Technology for a thirsty world

By Morten Andersen

280 litres of water have been required to write this article, during
which the writer consumed two cups of coffee. Each cup corresponds

to 140 litres of water consumption, when one takes into
account the water needed to grow the coffee plant.
The example illustrates that there would be ample water in
theworld if it was just a matter of quenching our thirst. A human
being needs to consume between 2 and 5 litres of water per day.
But at the same time, it requires 3,000 litres of water per day to
grow the food we eat.

So the fact that the world’s water resources are coming under
pressure is not only because the global population is growing,
but also because consumption habits are shifting in the direction
of more meat and other forms of production that demand water.
Furthermore, there is all too much water that is wasted on its way
to the consumer.

For these reasons, water is one of this century’s greatest challenges.

Controlling domestic consumption
Denmark is among the countries that are most favoured with
water resources. Copious quantities of rain, combined with
favourable geological conditions, mean that almost the entire
country’s water consumption can be met by extracting groundwater
that simply requires filtering and oxygenation to make it
ready for use.

At the same time Denmark has succeeded in freeing itself
from what previously seemed an inescapable law – that per
capita water consumption rises year after year. By combining
campaigns to save water with good maintenance of the water
mains, it has proved possible to cut per capita consumption over
the last 20 years.

Perhaps it is precisely this favourable domestic situation that
explains why Danish companies have managed to sell water
technologies in so many places around the world. From 1995-
2009, Denmark’s export share in the water area was about
double the EU average, according to new data published by the
Academy of Technical Sciences.

High level of research
Some 35,000 people in 200 companies are working with water
technology in Denmark. According to a survey from the Confederation

of Danish Industry, in 2008 the sector generated approx.
EUR 4 billion, of which a half was exports. In the period from
2001 to 2006, the sector’s exports grew by 9 percent.

The survey also shows that Danish companies in the area are
characterised by a high level of research and development activity.
Around 13 percent of the companies in the industry invest
more than 25 percent of their total revenues in
research and development.

Read more about the Danish Water and Wastewater
Association on www.danva.dk

Facts

Five billion will experience scarcity
Since 1970, the amount of water available to the human race has shrunk by 40 percent. Approximately one third of the world’s population, around 1.7 billion people, live in countries affected by “water stress”. These are the lands where the annual water supply is below 1,700 cubic metres per person per year. In 2025 the figure is expected to increase to 5 billion people.
Source: UN


The thirsty energy sector
Hydropower accounts for 19 percent of global electricity production. And power stations fuelled by coal, gas or uranium also require large amounts of water for their cooling systems. So a lack of water can very soon lead to a lack of energy. One example is the dramatic reduction in the number ofaluminium plants in the northwest US in 2000 and 2001. The plants became unprofitable because of rising energy prices and repeated power outages, but the underlying cause was the dwindling reservoirs of water which limited production from hydropower.
Source: Lux Research Water Intelligence.

Leaking pipes are costly
Many countries are seeking to obtain new water resources through massive investments in desalination of sea water or new water wells. But if one could simply reduce leakage in the water supply by 1.4 percent,it would be the equivalent of a whole year’s increase in global consumption. And the potential is certainly there. For example, the amount of water lost through mains leakage in Boston is 36 percent, in Mexico City 32 percent, and in New Delhi 40 percent.
Source: Lux Research Water Intelligence.

A hamburger “drinks” 2,400 litres of water
It takes an average 3,000 litres of water to produce the food that a human being consumes in a single day. Water consumption in the western world lies well over this average. Meat production in particular demands large quantities of water. First, all the food that
the animals eat has to be produced. So the production of a single hamburger almost corresponds to the water consumption per
human being per day: 2,400 litres.
Source: DHI Water Environment Health.

This article is from Focus Denmark Magazin, June 2011