Could New Water Purification Tech Solve Global Water Woes?
Angelina Austin November 6, 2025
New technologies in water purification could help solve the world’s shortage of fresh drinking water. Credit: Pexels.com.
Dear EarthTalk: As droughts lead to water shortages around the world, are there any promising new technologies to for purifying water for human consumption? —M. Norman, Raleigh, NC
Daily life for many is changing as droughts intensify across the globe. In recent years they have become more frequent and severe due to climate change.
The United Nations claims that over two billion people worldwide don’t have proper access to safe drinking water. At the recent UNCCD COP16 climate conference, innovative water purification technologies were deemed essential to address this issue.
Photocatalytic purification is one promising solution. Titanium dioxide fibers using a combination of soft-chemistry gels and electrospinning allows sunlight to break down pollutants.
This solution requires no external power source and provides a cost-effective option. Dr. Youjun Zhang, lead researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics believes this could rid water of industrial pollutants in developing countries, turning otherwise contaminated rivers and lakes into clean drinking water sources.”
Electrospinning creates nanofiber membranes using high voltage jets of liquid polymer. Nanofibers are increasingly viewed as a sustainable option with enormous potential in wastewater treatment. Researchers have reported that this technique can remove up to 99 percent of certain heavy metals.
Because this technique is portable and efficient, electrospun nanofiber filters represent a significant breakthrough for both large scale wastewater treatment facilities and smaller community systems.
Another promising advancement is solar-powered purification sheets. A team at the University of Cambridge led by Dr. Erwin Reisner engineered lightweight panels to purify water with only sunlight. They absorb UV and then generate clean water by hydrogen splitting. They work without electricity, ideal for rural communities.
Also, a team at Princeton University made a major leap with their solar absorber gel. It soaks up dirty water at room temperature and, when exposed to sunlight, rapidly releases clean water. A Princeton spinoff company, AquaPao, is now working to scale the innovation for the real world.
Rodney Prisetley of Princeton University emphasizes that innovations like solar gels are “another step closer towards the goal of having a technology driven by solar energy that can actually produce enough clean water to meet daily demand.”
Readers can help by supporting sustainable water startups and advocating for adoption of these filters. The challenge isn’t whether new water purification technologies exist. The main question is whether society will invest in and adopt quick enough to meet global needs.
CONTACTS
Solar-powered gel filters enough clean water to meet daily needs
Multifunctional electrospun nanofibrous membrane: An effective method for water purification
EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https://earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.