#201 - Mayans, PFAS, Ogallala Aquifer, Electron Beams & Mangroves (again!)
Water Water Everywhere...
Hey Readers,
Here we go to the next century. For those who missed it last week, we had a question for you - What you would be interested in seeing/ hearing in the next 100 to come?
Hit us up in the comments or respond via email - either works.
With that said, let's get into the somewhat shorter list of innovations & news from the world of water this week.
Innovations Roundup
Mangroves - the gift that keeps on giving
Inspired by the mangrove leaf’s natural ability to extract unsalted water from salt water sources, a team of researchers at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in Abu Dhabi, UAE have built a mangrove-mimicked solar vapor generator and crystallizer (SVGC). This artificial leaf system is built on a nano/micro-structured titanium (TiO2/Ti) mesh. This mesh is so fine that it stops salt molecules from getting through the mesh. So when the mesh is over a salt water source and placed in the presence of sunlight - the water evaporates upwards through the mesh, leaving the salt on the mesh as shown below. Now they are focused on taking it from a successful experiment in the lab to real world application.
Electron beams to break up PFAS
Sometimes it takes the main culprit to provide the solution, 3M working with Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have devised a new method to break up PFAS: High-energy electron beams. PFAS molecules are difficult to break down because they contain a carbon-fluorine bond, which is very strong and the reason PFAS are commonly used in the chemical manufacturing industry. But the strength of that C-F bond is also the reason they don’t break down in nature. The electron beam, however, is very effective at breaking that C-F bond.
The electron beam actively destroys the forever chemicals and does so quickly, enabling a larger volume of water to be treated in the same amount of time as some other methods. The researchers say that these electron beams could be used in pump-and-treat methods, a common groundwater treatment approach, or in a manufacturing facility, directly treating waste streams before they leave the facility.
News from Around the World
The impressive folks at Fast Company ask the question, can crop farming kill a community? - the answer sadly is yes. The Ogallala Aquifer, that spans eight states from South Dakota to the Texas Panhandle, is the only reliable water source for some parts of the region. But for decades, states have allowed farmers to over pump groundwater to irrigate corn and other crops that would otherwise struggle on the arid High Plains.
Resulting in a average 17 foot drop in water levels in the aquifer. The aquifer is so big we couldn’t even put that into gallons or liters. Enough said!
Its been a while since we reported anything on PFAS, so here goes…this last week US Senator Gillibrand re-introduced a draft legislation that would make it easier for victims of PFAS contamination to be awarded medical monitoring for early detection and treatment of diseases associated with PFAS exposure.
Sometimes we really need to learn from the past, if you have 5 extra minutes, read this piece from the Scientific American about how the ancient Mayans managed their limited water resources. - ‘How did they keep their waters clean for a 1,000 years? By applying their knowledge of the tropical environment to design self-cleaning reservoirs.’
‘Til next week
Peace!