Introduction
The last several decades could be characterized by the increased number of environmental concerns that become extremely important. The blistering rise of industry, the high pace of globalization, and the growth of the number of population preconditioned a significant deterioration of the environment. Air, soil, and water become polluted but at the same time, they need for these sources to increase.
People inhabit new areas characterized by a complex environment which could sometimes be even hostile for individuals. For this reason, the quality of the above-mentioned natural resources becomes one of the most important issues of modern society. For instance, many of us do not consider water something precious; however, in some regions, high-quality freshwater becomes very important for survival and these lands development. In this regard, numerous innovative approaches that incorporate the newest technologies to analyze the structure of this substance provide people with fresh water. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) could be considered one of these new tools.
Background
As stated above, many reasons caused the problem with freshwater. Water supply has always been a problematic issue in parched areas. People living in Africa, the Middle East, some other parts of the world have always been appreciating this liquid and realizing the importance of its sources. However, the crucial alterations of the landscape, human activity, an increased number of people resulted in the problems with water supply.
For instance, in the Gulf Region, the question is extremely important and is given great attention by the government. The fact is that the high speed of the development of the given region, its industry, and population growth demand the corresponding enhancement of the water supply. However, considering the peculiarities of the area and its climate, the given task could be considered rather complex. The quality of water suffers, and new ways to monitor its state are introduced.
Sources of Water in the UAE
As for the UAE, the problem is also topical for this state. At the moment, there are two main sources of water in the UAE. These are desalinated water and groundwater (“Water in the UAE”). The first source is used to provide citizens with drinking water. The second one is mostly used to supply agricultural regions and guarantee the further evolution of the sector. However, considering the current speed of the countrys rise, these sources ability to satisfy constantly increasing demands is doubted.
The fact is that the groundwater that comes for irrigation and other agricultural needs is also saline and there are only two freshwater aquifers (“Water in the UAE”). Besides, the excessive usage of these sources results in groundwater withdrawals and a significant decline in the level and quality of the groundwater (“Water in the UAE”). The problem becomes extremely topical. In case it is disregarded the quality will not meet the existing expectations and the agricultural sector will not be able to evolve.
The UAE Water Problem
Besides, one should perfectly realize the fact that water quality is the most important factor for agriculture as well as human consumption. This means that water should be characterized by low bacterial count for people to be able to drink it and sustain their health; and by the structure rich in minerals with high oxygen content for crops to be able to grow. The combination of these demands to water introduces a crucial problem the UAE faces nowadays.
The preservation of the quality of water becomes one of the main governmental tasks that is given great attention. For this reason, numerous desalination plants and other water purification facilities are built in the state. At the same time, attempts to monitor the quality of the obtained water and add or remove some substances are also performed to guarantee the improvement of the given sphere.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) could be considered one of the newest ways to investigate the structure of a certain substance and alter it using some additional approaches. NMR could be described as a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a magnetic field absorb electromagnetic radiation (“What is NMR?”). It could be used to analyze a certain substance. NMR spectroscopy is a technique of quality control that rests on this phenomenon.
It determines the content and purity of a sample as well as its molecular structure (“What is NMR?”). For this reason, the usage of NMR to solve the water supply problem could be considered promising. Using the given technique, a specialist could determine the structure of water, the presence of harmful or useful substances, minerals, and other elements that might impact the state of a persons heath or crop.
Quality control
The given method of quality control could be considered a revolutionary one as it contributes to the increased efficiency of all measurements and guarantees that the results of the investigation will not be distorted. This type of the analysis determines physical and chemical properties of the molecules that could be found in a certain object and provides extremely important data about the structure and purity. Numerous researches prove the unique power of this very tool (Liang et al. 3529).
If to compare NMR spectroscopy with previous approaches that were used to investigate the purity of certain substances, the advantageous character of the new approach becomes evident (Liang et al. 3529). The fact is that is functions differently. Previously, specialists used to take samples and investigate them using chemical agents and microscopes. However, the accuracy of this measurement depended on numerous variables; when at the moment, NMR provides an opportunity to exclude all these factors.
Agricultural Sector
Several obvious advantages come from the exploration of this very method. First of all, it could help to preserve the quality of water that is used in the agricultural sector. As stated above, at the moment the UAE has a great need for stable water supply. The usage of groundwaters and desalination plants helps to solve the problem partially. However, the tendencies towards the deterioration of the quality of groundwater, and its withdrawals introduce the need for the new approach.
Moreover, the peculiarities of the functioning of the desalination plant might result in the lack of minerals needed for the cultivation of crops. In this regard, the usage of NMR to determine the structure of the desalinated water could help to discover the lack of certain materials and provide researchers with an opportunity to add them and guarantee that crops will grow (“Water structure: Methods”). Moreover, water should also contain enough oxygen, and NMR will help to determine the low level of this substance. The procedure of additional oxygenation could be initiated to alter the structure of water and enrich it with useful elements (Margenot et al.).
