Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination: Qatar experience

and Visions

Dr. Nasser Alnuaimi

Director, Center for Advanced Materials

Qatar University

OVERVIEW

Introduction

Need for desalination

World Desalination Index

Gulf thermal and RO desalination capacity and recent trends

water challenges for Qatar

History of seawater desalination in Qatar

desalination capacity of Qatar ( RO and Thermal )

Conclusions

Qatar University: Facts & Figures (2018)

• Established in 1977• 9 Colleges• More than 20,000 students

Qatar University Comprises 17 Research Centers

Research Centers (Under VPR&GS) 1. Center for Advanced Materials (CAM)

2. Environmental Studies Center (ESC) 3. Central Laboratories Unit (CLU) 4. Laboratory Animal Research Center

(LARC) 5. Biomedical Research Center (BRC) 6. Social and Economic Survey Research

Institute (SESRI)

Research Centers (Under CENG) 12. Kindi Lab for Computing Research

(KINDI) 13. Qatar Road Safety Studies Center

(QRSC) 14. Gas Processing Center (GPC)

Research Centers (Under CBE) 15. Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE)

Research Centers (Under LAWC) 16. Centre for Energy and Sustainability

Law (CESL)

Other Research Centers 17. Qatar Mobility Innovations Center

(QMIC)

Research Centers (Under CAS) 7. Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) 8. Humanities and Social Sciences Center

(HSSC) 9. Gulf Studies Center (GSC)

Research Centers (Under CED) 10. National Center for Educational

Development (NCED)11. Early Childhood Center (ECC)

Attractive DestinationsThe Attractive Destinations, on the other hand, have a characteristically high inflow of researchers and a highly mobile research population – an average of 81 percent publish research abroad, the highest of all the groups. The researchers who stay in these countries, which include Qatar and Singapore, have the highest FWCI of all the groups.

Did you know that Qatar is one of the world’s most attractive destinations for researchers?

https://www.elsevier.com/connect/whats-your-countrys-research-personality

Global Water Crisis: H2O QUICK FACTS

Water scarcity will be one of the defining features ofthe 21st century.

The U.N. predicts that by 2025 two thirds of theworld's population will suffer water shortages.

Compared to today, five times as much land is likely tobe under “extreme drought” by 2050.

By 2050, 1 in 5 developing countries will face watershortages.

Sources: United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization; World Health Organization; UNICEF, 2015

Qatar Scenario…

Seawater Desalination is strategically important to the State of Qatar

Water stress is rising due to rapidly growing demands from population growth, industrialization, urbanization and agriculture

Qatar Nation Vision 2030:The scarcity of renewable water resources and the escalating competition for water is a major challenge in the sustainable development agenda for Qatar

Innovative desalination technologies that minimize both cost of waterproduction and the environmental impact should be further investigated

QNRS: Energy and Environment Pillar-Water Desalination

Grand Challenges: Water

Sources: Qatar Nation Vision 2030

Four Pillars of QNV 2030

Qatar Seawater Challenges

Salinity

Feed water quality

Algae boom

Temperature of feed water & difference

of temperature

High wind

High desalination

plant concentratio

n in the Arabian

gulf region

Absence of natural fresh water

Less annual rainfall

High evaporation rates

Domestic usage and growth

Industrial usage and growth

WATER A GRAND CHALLENGE FOR QNV2030

FRAMEWORK OF WATER IN QATAR

97.5, 97%

2.5, 3%

ocean

freshwater

68%

30%

2%

2.5 percent fresh water

glaciers

groundwater

fresh waterlakesandrivers

Total water available to us

8%

22%

70%

world water usage

domestic

industrial

agriculture

WORLD DESALINATION INDEX

Desalination is the answer to global water scarcity with the help ofemerging technology As earth has enough water in the form of sea whichcan be made potable using desalination

RO61%

MSF26%

MED8%

ED3%

Hybrid2%

Technology used

11888.69

5067.31

1559.18 974.5

0

5000

10000

15000

Desalinated water production world wide

RO MSF MED Hybrid & other

65%8%

12%

8%

7%

•World desalination capacity

Middle East

Asia

Europe

Africa

North & South America

MIG

D

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2168

336.43

167.14

MIG

D

MSF MED RO

82 % 12% 6%

GULF THERMAL & RO DESALINATION CAPACITY

Desalination Capacities of the Arabian Gulf (1970-2012)

7

1

3

1

19

1212

7

2

6

16

3

7

2 2

0

5

KSA QATAR BAHRAINKUWAIT UAE OMAN

NU

MB

ER

OF

PL

AN

TS

Number of Desalination Plants in the Gulf

RO MSF MED

77

0.2

74.5

25

183

54

647

263

70

473

1110

95

14.565 52

0

245

0

KSA QATAR BAHRAIN KUWAIT UAE OMAN

Desalination capacity of existing plant

RO MSF MED

MIG

D

Proposed future desalination plants and their capacities beyond 2012

132.244

96

48.9

157

201

80

369

70

52

249

0 019.8

63

0 5

100

0

KSA QATAR BAHRAIN KUWAIT UAE OMAN

desalination plant capacity of new & plants under

construction

RO MSF MED

MIG

D4

21

3

7

16

4

1 1

32 1

9

10 0 0 0

KSA QATAR BAHRAINKUWAIT UAE OMAN

NU

MB

ER

OF

PL

AN

TS

New and under construction desalination

stations

RO MSF MED

Recent trend and benefit of RO over thermal

Overall increase in Desalination capacity Technologies

Less power consumption

Modular Nature of RO

Membranes

Small footprint

Environment friendly

413

1128

2658

3373

376.5

558

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

EXISTING PLANT CAPACITY UPTO-2012

FUTURE PLANT CAPACITY 2012-2018&

BEYOND

MIG

D

RO MSF MED

11 %12%77%

24% 65% 10.7%

Population and Desalinated Water Production2000-2018

0.60.7 0.75

1

1.51.65

2

2.32.5

2.64

0.80.9

11.23

1.65 1.7 1.75

2.152.3

3.5

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

M3/

da

y

& M

illi

on

Qatar Population Growth(in millions)

Total Production of Desalintion Plants (million cubic meter/day)

1953

First plant was established using submerged tube

process having an out put of 150040

gallons /day

1962

First Multi Stage Flash evaporation

process was installed at Rass

Abu Aboud with a capacity of 1.5

MIGD

1977

Two plants were built in at

Ras Abu Faontas 1& 2

1982

First RO plant at Abu Samra

with a capacity of 149600

gallons/day(680m3/day)

2016-2017

RAS ABU FAONTAS SWROMPLANT

with a capacity of 36 MIGD

2017-2018

Umm Al Houl power and water project is 136.5 MIGD (621,000 m3/d)

Using SWRO

HISTORY OF SEA WATER DESALINATION IN QATAR

DESALINATION CAPACITY OF QATAR

75%

24%

1%

MSF

MED

RO

Overall capacity of Qatar sea water desalination up to 2010

MSF46%

MED15%

RO39%

Expected Qatar seawater desalination 2018-2022

MSF

MED

RO

SHIFT OF TREND FROM THERMAL TO RO

0.364

96

UPT2012 2012-2018 BEYOND

Mil

lio

n g

all

on

s /

da

y

RO

RO Power (RO)

263

333

65

128

UPTO 2012 2012-2018

Thermal

MSF MED

250 %

REVRESE OSMOSIS AND THERMAL CAPCITY CHANGE IN QATAR OVER THE YEARS

Conclusion

Apprehend the water problem across GCC

Ensuring desalination to be a primary objective of QNV 2030

Proposing a sustainable and cost effective desalination technology

The shift from thermal to RO technology beyond 2012 has quadrupled

Researches are being conducted to attain optimum utilization of resources

Credits and Acknowledgements

Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University

Qatar Water and Electricity Company (QEWC)