Ch. 12.3 Water Sustainability through Science and Technology

Connection between Land and Water• ongoing research and technology is offering solutions

to many of our water system problems– example: repairing riparian zones along rivers

• these solutions, however, must always be assessed in terms of how it affects the environment and society

Sustainability Solutions Using Bioremediation

• bioremediation – technique of using living organisms to clean up contamination in land and on water

• phytoremediation – the technique of using plants as environmental clean-up remedies– a subset of bioremediation

Sustainability Solutions Using Bioremediation

• bacteria are the microorganisms most often used to clean up contamination in our water systems– oil companies use bacteria to clean up petroleum

spills– some types of bacteria use the petroleum

chemicals as food, breaking down these chemicals into natural substances (such as carbon dioxide gas, a type of alcohol, and water)

Water Supply Solutions Using Desalination Technology

• desalination – process of removing salt from water– used to turn ocean water into drinking water– does have some drawbacks• the waste water from the desalination plant contains a

heavy concentration of salt• this waste water can be toxic even to saltwater

organisms• other chemicals that are toxic to marine life are also

found in this waste water