Korean team uses AI to produce clean water

Approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, managed drinking water, and nearly half of the world’s population faces severe water scarcity at some point each year.

To combat these urgent problems, significant socioeconomic investments are being made in alternatives such as sewage irrigation, rainwater reuse and seawater desalination.

However, centralized water distribution systems often have difficulty adapting quickly to fluctuating water demands, leading to increased interest in decentralized water production technologies.

Researchers led by Dr. Son Moon at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have developed an innovative solution that uses data-driven artificial intelligence to improve electrochemical water treatment processes.

Collaborating with the team of Professor Baek Sang-Soo from Yeongnam University, the scientists created a random forest model, an effective machine learning technique, to predict ion concentrations in water more accurately than existing sensors based on electrical conductivity measurements.

New AI model demonstrated It achieved impressive accuracy, achieving an R² value of approximately 0.9 for predicting concentrations of important ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride.

This breakthrough enables real-time monitoring of water quality, which is essential for effective management of water resources.

The researchers found that the model needed to be updated every 20 to 80 seconds to maintain accuracy, indicating that frequent measurements are necessary. It is very important for monitoring specific ions.

Dr. Moon emphasized that this research is important not only for the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, but also for its potential applications in national water quality management systems.

This technology could significantly improve public water welfare by enabling precise monitoring of individual ion concentrations and contribute to more effective responses to global water problems.

As the world grapples with increasing water scarcity due to climate change and population growth, such innovations hold promise for improved water management strategies that can adapt to the needs of different communities.