Faculty Research Fellows Discuss Sustainable Water Access by Integrating Science, Health & Policy Expertise

The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future held a seminar titled “Integrating Science, Health & Policy to Engineer Global Sustainable Water Access” on October 25.

Access to safe drinking water is considered a fundamental human right; when access is denied there are widespread health, education, and economic implications. One solution to address water shortages is to use recycled water. Sometimes referred to as Toilet to Tap, recycled wastewater treatment plants may remove solids, bacteria, and other contaminants before discharging the water to agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processing, groundwater recharge basins, and sometimes directly back into the potable water supply. However, while recycled water could address severe water shortages, its global implementation is hampered by the availability of economical technology, insufficient health risk assessments, and policy solutions that lack public support.

This interdisciplinary team discussed their ongoing work as Pardee Center Faculty Research Fellows, in which they are developing novel materials and processes for the degradation of organic pollutants such as pharmaceuticals in water for household to industrial scale use.

Watch the full presentation and discussion in the video above.