IDA Global Connections - Summer 2020 by International Desalination and Reuse Association

Summer 2020

IDA GLOBAL

CONNECTIONS Waste No More: Innovation and Digitalization Driving 0 Carbon, 0 Final Waste and 0 Liquid Discharge Page 24

Fifteen Years of Desalination in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain Page 18

How Neom is Approaching Water Reuse and Recycling Page 14

Discussing Privatization H.E. Eng. Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem Governor of Saline Water Conversion Corporation [SWCC]

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 | MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL 6 | MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 8 | COVER STORY: DISCUSSING PRIVATIZATION IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA; INTERVIEW WITH H.E. THE GOVERNOR OF SAUDI WATER CONVERSION CORPORATION (SWCC) 14 | EXECUTIVE INSIGHT: HOW NEOM IS APPROACHING WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING, BY MR. GAVIN VAN TONDER 18 | PUBLIC UTILITY LEADER INSIGHT: FIFTEEN YEARS OF DESALINATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF SPAIN, BY MR. FERMIN LOPEZ UNZU 24 | EXECUTIVE WOMEN OF OUR INDUSTRY: WASTE NO MORE: INNOVATION AND DIGITALIZATION DRIVING 0 CARBON, 0 FINAL WASTE AND 0 LIQUID DISCHARGE, BY MS. ANNELISE AVRIL 28 | STUDENT CORNER: SURVEY TO STUDY THE LIMITING FACTORS OF DESALINATION DEVELOPMENT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BY MR. IVAN SOLA

32 | AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT: A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT OF JAPANESE DESALINATION ASSOCIATION, BY DR. HIDEO IWAHASHI 36 | IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS: IDA’S INFANCY AND EARLY YEARS. (PART TWO), BY DR. JIM BIRKETT 44 | R&D SPOTLIGHT: INNOVATION AT THE WATER-ENERGY NEXUS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSTIY 48 | DOE SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE, BY MEGHAN HUGHES 50 | THE AGUA DOCE PROGRAM, BY DR. EMILIO GABBRIELI

IDA Global Connections is published quarterly. The views expressed in articles contributed to IDA Global Connections quarterly publication are not necessarily the views of the International Desalination Association. IDA assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and/or artwork.

Editorial Director Shannon McCarthy Editorial Inquiries +1-978-774-0959 info@idadesal.org Sponsorship Inquiries +1-978-774-0959 sponsorships@idadesal.org This publication is produced on recycled paper in support of sustainability

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL Dear Members and Colleagues,

HE Eng. Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem, the Governor of Saudi Water Conversion In these uncertain times, it is more important than Corporation (SWCC). The discussion focuses ever to come together as a global community. on the dynamic privatization journey of SWCC. We hope that you are well and keeping safe. We hope you enjoy learning more about the progressive steps H.E. Governor Al-Abdulkareem During this past quarter, the IDA Board of is taking to implement the program. Directors in communications with the County Government of Mombasa decided to change On July 29 we are pleased to feature a special the venue for the 2021 IDA World Congress. The IDA Academy webinar on Innovations in IDA desire and commitment to bring to Africa, Brine Mining held under the patronage of HE the World Congress, remains unchanged. Governor Al-Abdulkareem and chaired by Dr. Ahmed Al-Amoudi, the Director General of SWCC Simultaneously, the IDA is pleased to announce Desalination Technologies Research Institute. A its flagship event will return to Australia a decade later from the IDA World Congress held complete program of this webinar is available in Perth. The 2021 World Congress in Sydney, on the IDA website. will be held throughout the week of November 7-11, 2021. The Congress week will showcase a robust technical program, global industry leaders summit, dynamic exhibition, innovative training courses, facility tours, and networking opportunities. More information is featured on page 60.

We hope you enjoyed the IDA Academy Spring 2020 Webinar Series focused on Renewable Energy & Advanced Water Treatment Solutions. Many respected industry experts shared their knowledge and helped us to build community from their homes' comfort and safety. Our members have risen to these difficult times In this Issue of IDA Global Connections, we are with passion, brilliance, and hard work. We are honored to feature an exclusive interview with grateful.

