Monday, February 26, 2007

Water water everywhere, Pt. I

One of the clean technologies that my consulting team helps clients with is water.

It is estimated by the UN that over a billion people don’t have access to clean (safe) drinking water. The poignant quote used by UN water expert Brian Appleton is "The equivalent of 12 jumbo jets of children die everyday from sanitation-related diseases."

As I have done recently with investment and energy, I will recap news about nanotechnologies and water today, and again on a monthly basis.

These bits span the period December 30, 2006, through February 9, 2007.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's $450 million Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative covers projects such as curing blindness, purifying water, creating a vaccine for AIDS. (This note comes via an announcement for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars event and webcast on Feb. 27th covering "challenges of ensuring that nanotechnology meets the specific health needs of Third World peoples")

Nano Science & Technology Institute (NSTI) is holding Cleantech 2007 May 20 – 24, 2007. Covering: BioEnergy, Non-Bio Renewable Energy, Clean Technologies, Business & Policy, Novel Cleantech Product Development, and Environmental issues.

Dais Analytic Corporation (PINKSHEETS: DLYT) announced pilot version of its N-Still ™ water desalination system. It is based on based on nano-structured polymer membranes which produce clean water from seawater. (http://www.daisanalytic.com/)

EPA awarded $5 million in safe drinking water grants to US universities. (see http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=19727)

Rice University researcher Cafer Yavuz and his team were mentioned in bot Forbes and Science magazines for their "Separation of arsenic found in water" project. The team uses nanoscale iron oxide to bind to the toxic material, and does so up to 1,000 times more effectively that today’s filters. (see http://media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=9032&SnID=1349621130)

Research and Markets announced their new report "Multiple Benefits of Nanotechnology Encourages Widespread Uptake in Water and Wastewater Treatment." (see http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20139)

IBM announced that it was working on various projects, including using nanotechnology to improve water filtration.

Learn more at these links:
http://www.cleantech2007.org/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2000/world_water_crisis/default.stm

http://waterwater.org/

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