Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
13.11 Research Work ................................................................................................................ 256
13.11.1 Fullerenes .......................................................................................................... 256
13.11.2 Nanocomposite RO ......................................................................................... 257
13.11.3 Nano-Alumina Nonwoven Filters ................................................................ 258
13.11.4 Filtration Evolution ......................................................................................... 260
13.11.5 Product Development ..................................................................................... 261
13.12 Closing Thought............................................................................................................. 261
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 262
References ..................................................................................................................................... 262
Further Readings ......................................................................................................................... 263
Water. Where is the market going? What opportunities lie in this industry that intimately
touches our lives through drinking water in our homes, irrigation of food crops, and its
use as industrial and high-purity water at manufacturing plants worldwide? And, what
role will be played by nanotechnology?
This chapter will examine water treatment technologies commonly found in different
segments. We will irst examine some industrial segments that use water. Part of our pur-
pose is to see the types of water treatment technologies important to different applications.
After this overview, we will close with a brief look at exciting developments in the use of
nanotechnology, which is the broader focus of this topic. However, to understand the role
nanotechnology may one day play, it is irst important to have some basic background
about the water treatment industry.
13.1 Major Segments
There are at least two ways to examine the water business—by the kinds of end users and
by the industry's products and services.
13.1.1 End-User Categories
Water business sectors range from municipal water and wastewater all the way to high-purity
water. Major industry subdivisions and examples of end-user types include the following:
• High-purity water: semiconductor, pharmaceutical, power (nuclear, sub, and super-
critical boiler fossil power plants), and laboratories
• Industrial: power (lower-pressure boilers of less than 900 pounds per square inch
gauge [psig]), petrochemical, oil reineries, automotive, manufacturing, and steel,
among others
• Pulp and paper
• Food and beverage, bottled water
• Industrial, institutional, and large commercial cooling water
• Oil and natural gas exploration (i.e., produced water, lowback water)
• Mining
• Desalination