Due to Covid-19, the IDA event for Fall 2020, the third International Water Reuse & Recycling Conference: Making Every Drop Count, to be held in Rome, Italy, is now scheduled for March 15-17, 2021. The conference event preparations are well underway. The Association will accept abstracts for the technical program until December 15 and is actively calling for sponsors and strategic partners. For more information, please visit wrr.idadesal.org. We are pleased to report that during this last quarter, the Term 19 YLP Committee has been working diligently to launch the 2020-21 IDA Mentor program. Mr. Michael Warady has written an excellent piece on program’s history and benefits, allowing young professionals to gain insight from experienced IDA members into the water reuse and desalination world. To become involved with the YLP, we welcome you to view page 64 and get in touch with your regional coordinator or contact info@idadesal. org.

waste using innovation and digitalization. Also included are: the Public Utility Leader Insight article focused on desalination in Spain by Mr. Fermin Lopez Unzu of Acuamed; A research team from Northwestern University discusses new collaboration for innovation at the waterenergy nexus; an article on the unique Agua Doce Program in Brazil by Dr. Emilio Gabbrielli; an update on the US Department of Energy Solar Desalination Prize; a note from the President of our Japanese Affiliate, Dr. Hideo Iwahashi from JDA; a Student Corner piece from Mr. Iván Sola; and the second of a two feature op-ed piece on the “IDA Genealogy,” provided by IDA Honorary Council Member and Past President, Dr. Jim Birkett. This issue highlights resources and research endeavors toward a more sustainable future. There is much to look forward to, so please mark your calendars for all that is to come! We are thankful to our membership community for its continued support.

In addition to these exciting updates, Stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy this issue! contributions in this issue include two executive Shannon K. McCarthy insight pieces, one from Mr. Gavin Von Tonder of IDA Secretary General Neom, on water reuse and recycling, the other from Mrs. Annelise Avril of Suez, on how to reduce

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT experience and technology, ranging from reuse by simple filtration that removes suspended Covid-19 has imposed great restrictions, but solids to elimination of salts by reverse the experience of quarantine has helped osmosis technology. We can achieve zero us to strengthen our belief in ourselves, our brine concentration and discharge to obtain businesses, our teams, and our ideas. the required qualities depending on the use to which the product water is put. As Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theory of evolution proved: complications make us stronger and prepare There is a clear intention to expand the water us to better withstand a situation of constant reuse in the market, and increase reuse levels in uncertainty. In this context, I would like to all countries. The new European regulation will express how robustly our sector has endured enable increasing the use of reuse technologies and is enduring this period of instability, during in Europe, thereby helping to fight water stress which our treatment plants have continued and scarcity. To date, European legislation to produce and treat water with even greater had not been of much help, but now there is availability, we have continued to build the an appropriate framework. Greater reuse of plants contracted prior to Covid-19, and the treated wastewater will decrease withdrawals sector has shown itself to be resilient. from surface water bodies and groundwater, In this time of change, IDA continually works to promoting water savings and ensuring a high degree of environmental protection. promote best reuse practices. Dear Members,

Reuse of wastewater constitutes a source that could easily replace conventional water resources for many uses in agriculture or industry. Today we have the necessary

Currently and due to the situation, there is a general shortage of government funds for construction and upgrading of water infrastructures, but it is not true that there are

no other well-managed financing sources as good as or better than state budgets. We know, there are funds for water-related projects in the multilateral bodies. Many financial institutions and banks have the necessary appetite for financing water infrastructures provided that the payment and withdrawal guarantee of the transactions are properly structured.

resource that is being used for industrial uses and agricultural purposes (10-15% and 7080% respectively), reserving our freshwater resources for future generations. With only 4% of water reused globally to date, there is a large gap to cover growing global water needs. With desalination and water reuse solutions, our sector can fill this gap.

The application of funds by private enterprises ensures the economic support, which relieves the pressure on global and regional economies, drives professionalization of the sector and provides solutions to the aforesaid challenges. As an example, the public-private model in combination with Project Finance that has achieved excellent results over the past decade, implementing many water solutions and upgrading infrastructures with record rates. This allows all the stakeholders involved to make progress to obtain a risk optimization model under which each stakeholder assumes the risk for which it is best prepared.

In IDA we believe that alternative water resources can help to make a better world, so we promote them in every activity we develop. We hope to count on all our members and associates to continue to be a standard bearer in the desalination and advanced water treatments. I hope you enjoy summer 2020 and, that those of you who get the chance to go on holiday enjoy it with your loved ones.

Carlos Cosin IDA President

Also, it is crucial to invest in social awareness and education of the population so that people understand that recycled water now achieves exceptional quality standards that are high enough to allow it to be considered a water resource that is safe for health and for companies. Local and national strategies are needed to promote the healthiest use of recycled water in the best conditions. And as acceptance by users increases, standards for reuse will be achieved and accepted around the world, which will help in the fight against water shortages and water stress. The big challenge in the next decade is to overcome these four barriers. If we can achieve this, then incredible solutions will be available to replace the very limited precious freshwater

Interview with

H.E. Eng. Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem Governor of Saline Water Conversion Corporation [SWCC]

DISCUSSING PRIVATIZATION IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA COVER STORY

