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Creating
Chemistry
For a sustainable future
Issue three 2013
The thirst Also in this issue:
6 Big visions: How Benny Landa (photo) intends with his education fund
of cities to bridge the divide in Israeli society.
28 Tiny particles: Where two experts see the opportunities and risks of
More and more cities are nanotechnology.
running dry. How can we meet
36 Life-long learning: Why successful companies are having to put employee
the challenges of urban water training and development center stage.
management?
44 Tireless dedication: What drives former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in the
Cover story from page 8 battle against neglected tropical diseases.
Contents
Information Innovation
4 The world in figures 26 New discoveries
These facts and figures provide an insight into the We present clever ideas that enrich our
topics covered by this issue. everyday lives.
Inspiration From two perspectives: For & Against
6 The bridge builder 28 Nanotechnology – a science under discussion
Entrepreneur Benny Landa has set up a fund Can tiny nanoparticles meet the high expectations
to overcome the differences in Israeli society that are being placed on them? A debate between
through education. two experts.
8 Water, a seemingly inexhaustible
resource, is scarce in many regions.
Viewpoint BASF
34 A powerful driver of innovation
BASF Board member Andreas Kreimeyer
Cover story
explains why nanotechnology is a decisive factor
in furthering innovation.
The issue Feature: Quality of life
8 The thirst of cities 36 Making a career through life-long learning
Increasing numbers of cities are running dry. Companies that want to attract and retain
Smart strategies are required to ensure they are committed and motivated employees have to
supplied with water. put training and development center stage.
The graphic Insight
14 Every drop counts 42 A glimpse around the globe: colors
The graphic shows where people suffer from Colors are not just eye-catching, they often also
acute water shortages and where the biggest have hidden meanings. We show what these are
water consumers live. in our glimpse around the globe.
28 Nanotechnology – a science under
discussion. The expert Feature: Food and nutrition
16 A world of water 44 Shining a light on hidden diseases
John Briscoe is a cosmopolitan and a water Neglected tropical diseases were long off the radar
expert. In this interview he explains what the future of the wider world. But, thanks to international
of water management could be. efforts, this is gradually changing.
The reality Feature: Resources, environment and climate
20 Children are the agents of change 50 CO2 – from exhaust gas to raw material
In the Indian city of Mangalore, students Researchers and engineers worldwide are working
learn about the value of water and share their on making the exhaust gas CO2 usable as a raw
knowledge with the community. material for the chemical industry.
The science Invention
24 The right treatment 56 Pioneering thinker – then and now
Products and solutions from BASF contribute to In 1913, Carl Bosch discovered how to produce
the smooth circulation of drinking water, industrial ammonia on an industrial scale. Gerhard Ertl has
44 Strategies to stem the spread of
neglected tropical diseases.
water and wastewater. researched the mechanism behind it.
Ingenuity
58 Chemistry around us
What happens in our mouths when we brush
14 Where the biggest
our teeth.
water consumers live
.
2 | Creating Chemistry
Welcome
The water issue
It is colorless, odorless and has no taste. Everyone knows H2O. Dihydrogen
monoxide, on the other hand, sounds more mysterious, maybe even
threatening – but water, whatever you may call it, is a fascinating chemical
compound. Humans, animals and plants all need water to survive. Water cools,
cleans and dissolves. As steam, it produces electricity in power plants.
More than 70% of the Earth is covered in water. Nevertheless, there are
some areas where water supplies are not sufficient to meet demand. Almost
one billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. Water is not only
scarce in developing countries. Cities such as London, Barcelona, Mexico City,
Houston, Sydney and Singapore also do not have enough (page 8). And
sometimes there is enough water, but it is of poor quality: It is unsuitable
for drinking and can even make people ill.
Every day, 3,000 children die as a result of contaminated water and lack of
hygiene. The charitable foundation BASF Stiftung and UN-HABITAT, the United
Nations Human Settlements Programme, are working together to support the
right to water. For instance, children in Mangalore, India, are learning how to
use water responsibly and test water quality (page 20).
The work of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is also a success. Since
1986, his organization, The Carter Center, has been fighting to eradicate
Guinea worm, which can infect people who drink from stagnant water sources.
The worm, which can cause serious illness, has nearly disappeared – also
thanks to the larvicide Abate® (page 44). This is one of the many BASF products
that improve people’s quality of life, demonstrating how “We create chemistry
for a sustainable future.”
By the way, our magazine Creating Chemistry is now also available online –
for desktop computers, tablets and smartphones. This makes reading our
magazine convenient, whether you are at home or on the move.
I hope you enjoy diving into this issue.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kurt Bock
Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors
BASF SE
Creating Chemistry | 3
Information
–50%
The Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on nanotechnology
have the potential to reduce energy consumption by as much as
50% compared to today’s energy-saving light bulbs.1
world
See Nanotechnology – a science under discussion
on page 28.
in
figures
Quality of life
1 millionth
of a millimeter
A nanometer is just one-millionth
of a millimeter. The size of a nanoparticle
compared to a soccer ball is like the size
of a soccer ball compared to the Earth.
Food and nutrition
$267 million*
–99% In Colombia alone, the cost of treating
the neglected tropical disease Chagas is
$267 million per year. Using targeted
Thanks to a development aid project spearheaded
insecticides to control the insects that
by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the spread the disease would cost $5 million. 3
potentially deadly Guinea worm disease could
soon be eradicated. The number of cases of the
disease, previously 3.5 million per year, has fallen
by more than 99% since 1986.2
See Shining a light on hidden diseases
on page 44.
* In this issue, the $ symbol always refers to U.S. dollars. The conversion of euros to U.S. dollars
is based on the average exchange rate on December 31, 2012, when €1 cost $1.32.
4 | Creating Chemistry
Food and nutrition
30 billion metric tons
250
More than 30 billion metric tons of CO2 are produced by humans
worldwide each year.4
kilometers
See CO 2 – from exhaust gas to raw material on page 50.
