Qatar company makes desal breakthrough

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Sterling Water LLC of Qatar and Arrowhead Center Inc. of the US have forged an agreement to accelerate development of a break-through low-cost water desalination system.

This zero-emission technology can convert saltwater to pure drinking water on a round-the-clock basis – and its energy needs are reportedly so low that existing solar technology, or even the waste heat of an air-con system, could power it.

Sterling Water’s version of the technology is powered by a solar panel, which offers benefits beyond the energy necessary to drive the desalination process.

“We favour solar power since the spare energy also drives pumps that manage the source water and we can store energy overnight to maintain continuous production,” says MD George Forbes.

Based in water-scarce Qatar, Sterling Water intends to bring a commercial model into full manufacturing in the coming year. “What better place to roll out a desalination innovation than the Arabian Gulf region. Few other places in the world have such an abundance of sun, salty water, and demand for fresh water,” said Forbes.

A successful proof-of-concept model was developed last year by New Mexico State University engineers. The NMSU-led project transferred the science and prototype model from lab bench to a market capable product.

The research team, led by Dr. Nirmala Khandan from the College of Engineering at NMSU, claims to have achieved a major breakthrough.

The inaugural unit produced over 200 gallons per day, or enough pure water to meet the needs of about 15 people.

Many parts of the world have available brackish water resources that could be tapped and purified to augment limited freshwater supplies, but traditional desalination processes such as reverse osmosis and electrodialysis consume significant amounts of energy.

As with any desalination process, the system leaves behind a brine concentrate that must be disposed of, and some potential users may be put off by the unit’s height. Sterling Water intends to address these two issues with the next-generation commercial version it is readying for the market.

“When you aggregate the entire process from end-to-end, the overall cost of desalination by this process becomes almost insignificant, which opens the possibilities in uses never before thought possible. We believe this changes the game for our planet,” said Forbes.