Water. Desalination + reuse
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Water. desalination + reuse December 2017 Research 25 How do you score the following for level of innovation in water reuse in your markets to date? Six out of seven suggested fields of innovation were rated as between "mid-level" and "strong", suggesting that the future is bright for water reuse 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 encourag- ing to technology companies that are trying to commercialise new ideas, because it suggests that such in- novation is perceived as positive and is welcomed in water reuse markets globally. In Asia Pacific, the scoring for in- novation in water treatment technol- ogy 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 in- novation was boosted by respond- ents 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 sav- ing, 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 lifted by those working in Asia Pacific, who scored • 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 In fact, cost scored highly both as a driver and a barrier to water reuse: the cost of water is a driver because it encourages optimal use of a precious commodity; and the challenges of financing spe- cialised water reuse plants — including the development costs and the price of water purification technology — is seen as a barrier to developing new projects. Barriers Cost was rated as the most significant barrier to reuse, scoring 3.56 out of a possible five points. In the write-in comments on barriers, one chief/ head of department of an industrial plant owner/ opera- tor, based in MEA, noted that "technology cost," was a barrier. Meanwhile, "availability of capital," was a concern for the director of a European engineering firm. Cost was rated most strongly as a barrier by respondents working in Asia Pacific, who scored it higher than those in other regions. Innovation Out of seven suggested fields of innovation in the marketplace, water treatment technology topped the list, scoring 3.79 out of a possible five points. The rating is encouraging for technology com- panies, write-in comments from several of which suggest that intro- ducing new technologies to the market is a challenge. With very little between them, at 3.3 points each, innovations in water quality monitoring, system design innovations, and energy saving innovations were grouped together in mid-table positions, rated between "mid-level" and "strong" for innovation. Technology On technology, respondents scored the level of effectiveness of eight different types of tech potentially applicable to reuse. The resulting ranking was unsurprising in that reverse osmosis (RO) topped the list with an enthusiastic score of eight out of 10 points, buoyed by respondents working in the Americas, who rated RO at 8.11, and those working in Asia Pacific, who scored it 8.05. In second place, ultrafiltration (UF) was considered a more effective technology by respondents whose roles cover Asia Pacific, where it scores 7.12 out of a possible 10 points, compared to the overall average score of 6.81. Those who indicate that they work in the municipal sector also score UF higher than average, at 7.09. Public perceptions In the comments on barriers to reuse, public opinions were repeat- edly cited, from the general, "human perception," director, engi- neering consultancy, Asia Pacific; to the many comments focused on public understanding, such as "lack of proper education," con- sultant, municipality, Americas; to those reflecting public fears about potential health risks, "sanitary concern," chief/ head of department, university, Europe. Survey respondents considered public perceptions the biggest barrier by far in the case of direct potable reuse (DPR), scoring this at 3.94 out of a possible five points, with 54.60 per cent of respond - ents seeing it as a "very strong" barrier. The score for public opinion as a barrier to DPR rises to 3.94 for those who work in the municipal sector. Market outlook The various barriers and challenges do not appear to have damp- ened the industry's optimism on the outlook for the water reuse market. Growth in water reuse revenues is expected to be 29 per cent on average in the 12 months ending 30 June 2018. Respondents whose role covers Asia Pacific and/ or MEA region(s) are the most bullish, pegging their growth expectations at 30 per cent in the com- ing year, while those working in the Americas anticipate growth of 28 per cent, and in Europe, it's 24 per cent. With thanks to IDA board director Nikolay Voutchkov, and Abraham Negaresh, senior process engineer at WRc plc, for their expertise and support in helping to shape this research project. LEVEL OF INNOVATION IN WATER REUSE INNOVATION ALL RESPONDENTS: 243 5 4 3 2 1 0 Score WHAT THE SCORES MEAN: 1 very weak innovation 2 weak innovation 3 mid-level innovation 4 strong innovation 5 very strong innovation Water treatment technology innovations Water quality monitoring innovations System design innovations Energy saving innovations Renewable energy innovations Reuse infrastructure innovations Public outreach innovations 3.79 3.33 3.32 3.3 3.18 3.04 2.69