Producing one kilogram of beef
releases 36 kilograms of CO2 and
has nearly the same impact on the
environment as driving a car for
250 kilometers.8
Quality of life
Resources,
environment and climate
70:20:10
0.4% According to the 70:20:10 model, 70% of all learning
results from on-the-job experience, 20% is due to
110 million metric tons of CO 2 , interactions with others and only 10% results from
or 0.4% of global CO 2 emissions, formal training or education.9
are used by industry each year
as chemical feedstock. 5
8.3 million
In Europe, the number of workers retiring currently
exceeds the number joining the workforce by
July 28, 2010
200,000. This labor gap is expected to grow
to 8.3 million people by 2030.10
This was the day the United Nations explicitly
Ratio of pensioners to the labor force
recognized the human right to clean drinking
in OECD* countries11
water and sanitation.6
See The thirst of cities on page 8. 2050 * The OECD
(Organisation
for Economic
2025 Co-operation
and Development)
2010 includes 34 member
countries from
around the world
1980 which are committed
. to democracy and
1950 market economies.
Resources,
environment and climate
2060 Resources, environment and climate
14%
By 2060, Singapore wants to meet
up to 55% of its water demand with
wastewater purified to bring it up
to drinking water quality.7 By 2025, 14% of the world’s population – that is
1.1 billion people – will get their drinking water
from the seas. Currently, around 72 million
people do so, or 1% of the global population.12
2013 2025
1% 14%
1. VCI (German Chemical Industry Association), The Chemical Industry’s Contribution to Climate Protection and the
768 million
Energy Turnaround (“Beiträge der chemischen Industrie zum Klimaschutz und zur Energiewende”), May 15, 2013;
2. The Carter Center; 3. World Health Organization (WHO); 4. German Federal Ministry of Education and Research,
Technologies for Sustainability and Climate Protection – Chemical Processes and Use of CO2, May 2013; 5. German
Chemical Society (GDCh), News from Chemistry (“Nachrichten aus der Chemie”), Issue 58, December 2010; 768 million people do not have access
6. United Nations; 7. Singapore’s national water agency PUB; 8. Spiegel Online, Climate Footprint: One Kilogram of
Meat Causes 36 Kilograms of Carbon Dioxide (“Klimabilanz: Ein Kilo Fleisch verursacht 36 Kilogramm Kohlendioxid”), to clean drinking water. In addition,
July 19, 2007; 9. Michael M. Lombardo / Robert W. Eichinger, The Career Architect Development Planner, 2000; nearly 2.5 billion people lack adequate
10. Ernst & Young, Tracking Global Trends, 2011; 11. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), Pensions at a Glance 2011. Retirement-Income Systems in OECD and G20 Countries, March 17, 2011; sanitation facilities.13
12. Global Water Intelligence (GWI); 13. UNICEF
Creating Chemistry | 5
Inspiration
The bridge builder
Israel is a country riven with social and economic differences. But an education
fund set up by the entrepreneur Benny Landa and his wife Patsy aims to
bring about positive change. By offering underprivileged young people the
chance to study, Landa hopes to foster greater understanding among the
different communities that make up this vibrant land.
A
visionary inventor that was remarkable for the time through the fund thus far, and their Milestones of Benny
who holds more than because it captured images directly commitment is ongoing. The fund Landa’s career
700 patents, Benny on paper, rather than film – giving also sponsors non-governmental
Landa loves the tiny the young Benny a life-long appetite organizations including Merchavin 1946
details that go into for innovation. (“open spaces”), which promotes Benny Landa is born in Wrocław,
achieving big things. values of shared citizenship and runs Poland.
A new printing process devised by his One country, two societies the fund’s Arabic teaching program,
company, Landa Corporation, uses After studying in Israel and England, and Kav Mashveh (“equalizing line”), 1971
ink made of pigment particles only a Landa left Canada with his wife Patsy a professional placement program for He co-founds the company Imaging
few nanometers across – compared and moved to Israel permanently in Israeli Arab university graduates. To Technology (Imtec) located in the
to around 100,000 for a human hair. 1974. For many years, Landa says he date, the fund’s activities have enabled United Kingdom.
This nanotechnology printing stands was so deeply immersed in running thousands of talented, underprivileged
to be as revolutionary as digital offset his business, Indigo, that he did not youth to get university degrees. 1977
color printing, something Landa’s think about much else. “When I sold Internationally, Israel enjoys Landa founds Indigo in Rehovot,
first company, Indigo, pioneered in the business to Hewlett-Packard in the reputation of an economic Israel. The company develops
the 1990s. 2002, I finally got my head above powerhouse with a well-trained and manufactures digital offset
When he is not fine-tuning systems water and was actually quite shocked workforce and vibrant start-up printing presses.
in Landa Corporation’s high-tech by what I saw – an Israeli society culture. But when Landa took a
compound near Tel Aviv, the restless with great social injustices, great closer look, he discovered a tale of 1994
entrepreneur pursues a very different inequalities,” he says. two societies. “Part of Israel is like Indigo is listed on NASDAQ.
big dream: the bridging of socio- The very same year, Landa and Denmark – very advanced, well-
economic gaps in Israeli society. his wife founded the Landa Fund educated, a high GDP per capita and 2002
“When you grow up poor like I did, it for Equal Opportunity Through a high standard of living. But we have Hewlett-Packard acquires Indigo.
has a profound effect on you,” says Education, which channels a a second economy which is more like Landa Corporation and the Landa
the Canadian-bred Landa. “You yearly donation through Israel’s El Salvador – poor, large families, less Fund for Equal Opportunity
appreciate the contrast between seven universities and a number of education and a much lower income.” Through Education are founded.
having the freedom to do things, non-profit organizations. The fund Statistics confirm that most of
and having to make do.” aims to narrow socio-economic the disadvantaged citizens are Israeli 2012
Born to Holocaust survivors in gaps by helping young people with Arabs, who make up one-fifth of the Landa unveils his nanographic
Wrocław, Poland, after the end of the “privileged minds and underprivileged country’s population, and immigrants printing systems at drupa trade fair.
