A Review on Water Footprint Research of Materials Industry

Abstract

The scarcity of water resource has become one of major issues that constrain economic development and urbanization process in China. The water footprint is a comprehensive indicator used to measure water consumption and pollution that is widely used in global or regional studies. The previous practices showed that water footprint analysis was an effective tool to achieve sustainable utilization of water resources by guiding the development of water-saving technology and product. This paper reviewed the progress of water footprint research in materials industry including related theory, method and application. Firstly, the basic concept of water footprint was introduced. Secondly, the current accounting and assessment methods of water footprint and their applicable fields were summarized. Thirdly, the case studies on the water footprint of metallic materials, nonmetallic materials and chemical materials were reviewed to analyze its guidance significance on the sustainable development of water resources. At last, some suggestions for future research on the water footprint of materials were proposed.