The Future of Water in Global South: Desalination, Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology
World Water Day, celebrated on March 22nd, is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of clean water access and the sustainable management of this vital resource. In Global South countries, where water scarcity and contamination pose significant challenges, exploring innovative solutions is crucial. This article explores how emerging technologies can revolutionize water access and treatment, offering viable alternatives to tackle the global water crisis.
Access to potable water is one of the most urgent challenges in the Global South. With population growth, climate change, and the overexploitation of water resources, ensuring a reliable water supply is becoming increasingly difficult. In this context, desalination, biotechnology, and nanotechnology emerge as promising solutions. However, their implementation faces technical, economic, and social challenges that must be addressed for their effective deployment. This article presents specific examples in each of these areas and discusses the challenges that must be tackled from my perspective as a researcher at one of the most prestigious public universities in Mexico.
Desalination: Transforming Saline Water into a Potable Resource
Desalination is one of the most studied and widely used technologies for obtaining potable water from saline sources. Processes such as reverse osmosis and thermal distillation have proven effective in converting seawater and brackish water into water suitable for human consumption and agriculture. However, these processes still comsume high amounts of energy; for example, reverse osmosis is the most widely used method, but it requires large amounts of electrical energy and increases operational costs. Additionally, this process has environmental impacts that must be considered. Indeed, the disposal of residual brine can negatively affect marine ecosystems when this subproduct of desalinization is not managed properly. Lastly, desalination plants require significant infrastructure and resources for maintenance, which entails high initial investment and operational costs, making their implementation difficult in countries with limited financial resources.
Biotechnology: A Sustainable Alternative for Water Treatment
Environmental biotechnology offers innovative strategies to improve water quality through biological processes. The use of specialized microorganisms such as bacteria and algae enables the biodegradation of organic pollutants and emerging microcontaminants. Some successfully applied examples include membrane bioreactors, which combine biological processes with advanced filtration for wastewater treatment. Bioremediation, which uses specific bacteria capable of degrading pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides.
The main challenges in this field include scalability, as most biotechnological solutions have been tested in laboratories, but require optimization for large-scale application. Another critical challenge is the monitoring and control of scaled-up systems, as it is essential to develop efficient methods to evaluate the effectiveness and stability of microorganisms used in these treatments. Finally, social acceptance plays a crucial role, given that implementing biotechnology-based systems requires awareness and education among local communities and decision-makers to foster its recognition as a key tool for a country’s development.
Nanotechnology: Advanced Materials for Water Purification
Nanotechnology has revolutionized water treatment through the development of advanced materials that are capable of efficiently removing contaminants. Some of the most promising applications include adsorbent nanomaterials, nanofiltration membranes, and photocatalysis with nanoparticles. The implementation of iron oxide or enhanced activated carbon nanoparticles are able to capture heavy metals and organic pollutants. In addition, advanced membranes provide an effective barrier against viruses, bacteria, and microparticles. Other materials, such as titanium dioxide can degrade contaminants when activated by sunlight, making them particularly useful in countries with high solar incidence, as is the case for most of global south.
Challenges remain in this field, including high production costs, as the manufacturing of nanomaterials remains expensive, limiting large-scale application. Adapting these technologies to low-resource contexts requires collaboration between academia, industry, and governments to facilitate cost-effective implementation.
Future Perspectives: What Is Needed?
For these technologies to become viable solutions in Global South, several key areas must be addressed:
- Increased public funding for research and education: It is essential to allocate more resources to biotechnology and nanotechnology, which are still perceived negatively by some sectors of society. Strengthening education and public awareness can help demystify these fields and promote their acceptance.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration: Integrating knowledge from various fields, from biotechnology to materials engineering, will enable the development of more effective solutions.
- Accessibility and technology transfer: Inclusive business models, government incentives, and private sector collaboration can facilitate the implementation of these technologies in vulnerable communities.
Water is a vital resource, and its safe and sustainable access is a fundamental human right. The combination of desalination, biotechnology, and nanotechnology presents an unprecedented opportunity to address the water crisis in global south. However, the challenge is not only technological but also social and economic. With a comprehensive vision and joint efforts, we can transform the way we manage and secure water for future generations.
I hold degrees in Chemical Engineering and Psychology, as well as a Master's and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science. After three years of postdoctoral research, I am currently an Assistant Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. My passion lies in helping others discover and develop their talents to reach their full potential.