After the recent launch of SWPC's PPP plan, the market is very excited about the asset privatization plan from SWCC. Can you explain the next steps, proposed schedule, level of investment required and the overall scope of projects to be launched under the privatization plan? Over the past several years, the SWCC privatization team has been working under the oversight of the Supervisory Committee for Privatization in the Water Sector to: finalize the program structure; secure the needed approvals across all related authorities; and as the program is implemented successfully, to transfer the ownership of the existing SWCC water transmission assets under a new national transmission company â&#x20AC;&#x201C;TRANSCO - which asset transfer is targeted to be implemented in phases to secure seamless transition to the new asset management structure. On a deferent path, the Program intends to sequentially divest ownership stakes in all privatization-ready production assets of SWCC to a well-qualified, privatesector consortia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first project to be offered for privatization is the Ras Al Khair desalination and power generation plant. The privatization program is based on a flexible PPP model and its implementation is subject to appropriate market conditions. The level of investment required will depend on the production capacity of the particular assets and some of the assets may be bundled with percentage of ownership by the private sector to be determined individually for each bundle.

Since this program does not require the construction of water and energy plants, but focuses exclusively on investment and operation of existing facilities, how has the privatization plan been received by the international community given the return on investment KSA is offering? What is the profile, according to your criteria, of the companies that would be interested in the plan, given that we are normally used to having construction companies in this business? The Privatization Program has been received very positively by regional & international investors, including both strategic players active in the water & power sectors as well as large institutional investors with an interest in infrastructure asset acquisition and investment in Saudi Arabia. The envisioned asset ownership structure is aligned with that of IWPs and IWPPs. Given that one of the main privatization objectives of the Kingdom is to improve the operational efficiency of water production and power generation assets, potential investors have to strongly demonstrate the ability of their team to operate & maintain similar plants, along with financial capacity of the investors to complete such transactions. Strategic and financial investors are expected to form consortia that can collectively satisfy technical and financial criteria to acquire and operate SWCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plants. The specific eligibility criteria for the potential privatization consortia will be announced in the project tendering packages.

What scope is being given to the program for revamping or improvements of the facilities? Within the plan, there are both modernized plants and older ones, how does the program propose potential improvements to ensure better energy and technical performance, for example changing out thermal processes for RO where possible? Our strategy is to slowly phase out and retire thermal desalination plants as they reach the end of their useful life. At the same time, we are planning to replace the retired thermal plant assets with stateof-the-art reverse osmosis desalination facilities to benefit from the energy and capital cost advantages offered by the latest technology advancements. In alignment with our privatization strategy we are working to assure that all of the production bundles are economically and environmentally sound to attract investors and to encourage their investment in asset enhancements that result in cost effective operations and reasonable return on investment. Furthermore, the most viable set of asset enhancements will vary from project to project depending upon the nature, technology and age of each of the assets included in the bundle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SWCC and private investors share a common goal to optimize the asset structure and capacity from both operational and financial perspectives.

Our approach to harnessing the benefits offered by the private sector combines the best-of-two worlds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; low-cost public capital and high-efficiency with a highly reliable operation and oversight structure. The privatization process will be combined with a strong governance model which assures protection of public safety, reliable water supply and market-driven competitive water tariff structure which will be imbedded in a well-defined contractual framework tailor made for the respective bundles, taking into account the individual characteristics of each asset / bundle. Private investors would be incentivized contractually to achieve operational efficiencies and meet or exceed performance targets in terms of water quality, quantity, price and use of consumables. One of the benefits that SWCC will offer to the private sector is assurance that the service continuity is maintained by transitioning existing well trained and capable employees of SWCC to the private sector for each production bundle within the process of PPP to assure seamless integration of existing work force in the new project ownership structure in accordance with applicable KSA Government regulations covering this topic and promoting fair treatment of employees.

Once privatized, how will SWCC ensure the plants are run at optimum capacity and SWCC standards? What is the plan for staff transferring from the public to private sector? 11

What are SWCC future plans to achieve synergies with renewable energies that will contribute to having a more sustainable infrastructure network with less CO2 emissions? In parallel with the exploration of renewable power alternatives, the SWCC research institute â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DTRI â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is working on the development of new generation of energy recovery devices, high pressure pumps, and membranes which aim to bring the total energy use of desalination plants to less than 2.45 kWh/m3 and the energy demand of the reverse osmosis desalination system below 1.8 kWh/m3. These advancements will result in the reduction of the total energy use and carbon footprint of desalination plants with over 30%. The new technologies are tailored to fit equally well in both existing desalination plants and future reverse osmosis facilities. The new energy recovery device we are developing at present is designed to reuse over 98.5% of the energy remaining in the brine after membrane separation. Such energy recovery efficiency will exceed significantly the performance of the commercially available best-in-class energy recovery technologies and will address some of the flaws of these technologies such as brine mixing and equipment complexity. Our team of researchers is also working on a disruptive improvement of the efficiency of the high-pressure pumps used for reverse osmosis desalination. Currently these pumps have efficiency between 75 and 83%. The new pump technology we

