Tuvalu, a low-lying island nation in the South Pacific, is facing serious threats from climate change. In addition to the crisis of being submerged by rising sea levels, the lack of freshwater and the salinization of poor soil make farming difficult. The local fishing industry, which is a mainstay for the local people, is also under threat because of the eutrophication of lagoons.
To address the challenges threatening Tuvalu's survival, NTU formed a multidisciplinary research team comprising the College of Science, College of Engineering, and College of Bioresources & Agriculture. Funded by the Delta Electronics Foundation, this research team developed a decentralized solar-driven wastewater treatment system by combining a membrane bioreactor with capacitive deionization (CDI) technology. By purifying domestic wastewater into clean recycled water and recovering and enriching nutrients for hydroponics, this system creates a water-food-energy nexus solution.
The system, characterized by low energy consumption, modularity, and ease of operation, can also be applied to other low-lying island nations or arid regions. This collaboration has been recognized by the Tuvaluan authorities. During the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2021, Prof. Chia-Hong Hou from the NTU Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, representing the research team, showcased the achievements of the project at the Tuvalu Pavilion.
NTU plans to establish a teaching/demonstration site on campus to showcase the innovative application of this system. This site will serve as an educational resource for students to learn about water recycling. We aim to enhance students' practical skills in environmental engineering through this hands-on campus practice, and we hope to promote these solutions to more areas in need around the world, to tackle the effects of climate change.
A shipping container set up as a demonstration area to showcase the wastewater treatment system.
Decentralized solar-driven wastewater treatment system.
(Top left) PhD candidate Yu-Ting Hsieh demonstrating CDI water purification technology in Uganda; (bottom left) The CDI module system developed by Professor Chia-Hung Hou's research team being used for sustainable water treatment in domestic industries; (right) The research team collaborating with the National Land Management Agency to improve the technology for desalinization of reclaimed water in urban wastewater treatment plants.