Chemical Engineering Solutions for Clean Drinking Water

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This is an essay written for my Chemical Reaction Engineering class. I thought it fit well with the topic of my blog so I decided to post it. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

The United Nations has developed 17 sustainability goals to make the world a better place. Chemical Engineers can play a key role in many of these areas. For example, there are many Chemical Engineers currently working on sustainable energy, medical, and agricultural advancements (Goals 2, 3, and 7). An area that Chemical Engineers should break into is developing clean water for the world (Goal 6). They will be pivotal in the development, design, and implementation of affordable water treatment plants in impoverished areas.

In the developed world, water treatment is a well-established industry. However, around the globe, many people die of preventable water-borne diseases. Using their knowledge of chemistry and thermodynamics, Chemical Engineers have developed water treatment that does not require large-scale treatment facilities. For example, Doctors Bob Tilton and Todd Przybycien (PhDs in Biomedical and Chemical Engineering respectively) have developed a water filtration method from the Moringa oleifera plant. This method removes inorganic material and bonds to organic material. This results in cheap and easy drinking water (Carrol).

Despite the usefulness of small-scale filtration, developing countries will also require large-scale water treatment facilities. A large portion of water treatment is unit operations (physical treatments such as filtration), however, complete cleaning is not possible without chemical reactions binding to harmful contaminates. For example, 80% of India’s freshwater is commentated by raw sewage (Sharudenko). Chemical Reaction Engineering, a subsection of Chemical Engineering, enables engineers to design systems that will bind to and remove these high levels of organic contamination.

The implementation of both large- and small-scale water treatment must be pushed by Chemical Engineers. PhDs must promote their research and find ways to market it to developing nations. Design and Process Engineers must help build and maintain large-scale water treatment operations. Lastly, all Chemical Engineers must train others how to properly care for their waterways through both chemical and physical treatment methods.

Their knowledge of chemical reactions and unit operations allows Chemical Engineers to contribute to clean water solutions around the globe. This happens with the development, design, and implementation of large- and small-scale water treatment methods. With continued education and action from Chemical Engineers, the UN’s goal of clean water for all is becoming more of a reality every day.

References:

Carroll, D. (n.d.). The Seed that Could Bring Clean Water to Millions. College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://engineering.cmu.edu/news-events/news/2018/06/13-seed-clean-water.html

Sharudenko, A. (2020, July 14). How water pollution in India kills Millions. Borgen Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.borgenmagazine.com/water-pollution-in-india/#:~:text=Around%2080%25%20of%20India's%20water,Indian%20children%20die%20from%20diarrhea.

United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 goals | sustainable development. United Nations. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals