Action needed to make desalination carbon-neutral and cheaper

The Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance, which the UAE joined last year, has called for increased governmental regulation to push for changes to the process of making sea water drinkable.

Masdar’s desalination pilot plant. The company wants more done to make the process more sustainable. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

MARRAKESH// More needs to be done to make the desalination process carbon-neutral and to reduce costs, according to experts at the Conference of Parties 22.

The Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance, which the Abu Dhabi green-energy company Masdar joined last year, has called for increased government regulation to push for changes to the process of making sea water drinkable.

Last year, Dr Ahmed Belhoul, the former chief executive of Masdar, said there was already enough interest to attract private firms and governments to the 150-member alliance, however more commitment is still needed.

“You need commitment, not just from government, to make this happen,” said Zitouni Dada from the United Nations Environment Programme. “It’s not surprising there is an increasing interest in the environmental impact of the desalination of seawater.”

Lifting energy subsidies could encourage private sector companies to create technologically advanced solutions to deal with the energy demands of desalination.

“Our view is let’s not push water uphill, building new plants is needed, then we can deal with the retrofitting,” said Paddy Padmanathan, president of Saudi Arabian energy firm ACWA Power.

“We are still looking for the best way to desalinate water, but reverse osmosis is the winner. We will see cost reductions in the next two years.”

Some suggestions have been to use solar power, used in a pilot programme by Masdar, or to harness the heat generated from the process towards other uses. However most scientists are skeptical of a singular solution, instead promoting a holistic change in the entire process.

“The UAE is doing a lot already, in terms of policy has set a clear agenda, but for me, quite frankly, what the UAE needs to do now, which they do reasonably well also, is to execute,” said Mr Padmanathan, “You have the institutions, monitoring mechanisms, that’s why you are showing some leadership in this area.”

The main environmental impacts of desalination in the region include brine being dumped into the Gulf, a small and current-free body of water, which impacts the salinity of the ocean and marine life. Ideas to tackle this include combining brine with municipality waste water to dilute the salinity.

The elements and chemicals used in osmosis also have a negative effect on the environment as does the release of heat during the process.