Please talk about NanoWater, the reasons behind it, and the goals and timeframe. Why water, as opposed to food or shelter, or other basic needs?
NanoWater is a very simple idea that grew out of a meeting with Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres at the World NanoEconomic Congress in Washington DC last year. He made the only speech I have ever seen that got a standing ovation at a nanotech conference, with the simple message that perhaps technology could do something positive. We followed this up with a visit to Israel just before Christmas last year to understand at first-hand the problems facing countries with scarce water resources.
I agree that food and shelter are important global issues, as are energy and disease. Although water issues affect most of the world's population, I wouldn't claim that water is any more important or urgent than any of the other issues. However, there are two compelling reasons for the nanowater initiative.
Firstly, lack of clean, affordable water is not a problem confined to the developing world. Southern Europe, Israel, the Western United States, the Middle East and areas of South-East Asia such as Singapore all suffer from increasing pressure on scarce water resources. While any number of programs are looking at ameliorating the situation in the developing world, the real solutions to addressing water issues will come from the countries above. These are all rich countries whose economies and future prosperity could be damaged by lack of access to water. If there is a solution to be found, it will be driven by economics, not charity.
Secondly, water remediation is already available in the form of filters, desalination technologies, and water recovery systems. The reason we have a water problem is because these technologies are not yet cheap enough, either in terms of efficiency, maintenance, or the energy required to operate them. Nanotechnology is already being applied across a wide range of areas that can be either be used directly, or adapted for use in the water industry. In addition, almost every application of nanotechnology in industry is being driven by the economics of the bottom line. So the question becomes, can we use nanotechnology to make water remediation more efficient, and ultimately more economically viable? Preliminary results indicate that we can.
Why now? Who is behind it? Who is participating?
Well here's an odd thing. Everyone agrees that the application of nanotechnology to water is a good thing, but no one has any money to fund a project, so many of the projects that have been discussed over the past year are still sitting on the launch pad. One of the reasons for this is that governments and companies around the world have not yet made the connection between nanotechnology and water, and as such there are no funds being made available specifically for this area.
NanoWater is an initiative designed to bring together the nanotechnology community with the water industry, to find common ground. This is something that the European NanoBusiness Association did with the Textiles industry at EuroNanoTex, and a number of fruitful collaborations have already emerged. We are not demanding government handouts before we start to do anything; we are starting by determining whether the water industry can benefit from nanotechnology. As with any other technology, if there is a Dollar, a Euro or a Yen to made, then we'll see widespread adoption.
By bringing nanotechnology to Europe's largest water industry trade show, we hope to find out where the economic sweet spot is. If we can drive down the cost of water treatment or desalination by a just few percent, the effects will be widespread and global. We are very close to the tipping point, and NanoWater is designed to give the industry the nudge it needs.
How does our understanding of nanoscale phenomena relate to more and cleaner drinking water?
Nanofiltration technologies are well-established, and in recent years have seen a large number of developments offering improved systems.
Improvements in filtration technologies, especially with regard to increasing throughput, improving selectivity and reducing clogging, could have a major impact on the economics of existing filtration applications for both liquids and gases, and create new capabilities with enormous value for major industries such as the pharmaceutical sector, or even the power generation industry (sequestration of CO2, for example).
The fundamental capabilities being developed along the way are applicable to a wide variety of industries. Examples of this are capabilities in self-assembly and hierarchical self-assembly, which offer potential for novel and cheap manufacturer of a wide variety of materials, or improvements in electrospinning of fibbers, which can be applied in areas ranging from textiles to biomaterials. Thus, though filtration itself may seem rather prosaic, the spin-offs from the capabilities developed can be expected to be very broad.
Meanwhile, contamination of groundwater from both industrial and natural sources is a huge and growing problem around the world. Arsenic contamination, for example, has recently been shown by Australian researchers to be much more widespread than previously thought, with people at serious risk in 17 countries around the world. This situation is not helped by the standard kit for testing arsenic, which is proving less than reliable at the concentration levels where health starts to be at risk (cheaper and more sensitive detection is another area where nanotechnology will have significant impact).
