Abstract
The U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) recently published a document presenting "Grand Challenges for Engineering". This list was proposed by leading engineers and scientists from around the world at the request of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Fourteen topics were selected for these grand challenges, and at least seven can be addressed using the tools and methods of biological engineering. Here we describe how biological engineers can address the challenge of providing access to clean drinking water. This issue must be addressed in part by removing or inactivating microbial and chemical contaminants in order to properly deliver water safe for human consumption. Despite many advances in technologies this challenge is expanding due to increased pressure on fresh water supplies and to new opportunities for growth of potentially pathogenic organisms.
Highlights
Water scarcity is a fact of life in arid and semi-arid regions where agricultural, domestic and industrial demands compete for limited resources
Access to clean drinking water presents a monumental challenge that is well documented for the developing world but is a rising problem for more established regions [1]
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenge document http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9142. aspx states: “Lack of clean water is responsible for more deaths in the world than war
Summary
Water scarcity is a fact of life in arid and semi-arid regions where agricultural, domestic and industrial demands compete for limited resources. Saudi Arabia alone accounts for about a tenth of global desalination while Israel uses desalination technology to provide about a fourth of its domestic water needs Such technologies must have lower impact on the environment, which means less energy use and reduced production of CO2 while utilizing the high salt effluent in ecologically sustainable ways. We need technologies for treatment at the tap and for premise plumbing, as well as new disinfectants, fewer by-products, and disinfectants designed to work in conjunction with existing disinfectants To this end, the major questions addressed include the following: 1) How do multi-scale, natural and engineered systems interact and subsequently affect water quality and quantity?. These challenges are met by advances made at the interface of what are commonly considered scientific and engineering disciplines and can benefit greatly by fully integrating biological components and accounting for biological impacts of engineering design decisions
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