are developing in cooperation with leading pump designers and manufacturers is targeting efficiency of 95% or more. Taking into consideration that high pressure pumps consume between 70 and 75% of the total energy in desalination plants, this dramatic improvement of pump efficiency will yield to an unprecedented reduction in desalination plant carbon footprint. In close cooperation with the University of California Los Angeles, we are developing a new generation of reverse osmosis membranes that will combine high rejection of salts and seawater impurities with extremely low energy use. We plan to the have the 8-inch membrane prototypes tested in full scale conditions this year and to begin construction of a membrane production facility in the Kingdom in 2021. Mining of high-value minerals from the seawater brine is a cornerstone of our future research and desalination project development. Over the past two years we have developed and tested an advanced membrane-based brine concentration technology which is capable of producing high-purity sodium chloride brine that can be used as a brine source by the chloralkali industry. This technology is evolving into zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system that would allow to extract not only sodium chloride from the brine but also other high-value minerals such as magnesium, bromide, rubidium, and lithium. One of the key distinctive features of our new brine mining technology is that it operates at total energy use that is less than 50% lower than the most advanced ZLD technologies

commercially available on the market at present. Our vision is to harness the value contained in seawater brine and use it to subsidize the production of desalinated water, thereby bringing this water cost down to zero and transforming desalination into the lowest cost fresh water production technology in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Can you share with the IDA community how the Saudi Water Academy within its training program is aimed to provide a strong new cadre of RO plant operators and technicians? In general, our ambition for the Saudi Water Academy, is to address the training needs in the desalination market for the RO process, the predominant technology being used globally. SWA has developed a new, robust immersive and interactive training program for RO operators based on our extensive depth of knowledge as a world leader in this

technology. However, this represents only a part of the total transition that is happening within the Academy. We are actively expanding our overall program to cover new areas that will create an inclusive program for the complete water professional. This is being accomplished through a significant transformation to become a commercial global water academy that enhances and contributes to the water industry worldwide by offering high-quality programs, worldclass instructional design, and a blended mode of delivery using enabling and immersive technologies. The ambitious vision of the Saudi Water Academy aligns with human capabilities development objectives that are inspired by the vision 2030, positioned to positively contribute to the holistic development of talent in the water sector and related industries in the Kingdom and beyond.

EXECUTIVE INSIGHT 14

HOW NEOM IS APPROACHING WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING By Mr. Gavin van Tonder NEOM is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia. On the shores of the Red Sea, it being built from the ground up to serve as a living laboratory to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Founded on the principles of environmental conservation, NEOM will be an economic engine for the region and the world, providing exceptional livability for its residents and visitors and supporting an ecosystem in which entrepreneurship will be supported by technology to drive thriving businesses.

And in a world first, NEOM will pilot the use of 100% solar energy-powered desalination plants at scale which promise more sustainable practices and no brine discharge.

reuse and recycling protocol at the heart of its water strategy. practice, there will be Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) across all the operations. Wastewater treatment plants in NEOM will be regarded as water resource recovery factories with every drop of wastewater treated and then recycled. This output will be utilized for landscaping and, under certain circumstances, for local agriculture. Nutrients will be removed from the wastewater and recovered for agricultural and economic purposes. Under NEOM’s strategy, water will be assessed according to both its quantifiable value and its qualitative worth in order to derive the maximum benefit from the resource. For example, the use of treated water to develop a water way, generate a park for recreation and a habitat for wildlife may be seen as a low value proposition economically and yet, from a holistic standpoint, it could be considered high worth for the quality of life in the NEOM environment. Because at least 25% of NEOM’s water demand will come from landscaping and slightly less than that from household consumption, recycled water from the wastewater treatment plants will be insufficient to meet the landscape demands so irrigation will have to be topped up with desalinated, potable water.