NMR and Hydroponics
Furthermore, there is another reason that makes the usage of high-quality water extremely important for the UAE. The lack of agricultural lands and complex climate conditions prevent the evolution of the traditional way of crop cultivation. The UAE does not rely on conventional approaches; instead, the preference for hydroponics is given. It is one of the ways to grow plants without soils just using a developed root system to supply a crop with all minerals it might need.
However, the given approach demands a certain structure of water. It should be rich in elements that a plant traditionally absorbs from soil. In this regard, the NMR spectroscopy might help to determine minerals that should be added to water to cultivate crops and guarantee a rich harvest. Considering the prevailing character of hydroponic in the UAE, we could assume that it is crucial to be able to determine the quality of water, and NMR assists in accomplishing this very task.
Crops Quality
Delving into the potential impact NMR might have on the agricultural sector of the UAE, it is also crucial to admit the fact that the quality and quantity of crops could be improved in case the NMR is implemented. Agriculturists are sure that the quality of water has an overwhelming impact on the quality of plants and precondition the overall quality of the harvest (Munz et al. 101). It means that preserving the quality of water, the state will also contribute to the development of the agricultural sphere.
At the same time, researches also admit a serious lack of minerals and other elements in desalinated or recycled water and the tendency towards a further decrease in their percentage (Munz et al. 103). It means that the quality of crops will suffer. For this reason, the usage of NMR to determine the structure of water and add the needed mineral will help to improve the current state of hydroponics and guarantee that heavy crops will be acquired.
Potable Water and NMR
Moreover, the quality of potable water could also be monitored and preserved using the NMR as the main tool to determine harmful substances and guarantee that people will not suffer from their pernicious impact. As stated above, mainly desalinated water is used to satisfy people’s needs and provide them with the needed amount of minerals and other substances. However, the process of desalination is not perfect, and there are still many agents that might trigger an outbreak of a certain disease or result in the appearance of other problems.
For this reason, the usage of these very tools could be considered the guaranty of the enhanced quality of water residents of the state consume. Additionally, the usage of NMR it the given sphere could also improve the quality of life in the state significantly, and this fact should be taken another great advantage of this very approach.
Perspectives
Taking into account all the above-mentioned information, one could assume that the usage of NMR could result in an improved state of the agricultural and healthcare sectors and contribute to the increase of peoples satisfaction with the quality of life. At the same time, the UAE will be able to eliminate one of its vulnerabilities that come from the peculiarities of its geographical location and climate.
Stable supply and the high quality of water are two key factors that might guarantee the further development of any state and create the basis for the further increase of its population. That is why using NMR as the main monitoring and analysis tool, the UAE could also contribute to the significant empowerment of its current position which is extremely important for the further states development.
Challenges
However, the implementation of this tool into the water quality preservation system could also be rather complex. Several factors should be taken into account. First, the equipment needed from the NMR spectroscopy is rather expensive. because there are several desalination plants in the country, the implementation of this tool could be rather costly. Moreover, to be able to use NMR scanners, specialists should complete additional training needed to increase their competence and guarantee that their level of skill will be at the appropriate level. These two tasks could be rather challenging; however, in case the government of the UAE wants to improve the quality of water, the usage of this tool is necessary as it is one of the most innovative ways to monitor the quality of water.
Conclusion
Altogether, NMR is one of the most innovative methods that could be used to determine the purity of a certain substance and its structure. For this reason, it should be implemented in the UAE water supply system which faces serious challenges at the moment. The usage of NMR could improve the state of the agricultural sector and contribute to the increased amount of crops gathered every year. Furthermore, it could also help to preserve the quality of potable water consumed by people living in the UAE and improve their lives greatly. Several challenges might appear in the course of NRMs implementation; however, it should be used to help the state to evolve.
Works Cited
Liang, Wang, et al. “Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Characteristics of Oil and Water in Shale gas Reservoirs of Longmaxi Formation in Southeast Sichuan Basin, China.” SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts, 2016, pp. 3528-3532. Web.
Margenot, Andrew, et al. “Application of DRIFTS, 13C NMR, and py-MBMS to Characterize the Effects of Soil Science Oxidation Assays on Soil Organic Matter Composition in a Mollic Xerofluvent.” Applied Spectroscopy, 2017. Web.
Munz, Eberhard, et al. “The Potential of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Track Lipids in Planta.” Biochimie, vol. 130, 2016, pp. 97-108. Web.
“Water in the UAE.” Exploring the UAE. Web.
“Water structure: Methods.” Water Structure and Science. Web.
“What is NMR?” Hebrew Lab. Web.