• New nerve gas deactivation method offered

    What to do with thousands of tons of chemical weapon stored in rusting drums on military bases in the United States? Bleach reacts indiscriminately — even explosively — with many chemicals such as propellants, and using alkaline hydrolysis has its own drawbacks; researchers develop a deactivation method based on dealkylating agents

  • Small businesses offer real-world environmental technologies

    EPA is one of eleven federal agencies which participate in the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program; a surprising number of small companies offer innovative and effective technologies to deal with environmental problems

  • Ballast-free cargo ship design to reduce invasion of non-native species

    As worries about non-native species invading the great Lakes mount, Wolverines researchers develop ballast-free cargo ship design; at least 185 non-native aquatic species have been identified in the Great Lakes, and ballast water is blamed for the introduction of most

  • Warming could radically change Lake Tahoe in 10 years

    Global warming will irreversibly alter water circulation in Lake Tahoe, changing conditions for for fish and plants; effect on the Tahoe Basin as an international vacation destination unclear

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  • Researchers warn that Lake Mead is drying up

    Lake Mead is a key source of water for for millions of people in the southwestern United States; research shows that if current trends — usage, climate change — continue, the lake may dry up by 2021

  • Singapore embarks on water reclamation project

    Singapore suffers increasing water shortages; the country’s Public Utility Board (PUB) has joined with two specialists in the field in a joint development of wastewater reclamation technologies using separation membranes

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  • Water shortages lead Saudis to end grain production

    Growing wheat takes a lot of water; Saudi Arabia never had much water, and its rapidly growing population puts more pressure on whatever water resources there are; Saudi Arabia’s decision: The kingdom will begin reducing production annually by 12.5 percent from next year and will use imports to bridge the domestic consumption gap

  • Bacteria and nanofilters -- the future of clean water technology

    University of Nottingham researchers combine contaminant-eating bacteria with nanoscale filtration membranes to purify fouled water; additional side benefit: The waste products created by purifying water have a very high calorific value, and can be used as fuel

  • Cleaner water through nanotechnology

    As global warming causes more and more countries to have less and less fresh water for human consumption and irrigation, the purification and re-use of contaminated water becomes more urgent; Aussie researchers offer a nanotechnology-based method to purify water which is more effective and cheaper than conventional water purification methods

  • Beijing to examine water safety daily ahead of Olympics

    As is the case with many other things in China, water is polluted, too; ahead of the Summer Olympic Games, China establishes water monitoring teams to perform round-the-clock checks and maintenance of the water pipelines and ground water systems

  • On the water front // by Ben Frankel: UN secretary-general says "Water is running out"

    Serious water shortages are afflicting ever-larger swaths of the globe, with global warming exacerbating the problem; there are 192 countries in the world, with a population of nearly 6 billion: Experts say that in 102 of these countries — with a combined population of 3.9 billion — water-related crises create a high risk of violent conflict; there are opportunities here for investors and technology companies

  • Towns overhauling infrastructure maps

    The GIS Consortium was established in 1999; it enables police, fire, and public works employees the ability to bring computer-based mapping applications onsite, and allows mapping and updating of towns’ infrastructure — everything from sewer and water lines to the location of valves, fire hydrants, street lights, trees and signs

  • Water consumption by thermoelectric plants to grow 35.7%

    Water shortages loom as one of the major problems in the next two decades for both developed and developing countries; it does not help that water consumption by thermoelectric power plants will increase by nearly 40% during this period — and even more if carbon capturing technologies are adopted