Industry 4.0 as a strategy to contribute to the water supply universalization in developing countries

Abstract

Access to safe water is still a challenge. Millions of people worldwide, mainly in rural and remote regions, still do not have access to safe drinking water. Point-of-use and decentralized water treatment systems have the potential to improve their livelihood, especially if these technologies are combined with the advantages brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This paper presents and discusses opportunities for convergence between water treatment mainly using membrane separation processes and technologies related to Industry 4.0, focusing on a scenario of decentralized systems installed in developing countries. Emphasis is given to membrane-based applications due to their advantages of ease of operation, small area requirements, and reduced implementation time while maintaining a great capacity to produce high water quality regardless of raw water characteristics. Literature suggests that Industry 4.0 can be considered an ally to better support water management in remote and rural regions. Treatment units can now be integrated into digital cyber-physical systems to promote a greater comprehension of local necessities and provide transparent and effective communication, faster actions, or even remote and automatic operation, contributing to the capacitation of local operators and the performance and conservation of the infrastructure. It is also possible to monitor many parameters of water quality, ensuring process integrity and safe water. These advancements may result in affordable, adaptive, and resilient solutions, but it is necessary to consider the perspective of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation – unfortunately, not always present – and the difficulties inherent to developing countries.