Fresh water is the backbone of our global economy, as it is necessary for agriculture, industrial processes and human consumption. Experts predict that continued population growth, pollution and climate change will combine to produce significant changes in water availability and water quality.

Water treatment technologies are used to create drinking water from seawater, make industrial discharge water and municipal wastewater cleaner, and enable water to be re-used and recycled more effectively. Large volumes of water, usually brackish, are often produced in the oil production process. These volumes are then treated for clean discharge or re-injected.

The most popular water treatment technologies include membrane technologies, in which salt and other contaminants are removed from water by pushing the water through a membrane, and thermal technologies, in which water is either boiled or frozen. The pure water is captured while the contaminants remain behind.