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Monday, December 26, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Water Is Life...
The amount of moisture on Earth has not changed. The water the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago is the same water that falls as rain today. But will there be enough for a more crowded world?
“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reed Plants
Reeds are large members of the grass and sedge families that grow in deltas, along lake shores and in other wet areas. Species include the common reed, giant reed, Burma reed, canary grass and sweet-grass reed. Reeds grow in a wide variety of environments and have adapted to very cold temperatures as well as tropical climates. For centuries, reeds have been utilized by humans for building materials, baskets, musical instruments and other practical uses. If you have a pond or other source of water on your property, you can grow reeds, which can help stop erosion, as their roots help hold the soil in place.
The water that flows out of a reed bed is clean and can be discharged straight back into a land drain, river or stream. Or it can be used for irrigation. Nothing’s lost, everything’s recycled: organic matter falls at the bottom of the ponds or is eaten by bugs, and water is returned to nature. It first goes through a tank, where solids are filtered. The ponds are planted with reeds that release oxygen in the water and stimulate the growth of micro-organisms. It is these that clear the water of any soluble material and pollutants. No need for expensive and polluting chemicals.
In case of waste water treatment, the entire system consists of a septic tank, for pre-settlement of the solids in the 'black water', coming from the toilets and a degreaser which has the same function but for the grey water, coming from the kitchen, shower, bath, washing machine or dish washer. After these sumps the water joins in the pump sump. From there, by means of a pump, of course, the wetland will be irrigated some two times per day, at only a couple of minutes per time. The outlet of the wetland leads to a control sump from where the quality of the water can be judged, visually or by means of chemical analyses. From there it flows either to the ground or to the surface water, or to a pump sump for re-use purposes. The water, being clear and odourless, could well be used for the toilet, for the garden or cleaning purposes. This way, the total water intake can be reduced with almost one third.
The water that flows out of a reed bed is clean and can be discharged straight back into a land drain, river or stream. Or it can be used for irrigation. Nothing’s lost, everything’s recycled: organic matter falls at the bottom of the ponds or is eaten by bugs, and water is returned to nature. It first goes through a tank, where solids are filtered. The ponds are planted with reeds that release oxygen in the water and stimulate the growth of micro-organisms. It is these that clear the water of any soluble material and pollutants. No need for expensive and polluting chemicals.
In the Nimr oil field in Oman only a tenth of production is pure crude oil. Around 250,000 cubic metres of contaminated water are generated daily. To date, the oil-polluted water is simply reinjected into the reservoir, which requires an enormous amount of energy and significant financial resources. For a long time, the well operator has been thinking about how the produced water can in future be treated in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient way. At first glance, the solution does not appear to be spectacular – a reed bed treatment plant using locally grown reed plants. Over the past 10 years, the oil field developer has piloted the treatment of produced water by reed beds and tested the reeds’ tolerance to polluted water - a real acid test for the plants. Surprisingly, however, the reed plants survive the poisonous cocktail almost unscathed..
In case of waste water treatment, the entire system consists of a septic tank, for pre-settlement of the solids in the 'black water', coming from the toilets and a degreaser which has the same function but for the grey water, coming from the kitchen, shower, bath, washing machine or dish washer. After these sumps the water joins in the pump sump. From there, by means of a pump, of course, the wetland will be irrigated some two times per day, at only a couple of minutes per time. The outlet of the wetland leads to a control sump from where the quality of the water can be judged, visually or by means of chemical analyses. From there it flows either to the ground or to the surface water, or to a pump sump for re-use purposes. The water, being clear and odourless, could well be used for the toilet, for the garden or cleaning purposes. This way, the total water intake can be reduced with almost one third.
Ground Water
Groundwater makes up about twenty percent of the world's fresh water supply, which is about 0.61% of the entire world's water, including oceans and permanent ice. Global groundwater storage is roughly equal to the total amount of freshwater stored in the snow and ice pack, including the north and south poles. This makes it an important resource which can act as a natural storage that can buffer against shortages of surface water, as in during times of drought.
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