technical issue
which is plaguing his work this week.
My husband could work on his romantic
gesturesabitmore(itwasalonelyValentine’s
Day this year…) but I wish I could show you
just how dedicated he can be. I am the
happiest woman in the world, I promise.
About the author:
Margaret Banford, when not writing, spends
her time reading and playing several musical
instruments. She is also a fair baker and the
CEO of C.M. Cornes, Birmingham UK.
Photo by newsfeedtoday

SEPTEMBER 2016
54
Technologies to make
processes more efficient,
conserve water, and improve
water quality are all being
continuously developed and
we are on track.
“1.8 billion people around the
world don't have access to safe
water and 2.4 billion lack access
to adequate sanitation. Women
and children spend more than 4
hours walking for water each day,
and more than 840,000 people
die each year from water-related
diseases.” Water For People aims
to change this bleak statistic. As
they said on their website, they
want to “see communities break
free from the cycle of poverty and
spend time growing, learning,
and thriving, instead of walking
for water and fighting off illness.”
GineersNow conducted an
exclusive interview with Eleanor
Allen, the CEO of Water For
People.
THE PERSON
Eleanor Allen has been working in
the water sector for 24 years. She
is a registered professional civil
engineer and a board certified
environmental engineer. Before
becoming the CEO of Water
for People, she was the Global
Director of Water at ARCADIS,
the Latin America Director of
Water at CH2M, and a Peace
Corps volunteer in the Dominican
Republic.
THE COMPANY
Water For People is a nonprofit
organization that has been
around for 25 years. They
envision a world where every
person has access to reliable
and safe drinking water and
sanitation. Their mission is to
promote the development of
high-quality drinking water and
sanitation services, accessible
to all, and sustained by active
communities, businesses, and
governments. Their values
center on demonstrating
integrity in everything that they
do: Accountability, Courage,
Empowerment, Partnership, and
Transparency.
GN: Where is this company
headed? What are your future
expansion plans? Describe your
strategic goals briefly.
Allen: In 10 years, we plan to
have a complete infrastructure
and establish services for 7
million people; as well as grow
our advisory & social enterprises.
In 29 years, we'll act extensively
in an advisory capacity for
sustainable operations &
WATER FOR PEOPLE:
BRINGING SAFE WATER
AND SANITATION TO
4 MILLION PEOPLE
ACROSS 9 COUNTRIES

SEPTEMBER 2016
55
social enterprises since the
infrastructure will be complete.
INTRODUCTION
GN: How does your company
define clean water and
wastewater?
Allen: Clean water = safe to
drink. Drinking water standards
for each of our nine countries
and liters/per capita/per day
for basic water service are all
different. Wastewater = There
is no standard definition. We
are working in rural areas with
on-site sanitation and collection
of fecal sludge from latrines and
septic tanks. No sewer system,
therefore, no wastewater!
GN: How do people gain access
to clean water?
Allen: Household connections
and community water points.
We have an extensive monitoring
and evaluation program for
our district-level work. We track
over 40 indicators that measure
progress in 4 categories: Level
of service for water, the level
of sustainability for the service
provider (utility or service
authority), household data for
sanitation, and public institution
(clinics and schools) level of
service. We also have asset
registers and an exit strategy for
both water and sanitation – when
the districts can maintain reliable
and quality level of sustainable
service and aid independence
then Water For People can exit.
GN: Do we have limited access
to clean, drinkable water? Are we
running out of it?
Allen: Not running out – there
is enough water in the world. It
needs to be allocated adequately
to people/agriculture/industry,
with proper stewardship, to meet
the basic needs of all and treated
to be safe. In our districts, we
often have to develop secondary
sources as we have lost water
supply due to climate change.
THE MACRO LEVEL OF
THE WORLD’S WATER
TECHNOLOGY
GN: Where are we today? What
is the current situation of clean
water and wastewater?
Allen: 1.8 billion people globally
do not have access to safe water
and 2.4 billion people lack access
to adequate sanitation. This is a
global crisis! Each day, women
and children spend 200 million
hours collecting water for their
families –equivalent to 20% of
the US workforce dedicated to
continuously collecting water!
Additionally, 840,000 people die
each year from diarrhea from
contaminated water. Solving the
global water and sanitation crisis
would be a dramatic positive
change on health, quality of life,
and the economy. There is a 5:1
benefit to cost ratio. It will cost
$50B per year through 2030
to meet SDG6 (United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal
#6) which is water and sanitation
for all. The return on this
investment is incredible - $250B
per year! Without a doubt, the
investment is worth it!
GN: What are the latest water
technologies today?
Allen: There are new ones every
day. We have the technologies we
need. To successfully implement
technology we need national
leadership to prioritize water
and sanitation, governance,
regulation, supply chain
development, and investment
in infrastructure and institution
building (without corruption).
GN: Where is water tech heading
20 years from now? Are we on
the right track? Are we delayed?
Are we progressing?
Allen: Technologies to make
processes more efficient,
conserve water and improve
water quality are all under
continuous development, and we
are on track.
THE MICRO LEVEL OF
THE WORLD’S WATER
TECHNOLOGY
GN: What are the initiatives/
projects that you are doing (or
have done) that will provide clean
water to third world countries?
Allen: Our innovative approach
to development brings together
local entrepreneurs, technology,
governments, and communities
to create systems and services
that last. It isn't just about
digging wells, building water
systems, and installing toilets. We
focus our Everyone Forever model
on the long-term change and
societal progress in developing
(no longer third world) countries.
We deliver measurable impact
as we help build water and
sanitation infrastructure as
well as local institutions and
service authorities (utilities).
They operate and maintain the
systems for generations to come,
supported by local entrepreneurs
and market forces. We have
reached the tipping point in
several of our districts, and we
are now replicating and scaling
our model.
GN: What are the future
innovations that you or your
company is pursuing?
Allen: We are working on
innovations to scale and replicate
faster. We are pleased that others
are replicating Everyone Forever,
for example, in places like Bolivia.
GN: What impact have you
delivered (social, economic and
environmental)? Do you have
metrics or statistics of your
accomplishments?
Allen: We are implementing
our 2013 strategy to provide
sustainable services to 4 million
people. Currently, we have
reached over 600,000 and will
reach 4 million by 2022. In
2017 a second program will
begin for 3 million more people.
Our monitoring and evaluation
program (called EF Tracker)
is world-class. Also, we have
developed numerous water and
sanitation offices staffed with