But in a desert environment, the provision of water is a major challenge. In meeting that challenge, NEOM aims to be a global water reference focused on sustainably improving water performance through the development of a world class infrastructure employing cutting edge innovation and technology. For this reason, NEOM does not plan to have a separate grey and black water system as the And in a world first, NEOM will pilot the use infrastructural costs of establishing two systems of 100% solar energy-powered desalination are not warranted. We do not see it from a plants at scale which promise more sustainable pure cost perspective, but from a maximizing practices and no brine discharge. Whichever resource, enhancement of environment and systems are used to meet water demands, with minimization of overall cost with a strong focus

on lower operational costs rather than lower capital costs. Whole of life value is brought into play. The requirement to recycle water inside the premises or to capture and utilize rainwater will not be a necessity due to both the large demand requirements for irrigation and the very low rainfall in NEOM. Flushed water from the potable network will drain into the recycled water system for use in irrigation - thus reducing water losses and safeguarding drinking water quality. Stormwater runoff and flood water will be treated and collected in separate reservoirs for use as irrigation water and, whenever possible, to facilitate groundwater recharge. While seawater will not be used for sanitation or fire services due to the additional infrastructure and treatment costs and our ZLD commitment, it can be used for both district and greenhouse cooling in order to reduce the demand for fresh water. The Fire Services will be supplied with recycled water and backed up from the potable water network. This will reduce losses and water quality issues in the potable water network which has much higher cost water. Irrigation water will be tailored to fit the needs of specific plants. Some, such as tomatoes, can be irrigated with higher saline water. In addition, the divalent ions taken from the first phase of the desalination process are beneficial to irrigation and can be mixed with desalinated

water in order to return some of the beneficial chemicals. As we are writing this though, we would encourage people to share their Innovations and ideas with us. What would you do differently if you were building a region from a scratch and wanted it to be a showcase to what the world should be striving for? NEOMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desalination process will use high recovery systems allowing more than 60% of the water to be recovered, thereby lowering the seawater intake and, crucially, decreasing the volumes of brine to process. This in turn reduces the overall energy demands of seawater treatment. Brine processing will then recover a further 20% to 30% of the seawater and convert it to fresh water during crystallization and evaporation processes, thereby ensuring that 90% of the seawater intake is converted to potable water. Brine processing will also produce chemicals and minerals required in the mineralization of the desalinated water in order to make drinking water of a very high quality. From an industrial wastewater perspective, NEOM will extract high-value chemicals and minerals for reuse and resale, such as the ammonia used to clean electronic wafers. Dedicated extraction techniques and membranes will be utilized such that all of the chemicals and minerals in the water are seen as a resource rather than as effluent. Following the principles of a circular economy, NEOM will end ground water abstraction and

restore and recover the aquifers in order that water returns to the surface, thus ensuring that water processing is not only sustainable but also contributes to the environment.

By rethinking our relationship with and use of water, NEOM is demonstrating its role as an accelerator of human progress by reinventing the cycle and demonstrating how the world can move to using this precious resource in an NEOM is focused on the reuse and recycling economical and sustainable fashion. of water at every step of the process from the moment seawater is collected through to the For more information on NEOM, please visit treatment of wastewater to benefit irrigation, www.NEOM.com. landscaping, industry, domestic use and public water features.

About the Author G a v i n v a n To n d e r o r i g i n a l l y h a i l s f r o m South Africa where he started his career as a Process Chemical Engineer working for Sasol Oil Company. In 1989 he joined Schlumberger Oilfield Services in South Africa and has worked and lived in Italy, Scotland, Singapore, Vietnam, India, China, UK, Australia and Malaysia in the Oil, Gas, Electricity and Water Industries. Gavin started in the Water industry i n 2 0 0 1 a s A s i a P a c i f i c V i c e P r e s i d e n t, and in 2010 was transferred to Itron HQ in France as the Global Marketing and Systems Vice President for Iron W a t e r a n d H e a t. I n 2 0 1 3 G a v i n w a s m a d e President of Itron Water Division in France and was transferred to Austin, Te x a s i n 2 0 1 6 . G a v i n h a s m o r e t h a n 2 0 years global experience in the Water industry and has worked with Water Utilities and Water Companies around the globe, providing solutions, systems and products to enhance their efficiency and improve their performances. Gavin has started factories and facilities from

greenfield in China, India, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia and Mexico. In 2018 Gavin was approached to join NEOM as the Water Sector Head to develop out the Greenfield Water Infrastructure from 100% Desalination with Zero Liquid Discharge, through to a Smart IoW network, and full reuse of waste water t r e a t m e n t, i n c l u d i n g p r e s e r v a t i o n o f S t o r m W a t e r R u n o f f, a l l w i t h a f o c u s o n a fully Circular economy.

PUBLIC

UTILITY LEADER INSIGHT 18

FIFTEEN YEARS OF DESALINATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF SPAIN By Mr. Fermin Lopez Unzu The Mediterranean area of Spain is characterized by hot dry summers and mild wet winters with periods of intense rainfall in spring and autumn. The water cycle associated to this Mediterranean climate frequently results in droughts and floods. This region is also one of the economic leading areas of Spain which depends on the availability of clean water resources.

To deal with these problems, the government of Spain established Acuamed to take actions in five large infrastructure programs that respond to two main objectives: generation of new resources (Desalination and Wastewater reuse) and improvement of management and protection of the environment as it relates to water quality improvement, flood protection, environmental restoration, water resource The combination of a high demand for water to infrastructure and irrigation methods. maintain the economy coupled with the scarcity of natural resources results in very well-known In accordance with the scarcity scenario, problems like permanent drought situations, generation of new water resources has over-exploitation of groundwater with a accounted for more than half of the investment of subsequent decrease in quality, restriction the utility. The desalination program is principal situations for irrigation and even for drinking and includes the construction and operation of purposes, environmental and economic damage 12 desalination plants able to supply up to 409 due to flooding, and lack of water resources to hm3/year. Two big water transfers and several maintain ecological protected areas. water distribution systems were also built and are now operated. Furthermore, recent studies carried out by the Climate Change office of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic challenge assessing the impact of climate change on natural water resources over the whole country show a future global reduction of natural river flows. The analysis, which used two global warming scenarios, six climatological models and one rainfall runoff model, indicate by 2040 there will be a reduction of 3% to 7% of natural water flow in the whole country. By 2040-2070, the reduction average is expected to be between 11% and 14%, and in the last part of the century (2070-2100), the reduction will reach 13% to 24%. Rivers in the Mediterranean area will suffer higher reductions of natural flows.

The Levante is the Spanish principal area of intensive, irrigated horticulture. Orange groves, fruit orchards and even some rice fields are all characteristic, with vegetables crops being a landmark of the region. Farther to the south, vast swathes of the landscape are covered with greenhouses producing high quality fruits and vegetables to feed the European market. As a result, 6 out of the 12 desalination plants are destined to supply water for irrigation purposes also; this use represents around 40% of the total production capacity. Such volume of irrigation water is able to guarantee the supply of water to 250,000 hectares. On the other hand, the available capacity for drinking water guarantees a supply for 3,000,000 people. Most users of water for irrigation are highly efficient farmers associated in large communities sharing common water distribution systems, and in some cases, even owning private desalination plants. They grow highly valuable crops and they also have developed efficient irrigation systems including drip irrigation and even in some cases, hydroponic crops. These communities have access to other resources like surface water, water transfers, groundwater

and reused water, and they tend to blend them but using mostly the cheapest. But as all these resources are to be used accordingly to the permits issued by catchment water authority, in recent years the authority is starting to rule the use of desalinated water with priority, at least when drought alert levels are declared, bearing in mind that other resources can be stored for later use. Farmers are also slowly switching their minds in this direction. Currently, there are 11 plants in operation and 1 under construction. As an illustration of how these plants are helping to alleviate the scarcity of surface water resources, the following graph shows the evolution of the volume of water that the utility has provided to its users, classified on the origin of the water: desalination, water treatment (which includes waste water reuse) and surface water (inter-basin transfers and major pipelines). The oldest plants (Carboneras, Marbella, and el Atabal) started operation in 2005, and during the first eight years levels of desalinated water production remained relatively stable (and low). During this period surface water

Water delivered to users by type of instrastructure 300.000.000 250.000.000

Cubic meters

200.000.000 150.000.000 100.000.000 50.000.000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Desalination

Surface water through big pipes and water transfers

Figure 1.- Water delivered by type of infrastructure

Water Treatment

delivered through major pipelines and inter- Acuamedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desalination plants have reached basin transfers between catchment areas was a high and stable rate of operation, mainly in equivalent to desalinated water. the Segura and the Andalusian Mediterranean basins, providing a very significant volume of However, in 2012 the desalination production total water resources. During these years of started to increase, with a significant jump in low rainfall and drought, no city has suffered 2016. In that year the River Segura catchment from water cuts, and the agriculture-based area and AlmerĂa were entering a first water companies were able to maintain their market scarcity period with pre-alert and alert levels share. This high rate of use and demand by Desalinated water delivered by destination 200.000.000 180.000.000 160.000.000

Cubic meters

140.000.000 120.000.000 100.000.000 80.000.000 60.000.000 40.000.000 20.000.000 0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Urban / Domestic

Agriculture

Industrial

Figure 2.- Desalination production by destination

declared. Since then levels of desalinated water production have been steadily increasing. Last year it reached a total maximum of 281 cubic hectometers. In six years, desalination production has increased threefold.