Recent years have seen great advances in macromolecular chemistry and active surfaces with applicability to decontamination; switchable chemical specificity is the key here. The physical substrates used for such developments can vary from plain surfaces (often nanostructured) to nanoporous materials (as described in the previous section) to nanoparticles. Similar physical configurations are also benefiting catalysis, and this area has also seen great improvements from the use of nanoparticles.
The increase in surface area is the obvious improvement here, but there is more to it than that - some groups (e.g. Hydrocarbon Technologies Inc.) have development particles that always present the same crystalline face to the reactants, which can improve yield considerably, and some materials have been found to become catalytic as nanoparticles when they weren't previously. This applies especially to photocatalysts, a vibrant and promising area of R&D.
The value of detection technology for water purification is clear - knowing what the contaminants are.
Special value can be seen in defense against biowarfare through contamination of water supplies. The key factors are price and sensitivity, both of which are going to be improved considerably by nanotechnology.
Is anyone using nanotechnology in water remediation and filtration now? Is it cost-effective? Is it scalable?
We are just seeing the first products emerging from companies such as Inframat, Argonide and Fluxxion . Much of filtration tends to be a materials issue – how do we produce materials that can remove contaminants, how do we keep them from clogging, and how can we control the pore size? Nanotechnology is enabling us to do just that.
On the detection front, NanoSight in the UK has a system that can detect waterborne nanoparticles and viruses in real time.
While these companies are the vanguard of water related nanotechnology applications, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The billions of dollars of government funding that has been going into academic establishments around the world is on the verge of releasing a flood of new technologies, some of which will find applications in the water industry.
As for whether these technologies are scalable, we'll soon find out.
In studying and perfecting methods for water remediation and filtration, what spin-offs are possible? What's in it for big business?
As we have discussed, if there is a buck to be made, business will be interested. Another way to look at this question is to ask what spin-offs are there for companies developing nanotechnology for other applications? Our research indicates that there are a wide variety of nanotechnologies being developed, very few of them specifically for water, which will find applications in the water industry.
What do you expect to come out of the NanoWater 2004 conference?
It is a start. We don't expect to see safe, affordable water across the globe in the timescales that some nanotech pundits have claimed we will see a for a cure for cancer. We have to be realistic. By bringing the water industry into contact with the nanotechnology community, in the presence of policy and decision-makers, we can define where the technologies intersect. After that, it is up to industry and governments to fund the research and deploy the technologies. Let's take this one step at a time. The bottom line should be to use (nano)technology to achieve something positive. If there is money to be made at the same time, then we have a better chance of success.
Tim Harper is the founder & President of CMP Cientifica, and the Co Author of the Nanotechnology Opportunity Report™, described by NASA as "the defining report in the field of nanotechnology."
In October 2002 Time Magazine described Tim as "the face of European nanotechnology" and profiled him in TIME Magazine's Digital Europe Top 25, as one of Europe's top 25 entrepreneurs. This was followed in November by recognition in Small Times Magazine who described Tim as "Europe's pre-eminent nanotech spokesman outside of government."
Tim is also the Founder and Executive Director of European NanoBusiness Association and is an advisor to many organisations around the globe including the International Engineering Consortium. He also contributes a weekly column to the Institute of Physics Nanotechweb site.
NanoWater is a new initiative from Cientifica to see if nanotechnology really can change the world.
NanoWater was created to focus the attention of the nanotechnology community on the potential of technology to change the world for good.
Can nanotechnology address one of the most pressing issues of the 21st Century?
By bringing, science, business and government together on one issue, we hope to find tiny solutions to global problems.


