BEQEMPGWDY
Hemodialysis centers use huge amounts of water, but now research shows this water
can safely be recycled for agricultural purposes, saving money for the dialysis
center at the same time.
It
may be a strange concept, but the process of recycling water from dialysis
facilities is feasible and cost-effective, says Dr. Faissal Tarrass and his
colleagues at Hassani General Hospital in Nador, Morocco. His report appeared
in the July
issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the official journal of
the NKF.
During
dialysis, a machine and a special filter called an “artificial kidney” are
used to remove wastes and fluid from the blood. Large amounts of water are
used to prepare the dialysate and to rinse and reprocess the dialysis membranes
and
machines.
In
arid coastal regions, researchers estimate recycling facility wastewater
would result in cost savings of 20-30 percent in comparison to desalination
of seawater.
According
to Dr. John W. M. Agar, “facility-based reject water has provided
water for sterilizer steam generation, janitor stations, maintenance and landscape
care.
“I
estimate that the U.S. is likely to be discarding around 7.13 billion gallons
of grade ‘A’ potable water from their dialysis processes
per year,” Dr.
Agar said. “That’s about the annual water use for a U.S.
city the size of Salt Lake City!” To view the full story, please
visit www.kidney.org/newsroom, or you may view the study in depth
at www.ajkd.org.
