(Sustainable Water Developments - Resources, Management, Treatment, Efficiency and Reuse) 1st Edition
by Jochen Bundschuh (Editor), Barbara Tomaszewska (Editor)
Availability of and adequate
accessibility to freshwater and energy are two key technological and
scientific problems of global significance. At the end of the 20th
century, the deficit of water for human consumption and economic
application forced us to focus on rational use of resources. Increasing
the use of renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency is a
challenge for the 21st century. Geothermal energy is heat energy
generated and stored in the Earth, accumulated in hydrothermal systems
or in dry rocks within the Earth’s crust, in amounts which constitute
the energy resources. The sustainable management of geothermal energy
resources should be geared towards optimization of energy recovery, but
also towards rational management of water resources since geothermal
water serves both as energy carrier and also as valuable raw material.
Geothermal waters, depending on their hydrogeothermal characteristics,
the lithology of the rocks involved, the depth at which the resources
occur and the sources of water supply, may be characterized by very
diverse physicochemical parameters. This factor largely determines the
technology to be used in their exploitation and the way the geothermal
water can be used. This book is focused on the effective use of
geothermal water and renewable energy for future needs in order to
promote modern, sustainable and effective management of water resources.
The research field includes crucial new areas of study:
• an improvement in the management of freshwater resources through the use of residual geothermal water;
•
a review of the technologies available in the field of geothermal water
treatment for its (re)use for energetic purposes and freshwater
production, and
• the development of balneotherapy.
The
book is aimed at professionals, academics and decision makers worldwide,
water sector representatives and administrators, business enterprises
specializing in renewable energy management and water treatment, working
in the areas of geothermal energy usage, water resources, water supply
and energy planning. This book has the potential to become a standard
text used by educational institutions and research & development
establishments involved in the geothermal water management.
