Clean Water Summit
Putting Chemistry to Work for Clean Water
Chemistry’s role in addressing global clean water challenges.
The 2024 ACS Sustainability Summit explored the vital role of chemistry in advancing U.N. Sustainable Development Goal #6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Thoughout the summit, leading experts in academia, industry, and government highlighted how chemistry can drive global progress toward clean water access and quality.
Panel recordings are now available to view on demand and the summit proceedings will be published in ACS journals.
Desalination and Membrane Processes
The first panel of the ACS Clean Water Summit, "Putting Chemistry to Work for Clean Water," focused on desalination and membrane processes. Discussant Shane Snyder, Editor-in-Chief, ES&T Water and José Domingo Pérez Foundation Chair and Professor at Georgia Tech, led the conversation on innovative technologies in desalination and advanced filtration systems that are shaping the future of clean water access.
Speakers:
- David M. Warsinger, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
- Eric M.V. Hoek, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles; Faculty Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Amy L. Childress Dean’s Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California
Advanced Methods for Contaminant Identification and Reduction
The second panel of the ACS Clean Water Summit, "Putting Chemistry to Work for Clean Water," focused on advanced methods for contaminant identification and reduction. Discussant Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz, Executive Editor, ES&T and Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, led the conversation on cutting-edge approaches to detecting and reducing contaminants in water systems to ensure safer, more reliable water sources.
Speakers:
- Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, Professor of Chemistry, University of Bath
- Juliane Hollender, Senior Scientist, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag); Adjunct Professor, ETH Zurich
- Susan Richardson, Executive Editor, ES&T; Professor, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Mark Ralph, President & CEO, Axine Water
Chemical Innovations and Nature-based Solutions for Water Conservation and Climate Resilience
The third and final panel of the ACS Clean Water Summit, "Putting Chemistry to Work for Clean Water," focused on chemical innovations and nature-based solutions for water conservation and climate resilience. Discussant Bryan Brooks, Editor-in-Chief, ES&T Letters and Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science at Baylor University, led the conversation on how chemistry-based solutions paired with nature-driven approaches are vital to preserving water resources and adapting to climate challenges.
Speakers:
- David Sedlak, Professor, University of California, Berkeley; Director, Berkeley Water Center
- Megan Plumlee, Director of Research, Orange County
- Todd S. Bridges, Professor of Practice in Resilient and Sustainable Systems, College of Engineering, University of Georgia
Key Topics
The 2024 virtual Sustainability Summit included three panels that explored key aspects of clean water:
Desalination and Membrane Processes
Innovative technologies in desalination and advanced filtration systems are shaping the future of clean water access.
Advanced Methods for Contaminant Identification and Reduction
Cutting-edge approaches to detecting and reducing contaminants in water systems ensure safer, more reliable water sources.
Chemical Innovations and Nature-based Solutions for Water Conservation and Climate Resilience
Chemistry-based solutions paired with nature-driven approaches are vital to preserving water resources and adapting to climate challenges.
Organizers
Shane Snyder
Editor-in-Chief, ES&T Water; José Domingo Pérez Foundation Chair and Professor, Georgia Tech
Bryan Brooks
Editor-in-Chief, ES&T Letters; Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science, Baylor University
Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz
Executive Editor, ES&T; Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder
Adelina Voutchkova
Director of Sustainable Development, American Chemical Society
In-person
Continue the Conversation
Following the virtual summit, a symposium at ACS Spring 2025 in San Diego, CA from March 23-27, 2025, will extend the conversation. Organizers and panelists will receive financial support to attend.
Together, we can pave the way towards sustainable solutions to ensure access to clean water for all.
More information on how to attend the in-person program will be shared after the virtual summit.
