Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/545366
So. My first anniversary as editor of D&WR will be celebrated in the California sunshine at my first IDA World Congress. Aside from the coincidence of the Congress with my completion of a year endeavouring to keep D&WR readers abreast of the world of desalination and water reuse, other concurrences of arguably still greater note will be in play on the west coast of the US in September. First there is the approach of the time when the tap is turned on at the giant Carlsbad plant – but a cock's stride from the Congress venue. You surely could not ask for a more potent symbol of the huge strides being made not just in desalination technology, but, perhaps more significantly, in the acknowledgment of desalination as at least on the team sheet in the fixture with global warming and drought. But bigger desalination needs to be better desalination in its economics, its environmental credentials as well as its engineering. And those of us in San Diego can look forward to witnessing the best there is at this time. Which is going to make for a fascinating few days. Now while the sheer engineering prowess that goes into a Carlsbad, a Sorek, or even a Torrevieja, is a thrill to behold, I can't help having an abiding fascination for the pilots and prototypes that might bring the next technical or operational breakthrough. In this issue Bluetech Research points to some encouraging indicators that the manufacturing obstacles that have thwarted ceramic membranes might be overcome. And our look at the economics of electrodeionisation in an oil and gas setting offer the possibility that it has a bigger role to play. And looking further upstream from the commercial front line we cover intriguing research by a team in Israel looking at biofouling and the physical-chemical interactions at the very outset of the process that blights membrane desalination. A means to nip the microscopic menace in its bud may lie in its beginnings. Technology, engineering and science are the heart this industry but there is, I think, an art now being perceived as an essential part of it future. It's the art of persuasion. Advocates of direct potable reuse of wastewater – a tried and tasted technology – have had to wait until crippling drought came along as a recruiting sergeant in some quarters of the globe. It is time for the desalination industry to find its champions. Because without the public's informed consent and the politicians' will to support the technology then it will not achieve its potential. And water will become an ever more fiercely guarded resource. A thought to take away to the San Diego Convention Centre amid what I expect will be some engaging presentations of the virtues of desalination and the reuse of water. And while we are all there, please do take the opportunity to drop by the Desalination and Water Reuse stand 1615 and say hello. Dr Trevor Loveday COMMENT Time for an art exhibition ediTor'scorner | 6 | desalination & Water reuse | August-september 2015 www.fedco-usa.com Tel: +734.241.3935 Fax: +734.241.5173 sales@fedco-usa.com FLUID EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC | 800 TERNES DRIVE MONROE, MI 48162 USA Stable. Secure. Reliable. Our Core Philosophy: to supply dependability to our customers with our products, our service teams and our management. We offer the longest warranties in the industry and provide field service offices dedicated to RO pumps and ERD's. Continued Growth and Expansion Since 1997: with the same performance-driven management and innovative technology team. We are never satisfied until we exceed customer needs and industry requirements. Need rock solid? Call FEDCO. The Latest Technology Developed by FEDCO for Brackish Water Energy Recovery