Second World War, Landa emigrated means” get a higher education. In so from countries as diverse as Russia
with his parents to Edmonton, Canada, doing, it also aims to promote civic and Ethiopia. “This situation is not
in 1948. His father, a carpenter, equality between Israel’s Jewish and sustainable. No country can leave
bought a tobacco shop and added a Arab citizens. large segments of its own society
little studio to make passport photos. Benny Landa and his wife behind,” Landa adds.
It was equipped with a camera have expended about $50 million Under the Landa Fund programs,
6 | Creating Chemistry
BASF Stiftung improves
business perspectives for
Africa’s youth
Benny Landa changed the course
Sun-kissed Kenya boasts some
of the printing industry in 1993 with
the world’s first digital color printing of East Africa’s most gorgeous
press and is now bringing about a landscape. The economy, on
second revolution in the form of the other hand, is failing to live
Nanography™. A man with a strong
up to its potential. A staggering
pioneering spirit and vision, he
also aims to improve the lives of 80% of all those unemployed
underprivileged young people in Israel. are young people aged between
15 and 34, according to a recent
UN Development Programme
report.
each participating university is Sharing culture and values Better education is part of the
required to track students, report Landa is ambitious in his aims and, solution. A joint project, Student
how they do compared to others, although the fund has attracted much We don’t call it Training for Entrepreneurial
and to monitor the drop-outs. The
institutions that get the best results
praise, he is still not satisfied with
its achievements. He is therefore
philanthropy. Promotion (STEP), teaches
aspiring entrepreneurs how to
are rewarded with greater resources. broadening its focus to include We call it social start and run their own business.
“We run it like an investment, in every
way,” Landa says. Overall, the results
“existential and cultural gaps”
between Israeli Arabs and Jews.
investment. The The initiative is supported by the
German Commission for UNESCO,
have been “outstanding” with most Through Technion, the prestigious payback isn’t in the University of Lüneburg,
students on the roster performing
above the scholastic average.
Israel Institute of Technology, the
Landa Equal Opportunities Project
dollars or euros, Germany, and BASF Stiftung, a
charitable foundation based in
provides health services as well as it’s in intangibles, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Social investment
“We don’t call it philanthropy. We
academic preparation to Israeli Arab
high school students in the north.
but it’s the best Last year, more than
200 students at Kenyatta University
call it social investment,” says Landa. The fund also sponsors programs investment in town. in the capital, Nairobi, took
“The payback isn’t in dollars or euros, to teach Israeli children Arabic. Benny Landa, entrepreneur and STEP courses in management,
it’s in intangibles, but it’s the best Landa reasons that only if you speak founder of the Landa Fund for Equal accounting, marketing and
investment in town.” the same language can you grasp Opportunity Through Education business law. Similar training was
It has, for example, changed the the culture and values of others – given to 200 students in Uganda.
life of Mahmud Mahamid, an Israeli something that will foster compassion “It is impressive to see how
Arab studying materials engineering and understanding between the much energy and creativity the
at Ben-Gurion University, who at country’s Jews and Arabs. students put into their business,”
one time could not even afford the “Many people think the biggest says Peter van den Hoek,
bus fare to school. Luana Gutman, threat to Israel is exogenous. I Managing Director of BASF
a Russian Jewish immigrant enrolled don’t think that at all,” says Landa. East Africa in Nairobi. “This
in medical laboratory sciences, “Societies fragment from a lack entrepreneurial spirit will ensure
endured great personal privation of equal opportunity, not from an markets continue to develop in
before winning a Landa scholarship. outside threat.” Africa.” In future, universities in
“For these kids, it’s like a gift of Kenya and Uganda will conduct
life,” enthuses Landa. “They are so the program themselves.
motivated to show that the faith we
have in them is well-placed.”
To find out more, visit:
www.unesco.org
Creating Chemistry | 7
Cover story: The issue Singapore’s successful model: The modern island state is a leader in terms of water treatment and water management. 8 | Creating Chemistry
The thirst
of cities
Big cities around the world are facing enormous challenges
as new residents stream into these metropolitan areas every
day on the wave of global urbanization. But the existing
infrastructure for water and sewage is often already at its
limits. How can cities quench their growing thirst?
Creating Chemistry | 9
Cover story: The issue
N
ecessity is the mother that their residents will have sufficient In many places, water Desalination of seawater is a popular
of invention and, after water for drinking, cooking, washing consumption is already growing option for coastal cities around
years of drought, the and hygiene ten, 20 or 50 years from faster than the available resources the world. One example can be
Californian city of San now? Water is also a safety issue can supply. Falling groundwater found in the town of Nungua, about
Diego was certainly in because it is needed to put out fires. levels, empty riverbeds, dried-up 12 kilometers from the Ghanaian
need. Between 1900 In addition, water is necessary for reservoirs – water shortages are capital of Accra. Once completed
and 1916, barely a drop of rain fell industrial uses, such as producing increasingly making the headlines, in 2014, a desalination plant under
in the city and the municipal water goods or operating machines and and it is no longer just a phenomenon construction there should produce
reservoirs were almost empty. In plants. Without functioning water seen in drought-prone countries. enough drinking water for around
desperation, the city council offered and sewage systems, economic Even urbanites in industrialized half a million people each day. The
the ‘rainmaker’ Charles Hatfield development can be jeopardized. countries are experiencing water plant will also be using ultrafiltration
$10,000 if he could get the clouds to It is estimated that cities are shortages. Following two unusually technology from inge®, a Bavarian
shed their tears with his rainmaking responsible for 80% of global dry years, strict water-saving subsidiary of BASF (see box on
method. He started work in January economic growth, so urban water measures were imposed in some page 25).
1916 – and soon thereafter the city deficits come at a very high cost. For areas of Great Britain in the spring of According to forecasts by the
experienced one of its worst floods of example, growing water problems 2012. Watering the lawn or washing industry specialist Global Water
the 20th century. Facing death threats, are costing China around 2.3% of its a car using a hose were punishable Intelligence (GWI), 14% of the world’s
Hatfield left the city and the council annual gross domestic product, as a by a fine; in London, the fountains population will be meeting its water
began looking for other sources of study published in 2007 by the World were turned off. And after a long needs through seawater desalination
water. In late 1946, San Diego joined Bank revealed. dry period, in 2008, Barcelona even in 2025. Today this figure is only 1%;
the Metropolitan Water District of This is an immense challenge. had to import tankers full of drinking 17,000 plants have been installed
Southern California and, in so doing, “We are at risk of losing the fight water. This measure was expensive in 120 countries. The number of
gained access to the Colorado River. for access to water and sanitation and not good for the city’s image. plants is expected to multiply by
Since then, expensive water facilities in many cities,” water According to critics, it was necessary 2050, the GWI experts predict.
imports have been the main pillar expert Anders Berntell warned because the city had failed to The projects are already being
of San Diego’s water management, participants at the World Water Week increase its water supply capacities constructed on a gigantic scale.
according to the authors of a recent in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2011. More quickly enough to keep up with the For example, a plant that recently
U.S. study*. Four-fifths of the city’s than half of the Earth’s population sharp growth in population. started operations in Melbourne,
water comes from the Colorado already lives in urban metropolitan Australia, can supply around
River and the Bay-Delta; the water areas; by the middle of the century, Seawater: the source of the future 440,000 cubic meters of desalinated
is transported into the city through this figure will be 70%. Around One year later, a seawater water daily. But desalination has
aqueducts. The consequences 9.6 billion people are expected to live desalination plant was inaugurated its price: Despite great strides in
of this strong dependency are on this planet by then, according to in nearby El Prat de Llobregat. With technology, desalinated seawater is
already foreseeable. estimates from the United Nations a daily capacity of 200,000 cubic still a comparatively expensive and
(U.N.). Strong growth will especially meters, it should be able to meet energy-intensive option compared
Impediment to growth be seen in the cities of India, China, the drinking water needs of about to conventionally abstracted
Where will cities draw their water from Nigeria, the United States and one-quarter of the population of drinking water.
in the future? How can cities ensure Indonesia, the U.N. says. the Barcelona metropolitan region.
These three cities are leading the way toward water systems of the future
Phnom Penh, Cambodia Lima, Peru City-state Singapore
Average rainfall: 1,300 millimeters per year; Average rainfall: less than 15 millimeters per Average rainfall: 2,400 millimeters per year;
population: 1.5 million; daily water year; population: 8.5 million; daily water population: 5.3 million; daily water
consumption per person: 108 liters consumption per person: 250 liters consumption per person: 152 liters
When Ek Sonn Chan was appointed general More than one million residents of Lima, the Although Singapore is surrounded by water,
director of the Phnom Penh Water Supply capital city of Peru, have no access to clean drinking water here is scarce. The water issue
Authority in 1993, he encountered a sobering drinking water. The Rímac, a river that flows from was therefore declared a priority as early as the
situation: The utility company was only able to the Andes, has long been the main source of the 1960s. Singapore’s creative methods of handling
supply 65,000 cubic meters of water daily – not city’s water supply. Now the city wants to create this resource can be seen in the NEWater visitor
even half of its actual capacity. The pipeline new reservoirs. Since 2012, the Huascacocha center located at Marina Barrage. Completed
system was dilapidated, corruption was rampant reservoir, located around 100 kilometers from in 2008, Marina Barrage was designed as a
and more than 70% of the water was not the megacity, has been delivering 273,000 cubic reservoir for rainwater and has now become an
generating any revenue. Because water was meters of water per day to Lima. It is part of a important source of drinking water. Singapore’s
leaking from the system, people were tapping into modernization program started in 2009 by the national water agency PUB takes a four-pronged
the pipelines illegally and invoices were simply water utility Sedapal. The utility also plans to invest approach to water management: precipitation
not being paid, the water authority had barely a total of $1.5 billion (€1.1 billion) in projects such water, wastewater recycling, seawater desalination
any income. With international support, Chan as desalination plants, additional reservoirs in the and water imports from Malaysia. The gem
successfully updated the technical infrastructure Andes and transferring water from neighboring among these is the recycling program for urban
and introduced modern management practices. catchment areas into the Rímac. Sedapal is also wastewater, known as NEWater. It is treated in
Today every household has access to clean water. trying to limit water wastage. Currently, up to 45% a three-stage process which results in water that
Water meters have been installed throughout the of water in Lima is lost through leaky pipes. Water is of even better quality than the normal drinking
city and the pipes are inspected regularly. The meters are being installed so administrative losses water, according to PUB. With a capacity of
water utility, which has now become a joint stock can be discovered and reduced. The meters will 273,000 cubic meters per day, NEWater now
company, generates a profit every year. For these also give Lima residents a clear picture of the value meets about 30% of the urban water demand.
reforms, Ek Sonn Chan and his team won the of water because, with a consumption rate of By 2060, this share should rise as high as 55%.
2010 Stockholm Industry Water Award from the 250 liters per capita each day, they are at the top Furthermore, conservation initiatives encourage
Stockholm Water Foundation. end of the scale of global water consumption. residents to save water.
10 | Creating ChemistryDesalination of
seawater is a
popular option
for coastal cities
around the world.
Right Desalinated seawater from
plants like this one in Cyprus could be
providing water for 14% of the world’s
population in 2025, according to
industry experts.
* Brian D. Richter et al., Tapped Out: How
Can Cities Secure Their Water Future?,
Water Policy, 2013.
Wasteful water consumption heavy rains. The city wants to solve tower holds around 2,600 cubic contaminated, according to a recent
This is one more reason to use this flooding problem with the major meters of water. It is fed by rainwater, study by the China Geological
water carefully, but many cities project “Túnel Emisor Oriente.” which is used to cool the solar panels Survey. An analysis of 118 Chinese
are far from achieving that. Some Costing $1.2 billion (€0.9 billion), this on the roof and flush the toilets; it cities also found that 64% of the
water companies postpone repairs. 62 kilometer-long wastewater tunnel also helps provide emergency flood water sources were “heavily”
Instead of fixing leaks, they only with a diameter of 7 meters should control during heavy rains. polluted, while 33% were “mildly”
take action when pipes break. As a be completed in 2016. Although a polluted and only 3% fell under the
result, millions and millions of liters of local environmental organization, Isla Contaminated land and rivers category of “sanitary.”
drinking water trickle away without Urbana, has recommended using The “dirty truth” about the oftentimes
being used. A vivid illustration of the rainwater as well, city planners have all too careless and thoughtless Closing the materials loop
consequences of overly wasteful not been receptive to this idea so far. management of water is especially According to international water
water consumption can be found in In cities in Southeast Asia in apparent when it comes to the issue expert Professor Asit Biswas,
Mexico City, a metropolis of millions particular, “rainwater harvesting” is of wastewater. Worldwide, 80% of Ph.D., the real issue is not that
which is gaining around 300,000 new well established and this practice is urban wastewater is released directly there is not enough water, it is the
residents every year. After decades also advocated by UN-HABITAT, the into rivers, lakes or the sea without poor quality of available resources.
of overexploitation of its groundwater, United Nations Human Settlements being treated – even in London, “The main problem is not physical
the city is sinking – the historical city Programme. In addition to Singapore, where millions of liters of untreated scarcity of water, but its continued
center is now approximately one of the most popular examples wastewater flow into the Thames mismanagement! Unless water
9 meters lower than it was in 1900. of this can be found in the Sumida during rainy weeks because the management can be improved
Around 62,000 liters of drinking district of Tokyo. For more than two capacities of the treatment plants significantly, the world’s water
water are consumed in the Mexican decades, municipal policy here has are overwhelmed. The situation is problem cannot be solved,” says
capital every second. As much as supported the collection and reuse particularly dramatic in the cities in the founder of the Third World Centre
40% of this amount is lost through of rainwater. Residents can get emerging and developing countries. for Water Management in Mexico.
the antiquated water pipes. And this subsidies for constructing rainwater In Buenos Aires, for example, the “Traditional water use models
is water that has first been pumped storage tanks. Some city buildings, rivers are very polluted; in Kolkata, lead to water shortages,” says Dr.
from as far as 300 meters below the such as the Tokyo Skytree – which India, the population is struggling Max Maurer, a professor for urban
city’s surface, or transported from opened in 2012 and, at 634 meters with fecal contamination and an water systems at the Institute of
200 kilometers away and over high, is the second-tallest building elevated concentration of arsenic Environmental Engineering at the
1,100 meters of altitude difference. in the world – contain cisterns with in the groundwater. The situation Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
On the other hand, entire city filters in the lower basement levels. in China is also alarming: 90% Zurich (ETH). The traditional European
neighborhoods are flooded during The water tank in the new broadcast of the groundwater in cities is model of collecting all wastewater, >>
Creating Chemistry | 11Cover story: The issue
including rainwater, in a sewage Water recycling gains popularity has one of the lowest rates of Singapore’s national water agency
system and then processing it in a Good water management conserves precipitation in the world. Recycled PUB: “In order to be a sustainable
wastewater treatment plant is not a resources and is ecological. It wastewater here is primarily used city, we always have to be forward-
global solution, he believes. “We have seems this message is finally getting for irrigation in parks and green looking, visionary and bold thinkers.
to work on creating overall systems through – albeit slowly. Experts areas. Some 24,000 cubic meters We need innovations, not only in
that are effective and flexible at the believe that tapping new water of water are recycled using BASF’s technology, but also with regard
same time. Sewers are a perfect sources is important, but even more ultrafiltration technology each day at to how we approach integrated
solution for the inner city, but it is also potential exists in water recycling. the recently completed Doha North water management.”
important to develop alternatives that One of the pioneers in this area is Sewage Treatment Works.
work on the outskirts of cities, in the Singapore. By 2060, the island state
slums,” Maurer says. wants to meet up to 55% of its water Interdisciplinary thinking
A great example of this was the demand with NEWater – wastewater Clean drinking water, proper
2011 “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge” that has been treated to bring it up sanitation facilities and wastewater
issued to universities by the Bill & to drinking water quality (see box on treatment plants will be essential to
Melinda Gates Foundation, he adds. page 10). the future of cities. Solving urban
Around 2.1 billion urban dwellers The London-based utility Thames water problems will require thinking
worldwide currently have no access to Water is also considering recycling outside the box – and this is where
hygienic sanitary facilities, according wastewater into drinking water and many fail. The lack of willingness to
to the foundation. The challenge in is conducting a survey to test the think and act in an interdisciplinary
this competition was to design toilets public’s receptiveness to this idea. way is one of the main hurdles in
that could capture and process Widespread acceptance of such water management, according to
human waste without piped water, a program is necessary, as was one of the conclusions of the Switch
sewer or electrical connections, and demonstrated a few years ago in project, which was sponsored by the
transform human waste into useful Brisbane, Australia. The city was E.U. and involved 30 cities worldwide
resources, while keeping costs set to add recycled wastewater to over a period of five years. A change
below 5 U.S. cents per user per day. its drinking water supply, but had to of perspective is needed. Wastewater
The Peepoo single-use toilet, for backtrack because the population should be seen as a valuable
example, is a similar solution (see simply could not be convinced that resource rather than a problem and,
box on page 13). Maurer stresses the water was pure enough to drink. as in Singapore, water reservoirs
it will be a huge advance if we are The same sort of problems should be integrated into the urban
able to “break the link between the should not be an issue for the water fabric in a way that also allows them
toilet and water consumption, and recycling strategy in the emirate of to serve as a recreational area for
process the waste materials to create Qatar, which is set to host the residents. This was also illustrated
valuable goods.” soccer World Cup in 2022 and by Khoo Teng Chye, former CEO of
12 | Creating ChemistryWater-saving tips
Teeth brushing Shower instead of bath
If you leave the water running while Taking a bath uses about 80 liters of water,
brushing your teeth, you could be wasting while a short shower only requires one-third
up to 17 liters of water per minute. By as much.
using a cup of water to brush your teeth
instead, you can reduce your water Faucets, shower head
consumption to just 0.2 liters. A faucet aerator in the bathroom and
kitchen can reduce water flows. It mixes
Drips add up air into the water stream, changing the
A dripping faucet loses about 5,500 liters perceived strength of the water flow. This
of water per year. cuts water consumption to between
5 and 6 liters per minute.
Toilet flushing
Around 12 liters of water are used to flush Harvest rainwater
a toilet. A dual-flush toilet can reduce this Collecting rainwater and using this to water
figure to between 3 and 6 liters. If you do your garden can be a huge water saver. An
not want to convert your toilet, you can also added benefit: The low lime content of the
place a plastic bottle filled with stones and rainwater is good for the plants.
water into the toilet tank – by lowering the
amount of water in the tank, this reduces Car washing
the water consumption per flush by as Washing a car with a hose uses around
much as 2 liters. 150 liters of drinking water. Using a bucket
and sponge saves water.
Washing machine
Only turn on the machine when it is
completely full. Avoid the pre-wash cycle,
which is often unnecessary, and use the
energy-saving mode to reduce water and
energy consumption.
Sources: www.waterwise.org.uk; www.bmu.de/en
Better hygiene thanks to Peepoo
Above left Singapore’s improvements
to water infrastructure also create a
high-quality public recreational space.
Right Peepoo is an inexpensive and urine and feces. Ammonia destroys the dangerous
germ-free single-use alternative to disease-causing bacteria within just a few days and
the flush toilet. Peepoo was developed accelerates decomposition. Peepoo disintegrates
by Professor Anders Wilhelmson,
within a few months, leaving behind valuable
a Swedish architect.
nitrogen fertilizer – a rare commodity in Africa.
The single-use toilets have been distributed
following natural disasters, such as the
earthquake in Haiti in 2010, with the help of
aid organizations. They are also being used in
Kenya and Pakistan. The company Peepoople
was established to produce and distribute this
solution, which improves hygiene and protects
the limited local drinking water resources from
becoming contaminated. For users, the costs are
As cities in developing countries grow, diseases barely more than the equivalent of 3 euro cents
can spread quickly because people in the per toilet. In most cases, public toilets are more
sprawling slums have no access to toilets. But expensive and dirtier. It makes things especially
help can be found in the form of a small toilet. easier for women who lack toilet facilities in
Professor Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish their home and have to make a long and often
architect and urban planner, has developed a dangerous journey at night away from their
simple alternative to the flush toilet: Peepoo, a settlements. Those who return the used Peepoo
single-use toilet in the shape of a bag. to a collection point receive approximately one
When unfolded, Peepoo measures 14 by euro cent back. Thanks to donations, the single-
38 centimeters and therefore fits atop all standard use toilets have been distributed to more than
buckets. After being used, Peepoos are collected 60 schools.
at a central location and then both the toilet and the Wilhelmson wants to continue to expand this
content are composted. Peepoo is made mainly project. His goal is to have 150 million people
of the biodegradable plastic ecovio®, developed using Peepoo every day and for Peepoople to
by BASF. Peepoo also contains urea, which turns become “what could be described as the ‘Google’
into ammonia when it comes into contact with of sanitation.”
Creating Chemistry | 13Cover story: The graphic
Water availability and water use worldwide
Every
drop 2,470 m3
counts
Average volume of
water available per
capita per year in
13,400 m3
the Caribbean
Average volume of
water available per
capita per year in
the United States
and Mexico
Drinking water is vital to life. But drinkable freshwater reserves are not
distributed evenly around the world. And they are becoming scarcer. 7,200 m3
Average volume of
This graphic shows where people are suffering from acute water water available per
shortages and where people consume the most water. capita per year in
0.5%
Latin America
Although 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, drinking water is a scarce
resource because 97% of the water on this planet is saltwater from the seas. The
remaining 3% that is freshwater is mostly frozen as a permanent layer of snow and Total water use
ice in glaciers or encased deep under the Earth’s surface. Therefore, only 0.5% of
the total water volume is accessible drinking water. Areas of high water stress
Worldwide water abstraction by sector Water use* by the BASF Group 2012
Million cubic meters
Private households 11% per year
88% Cooling
Industry 19%
– Closed-circuit cooling 4,044
– Flow cooling 1,706
Agriculture 70%
12%
The BASF Group
accounts for 0.29% Production 249
of global industrial
water abstraction.
Total (rounded): 5,998
Total worldwide water abstraction
3,862,000 million cubic meters
per year
* As much water as possible is reused in closed circuits.
This means less water has to be abstracted.
14 | Creating Chemistry4,740 m3
Average volume of
water available per
capita per year in
Europe
2,970 m3
Average volume of
water available per
. capita per year in
Asia Pacific
1,000 m3 500 m3
Average volume of Average volume of
water available per water available per
capita per year in capita per year in
Sub-Saharan Africa the Arab world
Total water use per country
Scale of the graphic
761,000 million m3/year
427,000 million m3/year
1,150 m3
What are water stress areas? Average volume of
Water stress areas are regions where water is a 189,000 million m3/year water available per
scarce resource and where more than 60% of capita per year in
the available water is abstracted by humans. The Australia
most important factors leading to water scarcity 46,000 million m3/year
are: low precipitation, high temperatures, low air
humidity, unfavorable soil properties and highCover story: The expert In water the glass is always half full. It is true that we face a lot of floods and droughts, but we have some examples of good adaptive practices. Professor John Briscoe, Ph.D., Director of the Harvard Water Security Initiative 16 | Creating Chemistry
A world of water
As the global population increases and the impact of climate change
is being felt, concerns are rising about how sustainable our future
water supplies will be. Former water advisor to the World Bank,
Professor John Briscoe, Ph.D., explains that by investing in innovation,
smart infrastructure and good institutions, we can be prepared to
deal with these changes.
John Briscoe Creating Chemistry: You have discipline but capable of dealing with done a brilliant job with managing
dedicated most of your career to other disciplines. The second issue floods. We have a lot of practical,
Professor John Briscoe, Ph.D., is water. What sparked your initial is that in the water world there is a field-tested knowledge of what
a South African who is one of the interest in this resource? great disconnect between the ‘high- works. As a practitioner, my view is
world’s leading experts on water Professor John Briscoe, Ph.D.: thinkers’ and the practical reality. So that too much attention is given to
management, having worked Very simple, I am from South Africa the second bumper sticker is to link producing colored graphs about how
for 40 years in the field of water and grew up in a country in which students with ‘thinking practitioners.’ the world is going to be a catastrophe
and economic development. He the rain falls on the coast and God We also work primarily in places in 2080 and far too little attention is
most recently served as the World put the diamonds and the gold a where I have decades of hands-on given to recognizing that hydrological
Bank’s senior water advisor and as long way from the rain and in a big experience and so focus on just variability is a long-established
country director for Brazil. During rain shadow. The country subsists four geographies – Brazil, Australia, fact of life and that our first focus
nearly 25 years at the World Bank on very large hydraulic programs to Pakistan and the Mississippi. should be on creating resilience to
he lived in India and Brazil. He has move water from where it is, to where known variability. Those who have
in the past worked as an engineer the people and the economy are. I The planet’s population is dealt with known variability are
in the water agencies of South grew up with a sense of the value of growing as we experience much better equipped to manage
Africa and Mozambique and as water and the threat of water scarcity, the impact of climate change a variety of unknowns, be it climate
an epidemiologist at the Cholera so in that sense it is very visceral for with flooding in Pakistan, or other shocks.
Research Center in Bangladesh. me. I studied civil engineering in Cape drought in Australia, shifts
He is currently the Gordon Town and I discovered that water is in Indian monsoon patterns Populations are increasingly
McKay Professor of the practice such an amazing subject. You have to and the potential filling of concentrating in cities. What
of environmental engineering at know engineering; you have to know Cyprus’s exhausted aquifers challenge does this pose to the
the Harvard School of Engineering finance, economics, public health, with saltwater. How serious a delivery of sustainable urban
and Applied Sciences. He is also religion and politics. It is a great area situation do you think we are in? water supplies?
director of the Harvard Water for people who have a wide range First of all, when dealing with I don’t see urbanization as an
Security Initiative, a body that has of intellectual interests, which is my water there is no ‘we,’ every water insurmountable problem. Yes, of
formed collaborative partnerships case. It has been my privilege to live situation is local. The water situation course, there are many problems,
with eminent universities in in Bangladesh, Mozambique, India in Massachusetts and the one in but they are no worse than they
Australia, Brazil, Pakistan and the and Brazil and work in dozens of California are essentially independent have ever been. London in the
United States to help develop a other countries on these issues over problems. There is thus no world 1850s was not a lovely bucolic city
secure and sustainable platform of the last 40 years. I now feel like I water crisis. There are a multitude in which to live. In most instances
water institutions and infrastructure. know 10% of what I need to know! of local issues, each one with quite things are getting better. A critical
distinct characteristics. issue, however, is the availability
You are now director of the Secondly, we have always had of resources. It is much easier to
Harvard Water Security droughts and floods; they are biblical address the problem of flooding in,
Initiative, a cross-disciplinary and they did not start in 1997. say, New York or Shanghai than it is
research program that you set Climate change certainly adds an in, say, Lagos or Kolkata. So while
up within the Harvard School element of uncertainty. The recent we do need to be more proactive and
of Engineering and Applied floods in Europe – is that a climate adaptive in all cities, in the developing
Sciences. What are its aims? event? Probably in part so, but it is world a primary focus must remain
There are two main bumper stickers much more definitively a land use economic growth and the enhanced
for the program. The first is to create issue, which is a consequence of the productivity of cities.
a new type of professional for modern occupation of floodplains.
water management. In dealing with Thirdly, in water the glass is How do we deal with the 10% of
water you need good engineers, always half full. It is true that we the world’s population who lack
good lawyers, good economists, face a lot of floods and droughts, access to safe water?
good agronomists and good energy but we have some examples of It is important to recognize the
people. You need specialists who can good adaptive practices. To cite extraordinary progress that has
communicate with other specialists. just two examples where we work, been made on this challenge. Over
So the first bumper sticker is to train Australia is the best in the world at the past 20 years, every single day
a new generation of ‘specialized dealing with water shortage and the about 280,000 people have obtained
integrators,’ strong in their basic Mississippi River Commission has access to an adequate supply >>
Creating Chemistry | 17Cover story: The expert
Water supply and sanitation are pieces
of a bigger picture and you cannot solve
them without addressing that.
