In a landmark move, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled its inaugural regulations targeting the pervasive presence of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), colloquially termed ‘forever chemicals,’ in the nation’s drinking water supply. Despite fervent resistance from the chemical industry, which has wielded considerable political influence, the EPA’s announcement marks a critical step towards mitigating the health risks associated with PFAS exposure for millions of Americans. PFAS compounds, ubiquitous in various consumer products ranging from waterproof clothing to non-stick cooking surfaces, have long posed a significant public health concern due to their persistence in the environment and potential adverse effects on human health.

Under the new regulations, water utilities across the country will be mandated to conduct rigorous testing for six different classes of PFAS compounds, heralding a significant shift towards proactive contamination management. With an estimated 100 million individuals set to benefit from reduced PFAS exposure, the EPA’s initiative underscores a commitment to safeguarding public health and environmental integrity. Moreover, the allocation of a $1 billion fund for treatment and testing, alongside broader infrastructure investments facilitated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, exemplifies a multifaceted approach towards addressing the complex challenges posed by PFAS contamination. Through robust regulatory measures and strategic financial support, the EPA aims to empower communities grappling with PFAS pollution and pave the way for a more resilient and sustainable water infrastructure landscape.

Water should not be a luxury product, but still in these modern times, one out of nine people does not have access to clean drinking water. The main issue here is that only around 4% percent of Earth’s water sources are rivers, lakes and drinkable water, the rest is comprised of oceans with salty water.
These are all alarming statistics, but luckily in many such places around the world things are starting to improve thanks to new technologies.

One of the most active NGOs that are trying to fight for access to clean water is called Give Power and their main mission is to install solar power technology that can help the communities dealing with this issue.
Their most recent success story is related to Kenya and the village named Kiunga, where they managed to install a solar-powered desalination system. This system transforms ocean water into drinkable water and can produce enough water for 35 000 people per day (around 70 thousand liters). Before Give Power, the inhabitants of Kiunga had to travel one hour each day to reach a water source, but it was one used also by animals and full of parasites. Such improvements, like Give Power’s initiative, are constantly needed as according to the World Health Organization, there are still 2.2 billion people around the world who do not have access to drinking water and 4.2 billion can’t access safely managed sanitation services.
These things can lead to more issues like the spreading of diseases and dehydration in very hot and rural areas. So how does the process of desalination work exactly? It is a process in which salt and minerals are separated from the water through a membrane. But because liquid goes through an osmotic process in which its natural state is to have equal amounts of water, minerals, and salt on each side of the membrane, a lot of energy is required to stabilize it.

Also, post-processing requires a lot of chemicals to be added to the water for the desalination to happen. But Give Power, managed to find a solution to all this through their solar water farms, using solar panels, Tesla batteries, and water pumps. The other plus side of this technology is that the final product does not produce saline residues which pollute the environment.

Watch the video presentation made by Give Power, to learn more about this inspiring story.

Fresh drinking water is a real problem in some parts of the world, as it is very hard to have access to it. This clever machine, designed by scientist at MIT will turn salty water into drinking water using solar energy. Oh, and it is also portable so it can be easily transported to areas in need of drinking water. The machine works through electro-dialysis and presses the stream of water between 2 electrodes that have opposite charges. The rest of it is science and it is explained very nicely at the link below that also contains a video presentation on how the entire machine works. The most important thing to keep in mind is that this portable invention is capable of filtering 2,100 gallons of water per day, which is pretty amazing.

How it works
“Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes with opposite charges. Because the salt dissolved in water consists of positive and negative ions, the electrodes pull the ions out of the water, Winter says, leaving fresher water at the center of the flow. A series of membranes separate the freshwater stream from increasingly salty ones.
Both electrodialysis and reverse osmosis require the use of membranes, but those in an electrodialysis system are exposed to lower pressures and can be cleared of salt buildup simply by reversing the electrical polarity. That means the expensive membranes should last much longer and require less maintenance, Winter says. In addition, electrodialysis systems recover a much higher percentage of the water — more than 90 percent, compared with about 40 to 60 percent from reverse-osmosis systems, a big advantage in areas where water is scarce.”

David L. Chandler explains, “Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes with opposite charges. Because the salt dissolved in water consists of positive and negative ions, the electrodes pull the ions out of the water, leaving fresher water at the centre of the flow. A series of membranes separate the freshwater stream from increasingly salty ones.” (news.mit.edu)

via: Minds

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