Water. desalination + reuse

16 Innovation October 2017 Water Reuse: Drivers, Innovations and Public Perceptions Survey respondents were asked to score seven different fields of potential innovation for their level of impact in water reuse markets. Innovations in water treatment technology came out on top, scoring 3.79 out of a possible five, with 67.77 per cent of respondents rating this field as having demonstrated either "strong" or "very strong" levels of innovation in their markets to date. The finding is potentially encouraging to technology companies that are trying to commercialise new ideas, because it suggests that such innovation is perceived as positive and is welcomed in water reuse markets globally. In Asia Pacific, the scoring for innovation in water treatment technology was particularly high, at 3.86, and 71.29 per cent of respondents rated it as either "strong" or "very strong". In second place, innovations in water quality monitoring were rated as either "strong" or "very strong" for levels of innovation by 45.87 per cent of respondents, and scored 3.33 overall. The rating of this field of innovation was boosted by respondents working in Europe, who scored it 3.41 out of a possible five, with 48.15 per cent of these opting for either "strong" or "very strong". By contrast, respondents whose work covers the Americas and/ or Asia Pacific were less impressed by water quality monitoring innovations, with both scoring it 3.29 out of a possible five; while those working in Middle East and Africa rated it at 3.20. System design innovations, in third place, were scored broadly evenly across the piece, at 3.39 for respondents whose roles cover the Americas, 3.38 for Asia Pacific, 3.27 for MEA, and in Europe, 3.33. Those working in Asia Pacific drove up the scoring for energy saving, rating it 3.51 out of a possible five for level of innovation, compared to the Americas, MEA, and Europe, which all scored it at 3.26. Overall, the field scored 3.30 out of a possible five, ranking it in fourth place, with 50.21 per cent saying it is either "strong" or "very strong" for innovation. The score for renewable energy innovation was also liŽed by those working in Asia Pacific, who scored it at 3.34, compared to 3.18 for all respondents. • Scores for innovation in water treatment technology are highest in Asia Pacific • Respondents working in Europe boosted the score for innovations in water quality monitoring • Energy saving innovations are rated much higher by respondents working in Asia Pacific 50 40 30 20 10 0 50 40 30 20 10 0 50 40 30 20 10 0 Water treatment technology Water quality monitoring System design 2.48% 7.02% 15.7% 21.07% 31.4% 25.62% 20.25% 14.4% 0% 0.41% 3.72% 2.47% 39.67% 28.1% 0% 1.65% 3.3% 4.53% 12.35% 32.92% 32.92% Percentage Percentage Percentage Score 3.79 Score 3.33 Score 3.32 Ranking of innovation in water reuse Innovation Score Water treatment technology innovations 3.79 Water quality monitoring innovations 3.33 System design innovations 3.32 Energy saving innovations 3.30 Renewable energy innovations 3.18 Reuse infrastructure innovations 3.04 Public outreach innovations 2.69 Very weak Very weak Very weak Weak Weak Weak Mid-level Mid-level Mid-level Strong Strong Strong Very strong Very strong Very strong No innova- tion No innova- tion No innova- tion Don't know Don't know Don't know Six out of seven suggested fields of innovation were rated as between "mid-level" and "strong", suggest- ing that the future is bright for water reuse How do you score the following for level of innovation in water reuse in your markets to date? Innovation WHAt tHE ScoRES mEAn 1 very weak innovation 2 weak innovation 3 mid-level innovation 4 strong innovation 5 very strong innovation All RESPondEntS: 243

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