ISI Water Blog

ISI Water builds membrane based water treatment systems. These are used around the world to treat many different type of water in many different types of industries. Uses include fish processing, mining, petroleum processing, municipal and resort water supplies etc. These different industries generally have very specific requirement with respect to scope and design, often specifying the font on a wire label for example, or a preferred vendor, alloy or design arrangement. However, once the project is completed, the issue of spare parts typically arises, and the question is often “what do you recommend”. Or if it is specified, it might suggest that “one year spare parts to be included”. What is the appropriate response and what does this mean?

Over the years, we have tried a number of approaches. These include providing a fully priced spare parts list with the intent that the client would select that spares they want to see. This has not worked out very well because 1) the client does not reasonably have the experience to make this selection, and 2) putting the onus for the client to select the spare parts results in action-paralysis. They would like ISI Water to make this recommendation.
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When it comes to water scarcity, Israel has found itself center stage on a global platform for the last two decades. Drought and agricultural collapse across the Middle East in not news to most of us, but how Israel has managed to rise above its water shortages is unprecedented. As the rest of the Middle East continues to dry up, a robust combination of wastewater recycling and desalination technology has turned Israel into a stable water consumer and water producer. The country’s success highlights the remarkable solution that lies in desalination technology and the potential for the developing world to make water scarcity a problem of the past.

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Most people hear the word desalination and they quickly jump to conclusions about its meaning. It’s easy to assume that desalination solely refers to a process that removes the salt from seawater. The truth is, the primary method used today, called Reverse Osmosis (RO) is capable of much more. RO is also extremely effective at filtering other contaminants from the water we drink, including harmful chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria, and suspended solids to name a few. RO isn’t just for saltwater, and thank goodness!

No matter where it comes from the water we drink each day usually has to be treated first. This is because the water we drink has lived a whole life of its own through the natural water cycle before it comes to us in our home or workplace. Along the way it can pick up all kinds of minerals, salts, and contaminants as it flows through the ground.

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We’ve all heard about water shortage and poverty in Africa. At the very least we’ve caught a glimpse of a newspaper headline about regional drought, or maybe even donated to some kind of global relief organization working to provide drinking water to impoverished communities. With the availability of drinkable water decreasing and the need for water increasing with population growth, both local and world leaders have been working to address the issue of water scarcity in Africa for decades. But far too often, desalination is left out of the conversation.

Time and again, history has shown us that poverty relief and development begin with reliable access to clean water. Looking at the nature of water scarcity in Africa, it seems necessary to consider how a seawater desalination industry could be part of the solution to tackle several of Africa’s harsh realities.

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Drought and decreased snowmelt has fueled historic water shortages across the Western United States for the last decade, and it’s no secret that California has been hit the hardest. From the beaches, to the Central Valley’s farms, to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, water shortage proves to be a serious problem across the Golden State. California’s water crisis is forcing state leaders to explore their options for providing drinking water to its ever-expanding communities, and desalination technology is an important part of that conversation.
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