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Dow joins IBM to address global water challenge
NEWS This is the protocol required with category A select agents, which can cause serious or potentially lethal disease after inhalation. During 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and to the offices of two US senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others – throwing the USA into a near panic. During the first crucial hours of infection or threat, rapid confirmation of the presence of biological agents can mean the difference between life and death, between a widespread public panic and a smooth containment strategy. In the event of future attacks, such as the ones that occurred in 2001, the hope is that the BNP’s ability to assist in determining the threat posed by biologic agents will contribute to a more rapid diagnosis and response. NanoLogix’s BNP technology also has applications in fields outside the bio-defence arena, including epidemiology, hospital diagnosis, veterinary medicine and food safety. The technology was displayed at the 109th Annual American Society for Microbiology Meeting, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during May 2009. NanoLogix’s products offer accelerated detection and identification of micro-organisms present in infectious and non-infectious human diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and cancer. In addition to medical and homeland security applications, the firm’s technology is applicable in pharmaceuticals, industrial and environmental testing. Patents granted to NanoLogix cover the areas of applied microbiology, soil microbiology and bioremediation, microbial physiology, molecular biology, pharmacology, pharmaco-kinetics, antibiotic sensitivity, stem-cell research and bioreactor-based hydrogen generation. Contact: NanoLogix Inc, 843 North Main Street, Hubbard, OH 44425, USA. Tel: +1 330 534 0800, www.nanologix.com
Dow joins IBM to address global water challenge
A
10
gainst a backdrop of growing concerns over water scarcity
Membrane Technology
in many parts of the world, Dow Chemical Co recently collaborated with IBM on its Global Innovation Outlook (GIO) on Water. GIO, a series of brainstorming sessions around the world, brought together hundreds of the world’s leading water management experts to discuss strategies for improving the efficiency of the world’s water systems. The end report was published during March 2009. As reported in the May 2009 issue of Membrane Technology (see page 10) IBM is developing a range of technologies and services to help combat mounting global water issues. At the World Water Forum, which was held recently in Istanbul, Turkey, it unveiled its first portfolio of smart water technologies and services, and announced what it claims is a scientific breakthrough in water purification – an energy efficient membrane that is capable of quickly and reliably filtering out salts and potentially harmful toxins, such as arsenic. Water is the single most important chemical compound for the preservation of human life and is one of the key enablers of the creation of wealth. Yet today, more than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and essential production processes are affected by water scarcity. ‘Dow believes that providing a sustainable resolution to the global water challenge requires a collaborative approach from governments, businesses and humanitarian organisations,’ said Neil Hawkins, Vice President, Sustainability, Dow Chemical. ‘Participating in IBM’s multi-stakeholder GIO process certainly allowed us to learn the perspectives from other key stakeholders and exchange ideas on how technology can help address the challenges we face.’ Sharon Nunes, Vice President for Big Green Innovations at IBM, added: ‘The sessions revealed that society and business are facing some complex challenges when it comes to understanding and managing water resources on this planet. Without sufficient insight into factors affecting water supply and usage you increasingly run the risk of failure.’ ‘Technology will play an important role in supplying water to the billions of future
urban dwellers. Smart infrastructure will provide ways of addressing urbanisation.’ Dow says that its commitment to water is translated into concrete activities that focus on the development of products and technology to increase affordability, ensure quality, provide access to drinking water and optimise its own water use. These activities are, in part, driven by what it terms its 2015 ‘Sustainability Goals’: UÊ `ÀÛiÊ>ÊÎx¯ÊÀi`ÕVÌÊÊÌ iÊVÃÌÊvÊÜ>ÌiÀÊ reuse and desalination, through component technology advances; UÊ LiÊ>ÊiÞÊi>LiÀÊvÊÜVÃÌÊÌiV }iÃÊ>`Ê business models for small water-treatment systems in the developing world; UÊ `iÛi«Ê>`Ê«iiÌÊ>Ê`ÃV >À}iÊ plant designs while continuously improving its own water use efficiency; and UÊ V>Ì>ÞÃiÊ>Ü>ÀiiÃÃÊ>`Ê>VÌÊÊÌ iÊ}L>Ê safe-water crisis through leading innovative partnerships with corporations, non-governmental organisations and government agencies. Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of Dow Chemical, says that it is focusing all of its technologies squarely on the problem of fresh water scarcity. These technologies centre on desalination, purification, water reuse and efficiency, and include reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration membranes, arsenic removal media and ion-exchange resins. Contacts: The Dow Chemical Co, Dow Water Solutions, Customer Information Center, PO Box 1206, Midland, MI 486421206, USA. Tel: +1 989 636 9086, Web: www.dowwatersolutions.com, Web: www.dow.com Dow Customer Information Group, Prins Boudewijnlaan 41, B-2650 Edegem, Belgium. Tel: +32 3 450 2240 IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120-6099, USA. Tel: +1 408 927 1080, www.ibm.com/research, www.ibm.com/ibm/gio/water.html International Business Machines Corp, 1 New Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504-1722, USA. Tel: +1 914 499 1900, www.ibm.com
June 2009
Dow joins IBM to address global water challenge
A
10
gainst a backdrop of growing concerns over water scarcity
Membrane Technology
in many parts of the world, Dow Chemical Co recently collaborated with IBM on its Global Innovation Outlook (GIO) on Water. GIO, a series of brainstorming sessions around the world, brought together hundreds of the world’s leading water management experts to discuss strategies for improving the efficiency of the world’s water systems. The end report was published during March 2009. As reported in the May 2009 issue of Membrane Technology (see page 10) IBM is developing a range of technologies and services to help combat mounting global water issues. At the World Water Forum, which was held recently in Istanbul, Turkey, it unveiled its first portfolio of smart water technologies and services, and announced what it claims is a scientific breakthrough in water purification – an energy efficient membrane that is capable of quickly and reliably filtering out salts and potentially harmful toxins, such as arsenic. Water is the single most important chemical compound for the preservation of human life and is one of the key enablers of the creation of wealth. Yet today, more than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and essential production processes are affected by water scarcity. ‘Dow believes that providing a sustainable resolution to the global water challenge requires a collaborative approach from governments, businesses and humanitarian organisations,’ said Neil Hawkins, Vice President, Sustainability, Dow Chemical. ‘Participating in IBM’s multi-stakeholder GIO process certainly allowed us to learn the perspectives from other key stakeholders and exchange ideas on how technology can help address the challenges we face.’ Sharon Nunes, Vice President for Big Green Innovations at IBM, added: ‘The sessions revealed that society and business are facing some complex challenges when it comes to understanding and managing water resources on this planet. Without sufficient insight into factors affecting water supply and usage you increasingly run the risk of failure.’ ‘Technology will play an important role in supplying water to the billions of future
urban dwellers. Smart infrastructure will provide ways of addressing urbanisation.’ Dow says that its commitment to water is translated into concrete activities that focus on the development of products and technology to increase affordability, ensure quality, provide access to drinking water and optimise its own water use. These activities are, in part, driven by what it terms its 2015 ‘Sustainability Goals’: UÊ `ÀÛiÊ>ÊÎx¯ÊÀi`ÕVÌÊÊÌ iÊVÃÌÊvÊÜ>ÌiÀÊ reuse and desalination, through component technology advances; UÊ LiÊ>ÊiÞÊi>LiÀÊvÊÜVÃÌÊÌiV }iÃÊ>`Ê business models for small water-treatment systems in the developing world; UÊ `iÛi«Ê>`Ê«iiÌÊ>Ê`ÃV >À}iÊ plant designs while continuously improving its own water use efficiency; and UÊ V>Ì>ÞÃiÊ>Ü>ÀiiÃÃÊ>`Ê>VÌÊÊÌ iÊ}L>Ê safe-water crisis through leading innovative partnerships with corporations, non-governmental organisations and government agencies. Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of Dow Chemical, says that it is focusing all of its technologies squarely on the problem of fresh water scarcity. These technologies centre on desalination, purification, water reuse and efficiency, and include reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration membranes, arsenic removal media and ion-exchange resins. Contacts: The Dow Chemical Co, Dow Water Solutions, Customer Information Center, PO Box 1206, Midland, MI 486421206, USA. Tel: +1 989 636 9086, Web: www.dowwatersolutions.com, Web: www.dow.com Dow Customer Information Group, Prins Boudewijnlaan 41, B-2650 Edegem, Belgium. Tel: +32 3 450 2240 IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120-6099, USA. Tel: +1 408 927 1080, www.ibm.com/research, www.ibm.com/ibm/gio/water.html International Business Machines Corp, 1 New Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504-1722, USA. Tel: +1 914 499 1900, www.ibm.com
June 2009