A Thirst for Innovation
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the natural beauty and vital importance of our planet’s water resources. Whether I’m hiking through lush forests, swimming in pristine lakes, or simply sipping a refreshing glass of water, I’m constantly in awe of the role that water plays in sustaining life on Earth.
But even as I marvel at the wonders of our global water cycle, I can’t help but feel a twinge of concern. After all, this precious resource is under constant threat from pollution, overuse, and the effects of climate change. And with the world’s population continuing to grow, the demand for clean, reliable water is only going to increase.
That’s why I’m so excited to explore the cutting-edge water treatment techniques that are helping to preserve and protect our water resources. From NASA-inspired filtration systems to revolutionary forward osmosis technologies, the innovations I’ve uncovered are nothing short of remarkable. And the best part? These game-changing advancements aren’t just benefiting astronauts and research labs – they’re making their way into our homes, businesses, and communities, transforming the way we think about and manage our most vital resource.
Shower Like a Martian
Let’s start with a technology that’s quite literally out of this world. A few years ago, I stumbled upon the story of Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, a Swedish design student who traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and came away with an idea that would revolutionize the humble shower.
You see, as Mahdjoubi learned about the challenges of designing habitats for long-term space missions, he realized that traditional showers just wouldn’t cut it. Water is an incredibly precious commodity in space, and astronauts have to be extremely careful not to waste a single drop. So Mahdjoubi set out to create a shower system that could recycle and reuse as much water as possible – just like the ones being developed for future Martian colonies.
His solution? The Oas, a recirculating shower that uses a cutting-edge filtration technology called NanoCeram to purify and reuse the water. Here’s how it works: The Oas starts with less than a gallon of water and circulates it at a rate of 3-4 gallons per minute – more than most conventional showers. As the water flows through the system, it’s constantly checked for quality, and the most heavily polluted water (think: shampoo rinse) is automatically replaced with fresh water. The rest goes through the NanoCeram filter, which uses positively charged nanofibers to trap even the smallest contaminants, including bacteria and viruses.
After being disinfected with ultraviolet light, the purified water is then recirculated back into the shower, saving a staggering amount of this precious resource. In fact, the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control has verified that the recycled water is actually cleaner than the average tap water.
As Mahdjoubi told me, “There’s a general assumption you can’t do anything about water conservation without compromising your life quality. But we don’t tell people to stop showering and we don’t destroy their experience. We enhance it with a higher flow rate. The ability to save without sacrifice – I think that’s the most important part of our value proposition.”
Ancient Technology Enters the Space Age
Of course, the Oas isn’t the only water-saving innovation with its roots in space exploration. NASA has been at the forefront of water purification technology for decades, and many of their innovations have found their way into our everyday lives.
Take, for example, the use of silver ions to neutralize bacteria and viruses. This concept dates back to ancient times, when people used silver to preserve and purify food and beverages. But it wasn’t until the Apollo missions that NASA really started exploring the potential of this technology.
In the 1960s, the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) commissioned an electrolytic silver ion generator to keep the astronauts’ water supply clean and safe. A decade later, as the space shuttle program was gearing up, the center sponsored an even more advanced prototype of this system.
While the silver ion-based purifiers never actually flew on NASA missions, they did give rise to a whole host of filter systems for home faucets, pools, spas, and more. One particularly successful product line, the Bon Del and Ambassador water filters, was developed by an Arizona inventor who got a technical information package from NASA and used it as the basis for his prototype.
Today, you can find this NASA-inspired technology in Puronics’ whole-house water conditioning units, where the silver ions prevent the growth of bacteria in the filter beds. And according to Puronics CEO Scott Batiste, it’s still a core part of their business, accounting for about 70% of their overall sales and seeing 15-20% growth each year.
Tapping into Nature’s R&D Lab
But NASA’s water innovation efforts didn’t stop with silver ions. In fact, the agency has also been exploring one of the most remarkable and potentially effective water treatment technologies I’ve ever come across: membranes embedded with the same natural proteins that transport water through the membranes of living cells.
These proteins, known as aquaporins, are what allow plant roots to absorb water from soil and human kidneys to filter about 45 gallons of blood per day. They can transport water through cell membranes one molecule at a time while rejecting other substances – which makes them incredibly efficient and effective at water purification.
Back in 2007, when the Danish company Aquaporin AS started exploring ways to use these natural marvels in water treatment, Ames Research Center became one of their first paying customers. The center, along with the European Space Agency, even tested the aquaporin membranes on flights to the International Space Station, helping to validate their potential.
And let me tell you, the potential of these membranes is nothing short of astounding. Aquaporin AS has now partnered with companies and other entities around the world on pilot projects and lab tests to try the membranes in almost 60 different forward osmosis applications – everything from treating wastewater from landfills and bus depots to purifying water for the textile industry and even improving the dialysis process.
What makes the aquaporin membranes so special? According to Aquaporin CEO Peter Holme Jensen, “We have the highest rejection rates and the lowest reverse salt flux rates in the market. This is why we can do stuff in forward osmosis that others can’t – because we extract water and other forward-osmosis technologies extract water and a bit of something else.”
In other words, these membranes are able to extract pure water while leaving behind all the contaminants, making them incredibly efficient and effective at water purification. And with water scarcity being a growing global concern, I can’t help but think that this technology could be a game-changer in the years to come.
A Thirsty World Quenched
As I delve deeper into the world of cutting-edge water treatment techniques, I can’t help but be amazed by the sheer ingenuity and innovation on display. From NASA-inspired filtration systems to nature-inspired membranes, the solutions I’ve explored have the potential to transform the way we think about and manage our most precious resource.
And the best part? These technologies aren’t just benefiting astronauts and researchers – they’re making their way into our homes, businesses, and communities, helping to preserve and protect our water resources for generations to come.
Whether it’s the Oas shower that lets you enjoy a luxurious cleansing experience while saving thousands of gallons of water, or the aquaporin membranes that are revolutionizing wastewater treatment, these innovations are proving that we can have our water and drink it too.
So as I raise a glass of refreshing, purified water, I can’t help but feel a sense of hope and optimism. Because if the ingenuity and creativity I’ve seen are any indication, I know that the future of our water resources is in good hands. And that’s something worth celebrating – both here on Earth and beyond.
