The Power of AI in Water Treatment Facilities: Initial Overview

I think I’ve said this before but I want to say this again. That the biggest gap I can see in water technology is in water treatment facilities.

I want to try and get a bit of a bigger overview of what AI can do in water treatment facilities. I want to start by scanning over all my previous articles.

And then I can move on to the new ones as well - while looking out for common themes and common patterns.

Looking at common themes and common patterns in my research so far

Okay so this is going to be a bit of a shot in the dark. As it is impossible to gather literally every resource that I have.

Improving Energy and Water Efficiency and Air Quality

Improving energy efficiency in the water treatment process

One of the first things that AI can do in water treatment facilities is monitor the efficiency of processes. If we can monitor the efficiency of processes, for example through using sensor data or water quality data to find the most effective methods of treatment for water purification.

If we do this properly then we can start to save energy in the water treatment process thus making the water treatment process more sustainable.

Water Efficiency

In addition to saving energy in the water treatment process, we can also learn to save water in the water treatment process. Water like energy is a finite resource and in preserving it we can make it more sustainable. It's funny too to think of water as being used in water treatment processes but it's exactly that. Saving water in the water treatment process also makes water purification more sustainable.

Air quality in water treatment 

I am still reading a bit more on this. But basically the quality of the air in water treatment facilities can be quite bad. For one, there are a lot of chemicals being used in the process. I also think that if the quality of the air is too gross in the water plant then this can make the water quality gross too. But don't quote me on this one just yet. I need more evidence to back it up and I need more scientific and appropriate terminology for this.

Raw Water Quality

Raw water sources

Seasonal variations in raw water quality

• Heavy rainfall can be responsible for washing nutrients, sediments and chemicals into water sources
• Would love to still get more understanding here

Algae and Plants

Warmer weather can impact the growth of certain algae and plants. 

My vision is for the world and not just for the UK; remember that temperatures can have very different effects on water plants in very different parts of the world. 

Certain plants can effect oxygen and chemical reactions. Either by being there - or not being there.

Flow and volume of rivers and reservoirs

I guess, due to melting and evaporating and freezing, the flow and volume of rivers and reservoirs can change according to the seasons. 

This can affect and impact the concentration of pollutants as well as the dilution of these pollutants.

Human activity 

Agriculture, industrial activity, and pharmaceuticals; all of these can change the raw quality of our water. Notably, out of these, agriculture is a seasonal activity.

Constantly changing water conditions

Basically put the quality of raw water is constantly changing.

Raw water includes: rainwater, groundwater, water from infiltration wells, and all of these can be affected by existing and by emerging contaminants.

This includes:

• pollutants
• pesticides
• microplastics
• pharmaceuticals
• debris, including from wildfires
• Turbidity 
• This is how clear or murky the water is in the first place
• pH
• pH needs to be balanced for human and for plant health

We need to detect these things and we need to perform risk assessments around them and create regulation.

How AI can help us with these things 

By monitoring water quality in real-time and the efficiency of certain treatments on certain starting-point raw water conditions, AI can make quick real-time decisions and adjusting things.

It can calculate the baseline quality of the water, the state of the water after it has been treated, and what treatment was applied and whether it could be adjusted next times.

Things that can be adjusted

Dosages

Actual choices of chemicals, I suppose

Pumping cycles

Cleaning cycles

Worth saying that computers shouldn't be trusted 100% - but could it be trusted to make very fast recommendations? Or is it too risky? What do you think?

The Power of AI and Monitoring Water Treatment Facilities in Real-Time

I will say this until the end. AI is more efficient than any human mind in utilities because it can take in so much real time data at once. 

And in utilities, real-time is what matters. Real time is what always, always matters.