Industrial water use refers to the abstraction, intake, and consumption of water by manufacturing, energy production, mining, and other industrial sectors for processes such as cooling, heating, washing, chemical reactions, dilution, and steam generation. Scientifically, it is characterized by metrics including withdrawal, consumptive use, return flows, and water-use efficiency, and is often analyzed by sector (e.g., thermoelectric power, pulp and paper, metallurgy, food processing). Research focuses on quantifying demand, assessing water quality impacts of effluents, optimizing process water cycles, and evaluating technologies for reuse, recycling, and substitution to reduce freshwater dependence and environmental stress.
Climate change is largely to blame for water scarcity. The low water levels in European rivers this summer speak volumes in that respect.
Environment
Aug 10, 2026
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20
If the Colorado River Basin is the lifeblood of the American Southwest, keeping the region's agricultural, ecological and economic systems thriving, Colorado's West Slope River basins could be considered the heart. Together, ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 23, 2026
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The temperature of rivers is something most people think about only if they plan to go swimming, kayaking or spend a day fishing. Few consider how it could potentially affect their electricity bill.
Earth Sciences
Jun 12, 2026
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9
Every internet search, streamed video and AI-generated response depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone ...
Environment
Jun 8, 2026
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The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world's largest countries, according to a United Nations University report, which also predicts their water and energy use and pollution will double in ...
Environment
Jun 3, 2026
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By 2030, the global data centers powering artificial intelligence are projected to consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity. This is nearly triple the combined annual electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria—countries ...
Environment
Jun 3, 2026
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Pomegranate peel discarded by food vendors could soon help clean up contaminated water, thanks to research from the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science. Led by Professor Sam Li, the research team developed a ...
Nanomaterials
May 26, 2026
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11
The volume of water drawn from Scotland's rivers and lochs by the agricultural sector surged by more than 500% during periods of water scarcity in recent years, new research has found. The University of Strathclyde study ...
Environment
May 18, 2026
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Potentially harmful chemicals can contaminate untreated water used in recycling plants to clean plastics before they're processed into new products, according to a new study by an Iowa State University research group. Researchers ...
Environment
Mar 25, 2026
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10
The São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA) in Brazil has approximately 22 million inhabitants and consumes an average of 61.6 cubic meters (61,600 liters) of water per second. Although nearly the entire public water supply originates ...
Environment
Mar 20, 2026
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