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Review of the Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap (2004) / Chapter Skim
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2 Overall Assessment of the Roadmap
Pages 19-23

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From page 19...
... Nevertheless, a careful research and development strategy is necessary to facilitate technological advancements and nurture novel ideas that can enhance water supplies and reduce the costs of current technologies. The committee commends the Bureau of Reclamation and Sandia National Laboratories for leading this important research planning initiative.
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From page 20...
... : By 2020, the desalination and water purification technologies will contribute significantly to ensuring a safe, sustainable, affordable, and adequate water supply for the United States. · Provide safe water.
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From page 21...
... For example, the text associated with "keep water affordable" suggests that research should strive to keep future water prices "at rates comparable to that of today." While there are opportunities for research to determine the true cost of water in various regions across the United States, asserting what cost is appropriate steps beyond the stated mission of the Roadmap. The text associated with "provide safe water" attempts to define safe water as that which meets drinking water standards; the text does not consider the quality of the original water sources, which could include impaired waters such as municipal wastewater, or potential adverse health effects associated with emerging contaminants, which may not be included in existing drinking water standards.
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From page 22...
... Energy efficiency and emissions (e.g., carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides) could influence the potential and sustained contribution of desalination technologies to meet future water supply needs and merit additional attention in desalination research planning.
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From page 23...
... Conclusion: The five technical areas highlighted -- membrane, alternative, thermal, concentrate management, reuse/recycling -- represent appropriate priorities for research and development in the field of desalination and membrane-based water purification, but these technological areas and associated research issues received only limited attention in the Roadmap. Recommendation: The Roadmap should be developed to include analyses of recent technological advancements, descriptions of current limitations of desalination technologies, theoretical limits in ideal processes, and quantifications of baseline desalination values from which future advancements can be measured, which could provide the basis for developing a strategic research agenda for desalination.
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Key Terms

  • critical objectives
  • water supply
  • desalination technologies
  • future water
  • desalination research

  • purification technology
  • purification technologies
  • research planning
  • technological advancements
  • vision statement

  • water standards
  • water supplies
  • safe water
  • drinking water
  • affordable water

  • appropriate priorities
  • text associated
  • process appear
  • roadmap document
  • current limitations

  • objectives identified
  • time frames
  • supply objectives
  • associated research
  • appropriate framework

  • help address
  • recent technological
  • underlying process
  • concentrate management
  • address future


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