users has led to undertake studies to assess the possible expansion of desalination plants in the Segura Basins and the province of AlmerĂa, based on the determinations of the basin authority. This expansion could provide an increase in the desalination capacity of 91 hm3 In the period from 2004 to 2015 the principal / year, so raising the total capacity to 500 hm3 destiny of desalinated water was for urban / year. supply. Since 2015, however, agriculture has been the main user, as it needs a constant Desalination plants have proven to be an and regular water supply in order to cope with effective tool to fight the effects that global contracts signed with the major food distribution warming and climate change are having on companies across Europe, and other water water resources, but at the same time, they are resources were scarce or even inexistent. also heavy energy consumption installations. The five biggest desalination plants which As such, an energy efficiency program has been are also the plants providing resources to implemented, and a zero-emission practice is in agriculture: Torrevieja, Aguilas, Valdelentisco, place. Permanent energy monitoring is carried Carboneras and Campo de Dalias have been out to compare specific consumption of all the equipment in each plant with average energy operating almost at full capacity.

ratios, by means of a monthly evolution analysis. Energy audits are also carried out to comply with the Government Decree 56/2016 and EU Directive 2012/27 aimed at the promotion of energy efficiency.

It may be concluded that as climate change is affecting the availability of natural water resources, desalination and reuse coupled with renewable energy are very powerful tools that can help deal with water scarcity. But in order to improve water security, desalination plants Regarding the use of renewable energy, 100% and reuse installations are to be integrated in of the energy currently consumed by Acuamed wider water distribution networks to improve comes from renewable sources as specified in the resilience of the systems. the annual tenders for the acquisition of energy. This implies a slight cost overrun, corresponding The operation of desalination plants must be to the guarantees of origin, but this is the way to done with utter respect to the environment and promote renewal energy installation. on a zero-carbon emission basis.

About the Author Mr Fermin Lopez Unzu is Chief Operations Officer of Acuamed, managing assets worth 3600 Million â&#x201A;Ź. He is a water resources specialist who joined Acuamed in 2006 as Deputy Director of Engineering. He started his career in consulting engineering companies as a p l a n n i n g a n d a s s e s s m e n t E n g i n e e r, dealing later with the design, promotion, financing and operation of hydraulic infrastructures for water production, distribution and sanitation with a strong link with energy.

He studied at the Imperial College of L o n d o n o b t a i n i n g a m a s t e r â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s d e g r e e i n Engineering Hydrology and the Diploma of IC. He obtained a PhD in Mathematical Modeling at the University of Madrid and a m a s t e r â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s i n B u s i n e s s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n b y the Instituto de Empresa of Madrid (IE). His first degree is in Forest Engineering from the University of Madrid.

A Spanish state-owned company which reports directly to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic challenge of the Spanish g o v e r n m e n t. I t w a s s e t u p t o p r o v i d e solutions to water infrastructure problems in the Mediterranean basin arch. It is a comprehensive operator of hydraulic infrastructures supplying water to communities of irrigators,

councils and companies dedicated to the distribution and supply of drinking water to different types of users.

Member of several international associations has published articles on storm hydrology, mathematical modeling of hydrological processes and economic management of water infrastructures.

The company does the design, construction and operation of water infrastructures that have been identified t o b e o f n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t.

women Executive

W of our

industry: Waste No More: Innovation and Digitalization Driving 0 Carbon, 0 Final Waste and 0 Liquid Discharge By Ms. Annelise Avril

The global COVID-19 crisis has been particularly revealing for our water industry. Maintaining the safe delivery of essential services under such constrained conditions has confirmed our conviction that digitalization and innovation are a critical path to strengthen the resilience of our infrastructure and operations, as well as maintaining a remote but strong connection to our end customers. This crisis has also highlighted the need to fast track our journey towards sustainability and to support a green recovery. Digital solutions, cutting-edge technologies and breakthrough innovations will be instrumental in tackling the great challenge of our time: achieve zero net carbon emission, zero liquid discharge and zero final waste.

emerging environmental health issues. This is specifically the essence of resilience. In this context, digital transformation involving technologies such as Internet of Things, data analytics, machine learning and computer vision plays a key role in boosting the robustness and reliability of our operations. It also supports sound and faster decision-making processes under changing conditions. As an example, there is a growing interest in the development of digital twins of our plants to better control our assets remotely, run various scenarios in real-time, with systems making predictions that automatically trigger changes in set-points or better support faster data-driven decisions. Also, using augmented reality-based tools gives â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;augmentedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operators access to extensive information from the field or enable them to perform remote visual inspections or tasks.