SEPTEMBER 2016
56
municipal employees that we
train to operate and maintain
the systems. Their scope of
work includes water resources
management, monitoring and
evaluation,ratesetting/collection,
and asset management. We have
also trained craft workers to build
and manage their water systems
and toilets. Additionally, our
school and community hygiene
programs for behavior change
are very successful. We have
trained sanitation entrepreneurs
and helped them start their
businesses selling toilet/septic
systems, pit emptying services,
decentralized fecal sludge
treatment plants, and sludge
repurposing for biofuels and
fertilizers. We also have developed
water and sanitation product
lines for microfinance lenders
and community cooperatives for
water and sanitation credit to
build water systems and toilets.
Some of these are self-funded
by the communities through
revenue collection.
THE CHALLENGES &
SOLUTIONS
GN: What are the greatest
challenges in the water industry?
Allen: To reach the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goal
#6(SDG6) we need national
leadership to prioritize water
and sanitation, governance,
regulation, supply chain
development, and investment
in infrastructure and institution
building (without corruption).
GN: What do you think the
government, private companies
and NGO of each country need
to do to get rid of these?
Allen: To reach SDG 6 we need
to achieve greater collaboration
between governments (those
providing aid and those needing
aid), private industry, and NGOs.
Development of country-wide
plans with bottoms-up bankable
investment plans to meet SDG
6 is already underway (we are
helping Bolivia, Rwanda, and
Uganda) where national leaders
have prioritized water and
sanitation. All 193 signatory
countries of the SDGs need
to do this to achieve SDG 6
globally. Today between national
governments, aid, private
industry, and philanthropy the
world invests $10B per year. So
we need to step it up to get to
the $50B per year. In the scale
of the global economy, this is
not a large number – we just
need to make clean water and
sanitation a priority. We need to
raise awareness and educate to
get to this level of funding. And
the business case is there – we
know there is a 5:1 return!
GN: How do we provide water
accessibility to more than 7
billion people?
Allen: We need to develop
infrastructure in each country,
village by village, and city by city.
Just like we did in the US and
other nations around the world.
We have done this before, and we
know how to do it. It isn’t easy
and needs all the items above to
happen!
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG
ENGINEERS
GN: Please give advice and words
of wisdom about the clean water
campaign to our young global
audience. What would you like
to tell to the millennials? Any
inspiring words that you can
share?
Allen: Water is one of the most
rewarding fields - challenging
for its technical and societal
aspects. Development work
is infrastructure and social
engineering – the perfect
combination! Imagine you have
an orchestra of community
voices, government, business,
and technology. When they
make music together, it is
amazing!! This truly is a career
for those that want to build a
better world and improve the
quality of life, especially for
women and children. Plus, in this
field, you can help clean up the
environment by treating human
waste appropriately for reuse and
resource recovery. By doing this,
we will leave the earth in better
shape for our children and future
generations.

SEPTEMBER 2016
57

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