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Carbon Footprint of the Water Market - Challenges and Opportunities
Frost & Sullivan, June 2010, Pages: 34
Reduced Carbon Footprint and Enhanced Water Quality are the Twin Goals for the Water Industry
The water and wastewater markets contribute approximately 3.0 percent to the total green house gas emissions globally. The latest challenge facing the water industry is to not only maintain and improve water quality, but also to drive the process of achieving reduction in carbon emissions. Carbon emission reduction has always remained an important issue particularly after the failure of the Copenhagen Accord, where countries failed to submit their final targets and implementation plans. “The move toward reducing the carbon footprint in the water industry provides many opportunities for wastewater treatment technologies that help cut carbon emissions,” notes the analyst of this research service. “This gives the opportunity for investors to focus on companies that make treatment systems that are low on carbon.” Various reasons such as growing demand, supply shortages, deteriorating quality, and improving public private partnership environment have driven technology development and innovation in water and wastewater treatment over the years. Thus, many companies are working toward development of advanced treatment technologies that are focused on resource recovery, chemical-free treatment, and decentralized treatment systems. Consequently, new avenues of opportunity have opened up for investors.
Although the prospects for the market look upbeat, there are some challenges clouding its landscape. Policy implications, financial issues, uncertainty in the performance of treatment technologies, and decentralization of water supply are some of the major factors restraining market progression. The water industry has been striving to achieve operational efficiency over the years with cost saving as the main goal, but currently the carbon emission reduction has started to become more important. However, it has to face many challenges associated with achieving reduction of emission. Significant policy and regulatory changes must be made to curb emissions in the water industry. Regulations are likely to start allowing the use of lower quality water resources, rewarding innovations in carbon reduction with tax rebates, and encouraging cross-boundary cooperation. The water abstraction licensing is also likely to undergo changes in most countries to have intensified emphasis on efficiency. Water supply must be decentralized to ensure a more localized focus. Large reductions in carbon emissions can be achieved, if low quality water is used in instances where it is not meant for potable purposes.
Process monitoring and information gathering are challenging in the wastewater treatment industry when compared to other process industries. The level of monitoring that goes into municipal water treatment, for example, is poor and a better effort is required to be put to gather the amount of carbon it is currently generating. This indicates the need for installation of proper telemetry or data gathering on site. It is also important to know that this information gathering process is site-specific and requires benchmarking. Proper process monitoring is likely to help in providing the information necessary to reduce the carbon footprint of processes. Financial issues should be solved through provision of subsidies on equipment purchase. “Governments should take the initiative for the reduction of carbon emissions and start providing subsidies to equipment purchases made by public water utilities,” says the analyst. “Private operators will follow suit to match up with their counterparts.”
Market Sectors
Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:
- Trickling filters
- Activated sludge
- Biological nutrient removal
- Root zone treatment
- Sand filters
- Chemical dosing
- Anaerobic digestion
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