As we approach World Food Day on October 16th, Kurita continues to believe in the harmony between man, nature, and technology. All three combine to recognize these United Nations’ days, which include World Food Day, World Water Day, and World Environment Day. These fall under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). World Food Day encompasses Kurita’s sustainable efforts in agriculture and water.
According to the United Nations, “More than 3 billion people (almost 40% of the world’s population) cannot afford a healthy diet,” and it has been worsened by food poverty, climate change, and the pandemic. How food is produced, prepared, and stored are active parts of a healthy diet. Over 150 countries combine with thousands of businesses to celebrate World Food Day and bring tomorrow into today with initiatives.
Along with the United Nations, the World Food Programme and International Fund for Agricultural Development fights world hunger not just through the giving of food but through actions. Since 1979, World Food Day raises awareness about hunger as well as sustainable agriculture and water. In 1997, Kurita founded the Kurita Water and Environment Foundation (KWEF) to support the development of finding new, improved solutions to water conservation and environmental protection. To this day, Kurita invests in the scientific study of sustainable development and continues to share knowledge and solution with the world to ensure a brighter future.
Referred to a “sustainable agri-food system” by the United Nations, this system provides “sufficient, nutritious and safe foods is available at an affordable price to everyone, and nobody is hungry or suffers from any form of malnutrition” (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). With worsening environmental changes, sustainable agriculture is more important than ever. Some examples of sustainable agriculture include crop rotation and diversity, integrated systems, and sustainable farming.
Kurita America innovates agriculture through water comprehensive testing that leads to high efficiency water use, sustainable with current allocates, use less well water, and ultimately increase yields. Our integrated chemistry, equipment, remote monitoring, and automation helps our customers reduce water usage and increase distribution uniformity.
By providing comprehensive and process solutions, we help our customers reduce energy and water usage, pollutant discharge, and chemical feed. Our reuse and reclamation systems reduce the use of fresh water for plant operations. Because environmental impact is driver for water reuse, initiatives like the United Nations’ Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) are influencing both government and private industry toward sustainable practices with SDG #6 specifically focused on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water. The Water Resilience Coalition, which Kurita was a founding member, was created in support of SDG #6, uniting global companies around a commitment to reducing water stress. Through a collective pledge, the coalition aims to positively impact 100 water basins around the world by 2030 to protect and conserve water.
We have worked with Pure Water for the World, where teams spent their time installing bio-sand filters in multiple locations, including family homes, a health clinic, children’s lunch center, and a seminary. Thirty-nine filters were installed and provides safe water for over 235 people. The volunteers also completed water and sanitation projects at two schools; a total of six latrines, three handwashing stations, and two bio-sand filters will help prevent the spread of harmful parasites for current children and teachers.
Bio-sand purification systems are economical and effective water solution for the areas they serve. The polluted water is poured into the top of the filter through a diffuser plate, then percolates and through multiple grades of sand and gravel within the filter to remove contaminants and pathogens. A wet bacterial layer at the top keeps “good” bacteria fed and alive to produce clean water for use for drinking, bathing, and cooking. The bio-sand filters are about the size of an office water cooler, are low in cost and require no power, and are simple to use and maintain.
Kurita America is equipped and committed to help achieve sustainability goals through water reuse. Innovative water management is crucial to solving the environmental, social, and economical issues that face us today. Some of our unique, sustainable products are the following:
- Kurita's Cetamine® is an all-organic, film forming amine technology that provides corrosion and deposit protection in steam generators, hot water boilers, and closed systems. The resulting boiler blowdown reduction and heat transfer improvement yield significant savings in water and energy costs.
- Kurita's DReeM Polymer™ is an FDA-compliant Polymer Technology that has won numerous conservation awards, including being named the most effective silica dispersant available in high temperature applications. It provides substantial energy savings and CO2 reduction with increased boiler efficiency.
- Kurita's Kuriverter® IK110 is a unique biofilm control agent that reduces energy costs by cleaning RO membranes without conventional disinfection chemicals nor system downtime, through continuous online dosing.
- Kurita America’s EnergyOUT™ RO technology removes dissolved ions in boiler feedwater, resulting in enhanced plant sustainability from lowered fuel demand, carbon emissions, chemical use, and water discharge.
- PhosZero™ is Kurita America's non-phosphorus cooling tower corrosion inhibitor that is environmentally friendly without the discharge or aquatic toxicity concerns of older technologies.
- Kurita America’s Simul-Wash™ is a combined air and water backwash system that uses about half the amount of backwash water as conventional backwashing systems. This unique water conservation features of Simul-Wash allow for reducing wash water consumption and operating expenses.
Kurita’s Code of Conduct illicitly states contributing to a sustainable society by developing new products and technologies; improving the environment by providing products, technologies, and services that boost productivity, reduce environmentally impact, and offer innovative energy solutions; and respect biodiversity and sustainability and reduce the environmental impact through operational improvement and innovation in conducting our daily business activities. Our corporate social responsibility has led us to install RO units, tanks, and support equipment to provide potable water in Togo; donations to the island of Dominica following Hurricane Maria; and water filtration kits to Cameroon.
Incorporating water management with World Food Day is just one of the steps that Kurita America is taking to make the future sustainable. Water is the life force, and agriculture is a heartbeat. Harmonizing man, nature, and technology through sustainable and innovative processes offers the solutions for tomorrow to happen today.
United Nations. (2021). About World Food Day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/about/en/