Conventional Approaches to Improving the Quality of Water
As noted above, the chemical pollution of water is largely viewed as an
inevitable consequence of human progress. Advances in biochemistry are
helping to define specific details of the metabolic disruptions caused
by both excessive quantities of natural chemicals and even relatively
small amounts of synthetic chemicals. Moreover, increasing numbers of
new chemicals are continually being manufactured to achieve industrial
goals. Microbes are also emerging that are capable of metabolically
processing newly developed synthetic chemicals. Disrupted ecosystems may
also support the excessive proliferation of certain life forms, referred
to as invasive species, which would ordinarily have faced elimination
within a functionally intact foreign ecosystem.
Combatting the extremes of chemical pollution has typically relied upon
the physical removal of the contaminants or applying other chemicals to
oppose the deleterious biochemical actions of the contaminants [9].
Chemicals are also commonly used in attempts to selectively kill
pathogenic microbes and invasive animal species. Most of these efforts
are expensive, directed at controlling individual contaminants, only
marginally successful, and commonly lead to inadvertent secondary
damage. Specific technologies are aggressively pursued upon the awarding
of patents and/or when favorable political influence becomes available.
Many non-profit organizations also have the goal of reducing water
pollution. Billions of dollars are raised annually through philanthropy
and Governmental grants. At best, the efforts of these organizations are
limited in scope and merely reduce the rate of further water pollution.