
IDA 2023 Seville Summit: Addressing climate change impact on water security

The IDA Seville Summit on Water and Climate Change is a landmark event scheduled to take place in Seville, Spain, from October 15 to October 18, 2023. The summit aims to address the critical challenges in water security and climate change adaptation by bringing together experts, researchers, policymakers, and public and private sector leaders.
With over two billion people currently lacking access to clean water and the alarming depletion of major aquifers, there is an urgent need to chart a clear path toward climate change adaptation through a comprehensive water resource management transformation.
The IDA is committed to shaping the future of integrated water resources management and safeguarding water sources to positively impact food security, industrial processes, and municipal water requirements.
The World Bank and the IFC will be Knowledge Partners of the Summit. The event is strategically aligned with commemorating the association’s 50th anniversary and is poised to be a congregation of dedicated experts, a catalyst for positive transformation, and a celebration of our shared dedication to a sustainable future.
Source: International Desalination Association (IDA)
VA Tech Wabag to collaborate with Pani Energy to implement AI in water treatment plants

VA Tech WABAG Limited (WABAG), a leading Indian water multinational, has partnered with Pani to implement the AI solution Pani Zed™ across its portfolio. WABAG, the third-largest private water operator globally, aims to leverage Pani Zed™ to optimize operations costs by reducing downtime, energy consumption, and chemical usage.
The partnership will expedite decision-making processes and enhance critical equipment’s longevity, aligning with WABAG’s commitment to a cleaner and greener world.
Shailesh Kumar, CEO-India Cluster at WABAG, expressed excitement about integrating world-class technology into their operations, optimizing water treatment processes, and providing sustainable solutions.
Devesh Bharadwaj, founder and CEO of Pani, emphasized their mission to decarbonize and de-risk the global water supply. The partnership presents an opportunity to revolutionize existing treatment infrastructure, particularly in Asia, where freshwater scarcity is prevalent.
Pani Zed™ empowers operations and maintenance teams with continuous performance analytics, process forecasting, anomaly detection, actionable insights, and set-point recommendations.
This enables proactive prioritization of servicing and maintenance tasks, resource allocation, and adaptability to growing needs. Overall, the partnership aims to enhance efficiencies and de-risk operations in water treatment and management.
Source: Pani Energy
Tetra Tech wins $450 million EPA environmental restoration contract

Tetra Tech has been awarded a $450 million, multiple-award contract by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to accelerate environmental clean-up of contaminated sediment sites in the Great Lakes region. The contract will last for five years and Tetra Tech will provide technical support services to EPA Region 5 and the Great Lakes National Program Office.
Tetra Tech will use their Leading with Science® approach to develop site assessments and feasibility studies, collect and analyze data, and design innovative solutions to promote sustainable ecosystems at a watershed scale. This work is part of Tetra Tech’s commitment to improve 1 billion lives through their projects by 2030.
Source:Tetra Tech
Cyber Enviro-Tech signs agreement with Crosstex Environmental STX for oil production wastewater

Cyber Enviro-Tech, Inc (OTC Pink: CETI) has signed a service agreement with Crosstex Environmental STX, LLC to clean and repurpose contaminated oil production wastewater using biotechnology.
The wastewater contains saltwater, hydrocarbons, and industrial compounds, making it hazardous to the environment. Currently, the wastewater is disposed of in saltwater disposal wells (SWDs) underground.
The partnership aims to repurpose the waste into reusable assets for oil operators and companies, while also providing clean water for drinking, agriculture, and other applications.
The ongoing drought conditions in Texas have exacerbated the situation, highlighting the urgent need to better utilize limited water resources. The collaboration demonstrates environmentally sound and efficient practices in the SWD environment, showcasing Cyber Enviro-Tech’s total waste solutions. Kim D. Southworth, co-founder and CEO of Cyber Enviro-Tech, Inc, said this marks a new chapter in their bioremediation enterprise.
Source: Cyber Enviro-Tech
Amazon port in Brazil records lowest water level in 121 years due to drought

In Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, a severe drought has caused the water level at a major river port to reach its lowest point in at least 121 years. This has resulted in stranded boats and disrupted vital food and water supplies to remote jungle villages. The drought has also led to the deaths of over 100 endangered river dolphins due to elevated water temperatures.
The Brazilian government attributes the drought to the El Niño climate phenomenon, which is expected to persist until December. As of now, the drought has affected 481,000 people, and there are concerns about the cleanliness of the local water supply due to reduced water levels.
In response to the crisis, a Brazilian NGO has been delivering essential supplies to vulnerable village communities. The situation highlights the devastating impact of climate change on ecosystems and communities in the Amazon rainforest.
DOD: PFAS plumes in the ‘proximity’ of drinking water supplies

According to a report by the Department of Defense (DOD), toxic PFAS chemicals are flowing from 245 out of 275 DOD installations, posing a threat to nearby drinking water supplies. The report, mandated by Congress, found that these PFAS plumes are in close proximity to groundwater aquifers used for drinking water. However, the report did not provide details on how the DOD determined the proximity of wells to the bases or whether the wells were actually contaminated.
The DOD has focused its cleanup efforts on 275 bases where the second stage of the process has been initiated, despite confirmed PFAS contamination at 455 bases and ongoing evaluations at hundreds more. So far, the DOD has provided alternative drinking water supplies to 53 communities affected by PFAS contamination, but only when PFAS levels exceed an outdated EPA health standard of 70 parts per trillion.
The number of sites requiring alternative drinking water from the DOD is expected to increase when proposed EPA standards are finalized. However, the implementation of these new standards may take several years. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently finalizing national drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals.
The report has raised concerns about the extent of PFAS contamination in drinking water supplies, with experts suggesting that the DOD’s PFAS plumes may have contaminated far more water sources than previously understood. Despite the known risks associated with PFAS exposure, DOD spending on cleanup efforts has reached its lowest level in decades.
PFAS chemicals are highly mobile in groundwater and persist for long periods. Even low doses of PFAS have been linked to immune system suppression, increased cancer risk, harm to fetal development, and reduced vaccine effectiveness.
Source: The Environmental Working Group (EWG)
Ayesa rebrands ByrneLooby as part of its global brand strategy

ByrneLooby, an award-winning engineering consultancy, has rebranded to Ayesa, its parent company. This move follows an 18-month integration period after Ayesa acquired ByrneLooby in 2022. The rebranding allows for the combination of resources and expertise, creating a global-leading technology and engineering consulting services provider.
Ayesa will continue to uphold its reputation for technical excellence and will compete for large-scale infrastructure projects in the UK, Ireland, and the Middle East. The company aims to deliver highly technical and personalized services while leveraging the global engineering and technology specialists’ resources. The UK and Ireland territories will be led by John Byrne, co-founder of ByrneLooby.
Source: Ayesa
New polymer membranes, AI predictions could dramatically reduce energy, water use in oil refining

A new kind of polymer membrane created by researchers at Georgia Tech could reshape how refineries process crude oil, dramatically reducing the energy and water required while extracting even more useful materials.
The so-called DUCKY polymers — more on the unusual name in a minute — are reported Oct. 16 in Nature Materials. And they’re just the beginning for the team of Georgia Tech chemists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists.
They also have created artificial intelligence tools to predict the performance of these kinds of polymer membranes, which could accelerate development of new ones.
The implications are stark: the initial separation of crude oil components is responsible for roughly 1% of energy used across the globe. What’s more, the membrane separation technology the researchers are developing could have several uses, from biofuels and biodegradable plastics to pulp and paper products.
“We’re establishing concepts here that we can then use with different molecules or polymers, but we apply them to crude oil because that’s the most challenging target right now,” said M.G. Finn, professor and James A. Carlos Family Chair in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology