Using ACCESS to Help Find Solutions to Potable Water Shortages – HPCwire

Report on Advanced Materials for Seawater Desalination and Sustainable Development

The Global Water Crisis: A Challenge to Sustainable Development Goal 6

A report from the World Resources Institute indicates a severe global water crisis, with four billion people experiencing significant potable water distress. This situation directly contravenes the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): Clean Water and Sanitation, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The primary causes of this crisis are identified as widespread water pollution and the depletion of limited freshwater reserves.

Current Desalination Technologies and Their Sustainability Challenges

Seawater desalination, particularly through reverse osmosis, is a common method for producing fresh water. However, this technology presents significant barriers to achieving sustainable development objectives.

• High Energy Consumption: The reverse osmosis process is energy-intensive, creating a conflict with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7): Affordable and Clean Energy. The high power requirement often relies on fossil fuels, contributing to carbon emissions.
• Economic Inefficiency: The operational costs are substantial. For example, in Tunisia, desalinated water costs three times more than water from conventional sources. This economic burden makes the technology inaccessible for many developing nations, hindering progress on Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9): Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, which calls for resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

An Innovative Solution: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Efficient Desalination

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have identified a potential solution to improve the efficiency of reverse osmosis by using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are a unique class of porous materials with highly tunable properties, offering a promising pathway for sustainable water purification.

Leveraging High-Performance Computing to Advance SDG 9

In a clear demonstration of SDG 9‘s focus on enhancing scientific research and upgrading technological capabilities, the MIT research team utilized advanced computational resources. Key aspects of the research methodology include:

1. Resource Utilization: The team used the Expanse supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), made available through the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) ACCESS program.
2. Computational Screening: Computationally demanding simulations were conducted to screen a large database of experimentally synthesized MOFs.
3. Identification of Viable Materials: The primary challenge with MOFs is their stability in water. Using data-driven models, the team identified over 70 promising MOFs that exhibit both high water-stability and high water uptake, making them suitable candidates for desalination membranes.

Projected Impacts on Sustainable Development Goals

The successful implementation of MOF-based membranes in reverse osmosis desalination could have a transformative impact on several SDGs.

• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): By lowering the cost and energy requirements of desalination, MOF technology could make clean water more accessible and affordable for water-stressed regions globally.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): The high permeability of MOF membranes requires less pressure to filter water. This directly translates to lower energy consumption for desalination plants, aligning with the goal of promoting clean energy.
• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The enhanced efficiency of MOFs could enable the development of smaller, less expensive desalination plants. This fosters the creation of sustainable and resilient infrastructure capable of addressing critical resource needs.

Future Outlook and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

The research, published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, represents a significant step forward. The project exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG 17): Partnerships for the Goals, through its collaboration between academic institutions and government-funded research bodies.

The next phase involves collaboration with experimentalists to validate the performance of these identified MOFs in real-world applications. Such partnerships are crucial for translating innovative research into practical solutions that can improve the efficacy of reverse osmosis desalination and contribute to a more sustainable and water-secure future for the global population.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • The article’s central theme is the global water crisis, directly referencing that “Four billion people face severe potable water distress due to water pollution and a limited supply of freshwater reserves.” The entire research effort described is aimed at providing a solution to this lack of clean, potable water.
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • The article focuses on a technological and scientific innovation to solve a major global problem. It details a research effort by MIT to “advance the efficiency of reverse osmosis desalination” by identifying new materials (metal-organic frameworks) using advanced scientific infrastructure like the “Expanse system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).”
3. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article highlights that current desalination methods are “expensive” and an “energy-intensive process.” The proposed innovation using MOF membranes aims to create “energy savings” by requiring “less applied pressure,” which would allow pumps to “use less power.” This directly addresses the need for more energy-efficient technologies.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The research presented is a collaborative effort involving multiple institutions and funding bodies. It mentions a partnership between MIT and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), with funding and support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy. This exemplifies the multi-stakeholder partnerships needed to advance sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. The article directly addresses this by highlighting the “Four billion people” who lack access to potable water and proposing a solution to increase the supply of freshwater.
   • Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. The development of more efficient desalination technology is a direct attempt to ensure a sustainable supply of freshwater to combat the “limited supply of freshwater reserves.”
   • Target 6.a: By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes. The research, funded by national agencies and aimed at a global problem, represents the kind of cooperation needed to develop technologies that can be shared globally.
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation. The article is a case study of this target in action, describing a “computationally demanding” research project to “identify metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)” that can upgrade desalination technology.
3. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. The research aims to improve the efficiency of reverse osmosis, an “energy-intensive process.” The article states that the new MOF membranes could lead to “energy savings” and allow pumps to “use less power,” contributing directly to this target.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation. The article details a collaboration between academic institutions (MIT, UC San Diego) and government funding agencies (NSF, DOE) to advance a critical technology with global implications.
   • Target 17.7: Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms. The goal of the research is to develop a technology that can “reduce reverse osmosis costs,” making it more accessible for countries that “struggle to bear the economic burden” of current methods.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 6 Targets:
   • Indicator 6.1.1 (Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services): The article provides a baseline statistic for the problem: “Four billion people face severe potable water distress,” which is a measure of the population *not* using safely managed drinking water.
   • Indicator 6.4.2 (Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources): The article implies this indicator by mentioning the “limited supply of freshwater reserves” as a key driver of the crisis, which is what this indicator measures. The success of the new technology would be measured by its ability to alleviate this stress.
2. For SDG 9 Targets:
   • Indicator 9.5.1 (Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP): The article explicitly mentions the funding sources for the research, including the “NSF ACCESS allocation” and funding from the “U.S. Department of Energy… under Award DE-SC0019112.” This represents a direct investment in R&D.
3. For SDG 7 Targets:
   • Indicator 7.3.1 (Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP): The article implies this indicator by focusing on reducing the energy consumption of desalination. It states that current methods are “energy-intensive” and the new technology would allow pumps to “use less power,” which is a direct measure of improved energy efficiency/reduced energy intensity for water production.
4. For SDG 17 Targets:
   • Indicator 17.6.1 (Number of science and/or technology cooperation agreements and programmes between countries): The article describes a specific cooperative program (“U.S. National Science Foundation’s ACCESS program”) and collaborations between institutions (MIT, SDSC) as the mechanism enabling the scientific breakthrough.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hpcwire.com