Like a flock of vultures trailing the hobbled survivor of a desert plane crash, The New York Times continues to wind tighter and tighter circles around New York Governor David Paterson. Paterson has already ended his campaign to seek a full term as governor, thanks to a Times report tying him and his administration to improper interference in an assault case against his close aide, David Johnson. Last night, he Times Web site revealed that Paterson told state worker Deneane Brown to tell the Johnson's accuser, "Tell her the governor wants her to make this go away." The Times cites a person with knowledge of Ms. Brown's version of events.
Through a spokesman, Paterson denied to the Times that he told Brown to make the case go away.
That's unlikely to help him at this point. The National Organization for Women called for Paterson's resignation yesterday. Last night, Paterson's State Police Superintendent Henry Corbitt resigned in the wake of the scandal. The Post is reporting that Corbitt was pushed out. The Times editorial board took one step closer to calling for Paterson's resignation, saying he should either prove he hasn't done anything wrong, or give up his post.
The Times is also reporting that Paterson has called a special cabinet meeting for today, "though the purpose was not immediately clear." We can guess what the implication was.


Toluca is the capital of the State of Mexico and seat of the municipality of Toluca.
The metropolitan zone of the Valle de Toluca has a population of around 2,170,000 inhabitants, the fifth largest population in Mexico.
It is mainly an industrial center, a conurbation with Metepec and one of the country's richest municipalities.
The Valle de Toluca has first class infrastructure. Its airport is the first choice to reach Mexico City and a sustainable high-speed rail network is soon to be built that will join Toluca with Mexico City and Santiago de Querétaro.
It is 66 km east of Mexico City.
At 2600 meters above sea level, Toluca is the highest capital city in Mexico and North America. It has a temperate subhumid climate with summer rains.
Its altitude favors the practice of high performance sports.
Aerospace: A relatively small number of companies engage in the maquila of products and services for the aerospace sector; however, they have experience and some internationally renowned clients. Investment from companies seeking to increase their presence in the State of Mexico; until now suppliers in the state manufacture products for companies in other states.
Food (agricultural and processed): The state has an important number of quality producers and the necessary capacities to export in this sector.
Automotive: There are five of the nation's biggest assemblers with countless Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers; the search for new prospects through the ACT model can grow the sector in the state. The search for new potential investment in the sector and expansion projects could contribute to the growth of small suppliers with quality in their processes and finished products.
Medical devices: There is a list of suppliers in the sector including some international innovation award winners. There is a need for producers of devices and first aid materials since representatives outnumber domestic suppliers.
Electrical/electronics: A number of companies provide completion and adaptation processes in various industry applications, such as automotive and automation.
Household appliances: A list of companies produce household appliances; however, the majority are around the Valle de México and the north of the state.
Renewable energies: More investor companies seeking to establish new plants or capital investment in the development of companies in the State of Mexico; according to them, they still do not have enough experience to export.
Pharmaceuticals: There are companies already with international recognition and in the field of active ingredients and devices for the sector.
Infrastructure/Construction: A number of companies manufacture, research, and develop new products for the construction sector and are looking to venture into the international market.
IT: There are only a few companies in this sector, with highly competitive projects abroad.
Textiles: The sector has a long list of producers and participants in international markets as suppliers and exporters.


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Want to know what your Library of The Chathams library card gets you?
Any resident of The Chathams (Chatham Borough or Chatham Township), or anyone who pays taxes in either town, is entitled to privileges at Library of The Chathams. Proof of eligibility is required at the time of registration. Acceptable forms of identification include: N.J. Driver's License, bank checks imprinted with name /address, lease or mortgage agreement, rent or tax receipt, or a utility bill imprinted with the applicant's name and address.
Children may register for a library card when they are five years old or when they enter kindergarten. A parent or guardian must sign for and be accountable for materials charged out by minors. Students at Chatham High School may apply for a card with their high school ID.
Click here for more information on getting a library card!


I am playing on the DS version and I love the game! :D I have gotton into many situations, and fortunately I've been able to get past them. Now, I am in chapter 6 and I have to face the "Living Tower." I've been stuck for 2 months and I'm about ready to give up. :mad2: someone please help me urgently!!!