Currently, according to data from the World Health Organization, one-third of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water . Recent studies indicate that by 2030, half the population will be without access, with water demand exceeding supply by more than 40% (UN, 2015). By 2050, the need will become even more evident, as demand will grow by 55% , while the global population will reach 9 billion people (OECD, 2013).
It is estimated that 97.5% of the world's water is salty and unsuitable for direct consumption or crop irrigation. Of the 2.5% of freshwater, 69% is difficult to access, concentrated in glaciers, 30% is groundwater (stored in aquifers), and only 1% is found in rivers (ANA, 2018).
The lack of both access and water quality highlights the public health challenges in vulnerable areas: 1.8 billion people consume water from unprotected sources . More than 80% of wastewater generated by human activities—including household sewage—is discharged into the environment without being treated or reused (UN, 2018).
Data presented in 2013 by UNICEF reported that approximately 3.5 million deaths worldwide are caused by diseases related to poor water quality , such as cholera, amoebiasis, hepatitis A, and acute diarrheal diseases. In 2015, UNICEF studies indicated that more than 180 million people lack access to basic drinking water services in countries experiencing constant conflict, such as Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan.
The industrial sector is responsible for the use of 20% of water resources , with the food manufacturing, beverage, paper, pulp, metallurgy, chemicals, and biofuels sectors accounting for 85% of industrial water withdrawals (ANA, 2017). The productive sector's water needs will be even greater in the coming decades, as global water demand from the sector is expected to increase by approximately 400% by 2050. Globally, significant increases in water demand are expected for the pharmaceutical and food industries, according to data collected by UNESCO in 2017. In Brazil, 2.3 million liters of water are currently withdrawn from rivers every second for industrial use , most of which is used for the manufacture of beverages, food, and cosmetics.
However, the data is even more evident in the agricultural sector: the sector is the main source of water withdrawals worldwide, accounting for 70% of the water volume used (National Confederation of Industries, 2016). Although Brazil is the fourth-largest grain producer, it is the second-largest exporter in the world, with a 19% share of the international market. And, according to a survey conducted by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Brazil could become the world's largest grain exporter in the next five years. Currently, the country already produces enough food to feed more than 800 million people worldwide.
Thus, intelligent water resource management in the agribusiness sector helps minimize water consumption for food production and optimize crop yields, making it promising both as a sustainable and economic solution, while also bringing benefits to human and environmental health.
Still in the context of agricultural production, different technologies already exist on the market that aim to improve water management: The first example is rainwater harvesting systems , that is, large structures formed by cisterns that collect water, which may or may not be subsequently filtered using traditional methods of removing impurities using neutralizing agents – such as activated carbon or ultraviolet light – and then stored and distributed throughout the property.
A second approach involves large-scale river, lake, and lagoon diversion projects , which primarily benefit large-scale producers but also cause deforestation, desertification, and biodiversity loss. This segment also includes the construction of dams, a structure across the water flow that creates an artificial reservoir to supply the property.
A third technology is seawater and brackish water desalination devices that can benefit properties in the country's coastal region. Desalination is already practiced in largely wealthy countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Spain, Kuwait, and Japan. Existing desalination processes can be divided into the following categories: distillation, freezing, electrodialysis, and reverse osmosis.
In the distillation process, water is heated until it reaches its boiling point, and the steam is then passed to a condenser, separating the pure water from the salts remaining in the original container. Similarly, the freezing process involves cooling the water, and due to the difference in the freezing point between the pure substance and its solution, the salts are separated from the water. Electrodialysis, on the other hand, is a process that separates ions (anions and cations) from aqueous solutions in the presence of an electric field through a semipermeable membrane, separating only the salts from the water. Finally, reverse osmosis occurs through pressure and the presence of a semipermeable membrane that retains the solute. This process, in addition to removing salts from the water, also eliminates fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Finally, a fourth possibility is the use of smart irrigation systems , a technique that aims to deliver water in a controlled manner to the crops directly to their roots, by dripping water retained under pressure in underground pipes. This ensures that crops receive water in the right place, at the right time, and at the required flow rate, improving crop quality and reducing water waste.
Driven by a strong sense of environmental responsibility, Quasar Space offers solutions aimed at reducing water consumption for both large and small producers. Through our Cygnus of sensors and remote monitoring via satellite images, we assess the quantity and quality of water in the soil, enabling us to detect water shortages and leaks and measure the volume of water required to irrigate each plot of land at a chosen time. Simultaneously, the use of specialized devices allows for the implementation of a smart irrigation regime: the equipment, in addition to measuring water consumption, uses data collected by Cygnus and satellites to precisely irrigate the soil autonomously.