Professor John Briscoe, Ph.D.,
Director of the Harvard Water Security Initiative
of drinking water for the first time. pesticide and water more efficiently. a form of colonialism at worst and Access to water has always been
Almost all of this progress has been This is absolutely central. Among moral hazard at best. Developing a source of possible conflict
the result of economic growth. Poor the tools for achieving this must be countries have a straightforward view between communities. How big a
people don’t have many things, genetically modified organisms. The of development. They want to follow threat do water wars pose today?
such as jobs, transport, healthcare, European position on GMOs is, in my the path that now-rich countries have The word ‘rivals’ comes from the
education or food. Water supply view, very harmful to the environment followed. For sure they want to learn Latin rivalis, which refers to someone
and sanitation are pieces of a bigger and to development. from mistakes that were made, but using the same river as another, so
picture and you cannot solve them The second area is treatment they are not willing to serve as guinea conflict over water has been going
without addressing that. Where technology. The most discussed pigs for rich people’s experiments on on for a while. But the simple fact
economies grow, there is broad is desalination, where, ironically, ‘alternative paths.’ is that few wars have actually been
improvement and the water supply the technology has reached its fought over water. The idea that the
issue is solved as part of this. That is thermodynamic limit and there is How do you respond to critics of United States and Canada would go
how we in the developed world got likely to be little change. But through dams who claim they displace to war over water is absurd because
safe water. These are crippling issues the application of nanotechnology we populations, add to climate water is one of hundreds of issues
for poor people but they are not are now able to design membranes change and destroy down-river they deal with. If, on the other hand,
going to be solved without growth to meet very specific treatment ecosystems? you look at Pakistan and India, they
and sound financial policies. requirements. This means technology All big innovations have big upsides have very few ties that bind and thus
can be tailored to clean particular and big downsides. So it is with dams. a highly sensitive and political issue
Is there a role for business when types of wastewater in an effective Most large dams have brought great like water becomes one of the few
it comes to providing adequate way and reuse them. This is hugely benefits in terms of protection from issues on which the countries have
water management in the important and a chemical company floods and droughts, production of worked together. This is the case
developing world? like BASF has a tremendous role clean and cheap electricity and food with the Indus Basin, which is a very
In the developing world, a huge issue to play. production. But there are downsides dangerous potential flashpoint.
is that the basics, such as a good Third, we need to use information too. One relates to the impacts on the
legal and regulatory framework and much more intensively and environment, which we are learning There have been great changes
good management capacity in the intelligently. The use of sensometers, to mitigate. In most of the developing in approach since you started
public sector, are not in place. If you remote sensing, big data analysis world, however, the big issue is working in water management
can get multinational companies and just-in-time delivery mechanisms resettlement. Changing where 40 years ago. What changes
to work with local companies and already play a fundamental role people live involuntarily is always do you expect to see 40 years
have them assist the government in in advanced water management traumatic. A great deal has been from now?
strengthening these core capabilities systems like in Australia and are of learned and much progress made in If we have economic growth then we
then this can make a tremendous great importance in most places. recent decades. The philosophy here will have a lot more ability to deal with
difference. Companies need to These innovations are central to us is that local people must be the first difficult problems. This is particularly
engage with political leaders and find adapting, so they are very important. beneficiaries from these projects and important for the still-poor parts of
ways in which they can support with there are cases of this working well. the world. I also hope we can act
money and knowledge the capacity What do you see as the role of
of governments to manage water hydroelectric power in meeting
more effectively. This is much more future energy needs?
important than the typical ‘give a Hydro is almost always a source of
donation to an NGO’ approach of low-carbon energy. Rich countries
most companies. have used 80% of their economically
viable hydroelectric potential.
What sorts of innovations Switzerland, Norway, Japan, the
are needed to help achieve United States and Canada used
sustainable water management? hydro as a backbone of their
I see three main areas where economic development, and it
technologies can help. First, remains so to this day. The equivalent
remembering that 70% of water is number for Africa is 5%. Yet, well-
used in agriculture, a critical issue meaning people from rich countries
is that we need to use science and tell poor countries that they will not
innovation to produce the types of support hydro. This is deeply and, in
crops that can use less fertilizer, less my view, appropriately resented as
18 | Creating Chemistry280,000
Above The Kuroyon Dam more intelligently. We know that What are the water issues where
in Kurobe, Japan, was built we can deal with extremes – both you live today and how do you
between 1956 and 1963
floods and droughts – better. Let me take care in the way you use Over the past 20 years, every single
to address the country’s
power shortages after the give you two examples where our water in your own daily life? day about 280,000 people have
Second World War. work at the Harvard Water Security I live in a small New England town of obtained access to an adequate supply
Initiative illustrates this: In Australia, 5,000 people in the United States. of drinking water for the first time.
Below left Worldwide,
there has been a 70% reduction in We live on a man-made pond and we
70%
irrigation of agricultural
land accounts for 70% of water availability in the Murray Darling have a little dam down at the end and
all freshwater consumption. Basin over a period of eight years I am the dam master. The residents
and virtually no impact on agricultural love to have the pond full, but if there Murray Darling Basin in Australia
has experienced a 70% reduction in
value. The basic reason this worked is a lot of rain and it gets too full we
water availability. But as a result of
was because market mechanisms can lose our dam, so you have to well-functioning market mechanisms
meant that water moved voluntarily watch the level. My wife is a keen to move water use from low-value to
from low-value uses such as rice to observer and she says ‘I think it is low high-value uses, there was virtually
no impact on agricultural value.
high-value uses such as fruits when enough now we can put the boards
water was scarce. On the flood side, back.’ We have a lot of fun managing
the Mississippi is a fascinating case.
Two years ago, they had the biggest
our own dam!
80%
floods since 1927, which, at the time, Rich countries have used 80% of
their economically viable hydroelectric
had been the biggest natural disaster potential. The equivalent number for
in the history of the Unites States. In Africa is 5%.
2011 when they had the floods, no
one in the United States knew it had
happened; the area submerged was
30% of what it was in 1927. In 2011,
not a drop of water went to a place
that was not designated to receive
this water. Lessons are learned and
are then put into practice. Again,
details will differ by place, but the To find out more, visit:
philosophy of ‘making room for the http://watersecurityinitiative.seas.
river,’ building smart infrastructure harvard.edu
and good institutions is a constant.
Creating Chemistry | 19You can also read