Going back to our old ways of doing things is not an option: our future relies on two pillars, resilience and sustainability. What does that mean? Secondly, sustainability is to achieve the triple zero ambition (zero net carbon emission, zero Firstly, we need to increase our ability to cope liquid discharge and zero final waste) faster. This with and adapt to significant risks and crisis, implies reducing the environmental footprint of such as the consequences of climate change or our infrastructure and operations in order to

prevent any further adverse consequences on our planet, people, and economy. Achieving this ambitious goal means significantly change our production patterns and the way we use natural resources. For instance, we need to switch to a next generation of chemicals made of plant-based raw materials with lower required dosage, turn to waterbased formulations and avoid petroleum-based materials.In the same manner, we must fully support the circular economy by boosting the production of green energy on our plants (e.g. hydrogen from biogas on wastewater treatment plants) to achieve carbon-neutrality or, even better, carbon negativity; recovering biproducts (struvite, nitrogen, biofertilizers, brine transformation), as well as recycling membranes and equipment.

Some innovation programs run over there with SUEZ membranes and automation experts are still delivering further benefits in terms of resilience and sustainability. For instance, Christies Beach MBR plant aeration control pilot system has resulted in an energy efficiency ratio drop from 1.3 kWh/m3 to 0.75 kWh/m3. Glenelg Recycled Water Treatment Plant dynamic GPS-X model and full-scale trial of dosing ferric chloride prior to OUT/IN aged membranes extended the asset life of tertiary UF membranes through smart control of the fouling events and reduced the energy requirements of the membrane plant.

To conclude, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a tough experience for many of us and, in many ways, it has acted as a wake-up call. It will speed up our digital transformation and our A few words on my experience will also give transition towards a carbon-free and circular food for thought on future developments. From economy. 2014 to 2016, I had the privilege to manage the Allwater Alliance in charge of delivering For our industry, some positive signals have water and wastewater services to the 1.2 million already been received with the EU Parliament, people of Adelaide metropolitan region in South adopting Water Reuse Regulations which will Australia. This part of the world is said to be increase water reuse in agricultural irrigation the driest State in the driest continent. In the from 1.7 billion m3 to 6.6 billion m3 per year. peak of summer, 100% of the flow reaching our Innovation and digitalization will play a key role Southern wastewater plant was recycled for in supporting these transformations. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get various purposes. the water industry to turn our blue planet green!

About the Author With 25 years of experience in the water industry, Annelise Avril is an expert leader in water technology, water o p e r a t i o n s a n d u t i l i t i e s m a n a g e m e n t. Originally from France, Annelise holds a Masters degree in Engineering (Hydraulics), as well as a Masters in Science (Environmental Physics and Chemistry). Since 1995, she has held various operational positions within the Suez Group, specifically

in water engineering and in water & w a s t e w a t e r s e r v i c e s a s P r o j e c t M a n a g e r, R e g i o n a l O & M M a n a g e r, P e r f o r m a n c e & Improvement Manager and General Manager of water utilities in France and abroad. She is currently the CEO of SUEZ Consulting, the SUEZ international subsidiary delivering engineering a n d c o n s u l t i n g s e r v i c e s i n t h e w a t e r, e n v i r o n m e n t, energy and mobility sectors across 25 countries.

STUDENT CORNER 28

SURVEY TO STUDY THE LIMITING FACTORS OF DESALINATION DEVELOPMENT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES By Mr. Ivรกn Sola The continuous increase in global freshwater demand for different uses (e.g. industrial, agriculture, consumption, among others) highlights the important role played by desalination technology as one of the most feasible alternatives to address global water scarcity. The development of desalination projects has significantly increased in the last decade. There are currently more than 18,000 desalination plants installed in the world, representing an approximate capacity of more than ~95 million m3/day. However, the most freshwater production capacity is concentrated in some regions with Middle East and North Africa regions representing 48 % of total production capacity installed (Jones et al., 2019). This increase in desalination projects has been carried out more rapidly in some countries or regions than in others. With the objective of understanding which are the main factors influencing the development of desalination projects in different countries, at the University of Alicante (Spain) in collaboration with industry, we are conducting a survey to study the main requirements (economic, environmental, legal certainty and social aspects) for desalination projects developed and the most limiting factors for the global development of desalination projects. The expected experience gained in this research should be considered in order to increase desalination development in countries where

desalination concerns may represent a barrier for the solutions desalination can provide. Some of the factors that may be involved in the development of desalination in each country are the requirements and complexity of national laws; the economic and energy costs of water

It would be of great help to have your collaboration by completing the survey as desalination experts. Please fill a survey for each country in which you have worked in. This survey is anonymous and it will take just a few minutes to fill in. Survey production; the government's commitment; the legal certainty of the country; the management of brine discharges; the public-private financing for the development of desalination plants; the requirements established during environmental impact assessments or the social acceptance of the projects; among others. The experience gained to date shows that it is possible to achieve a long-term sustainable desalination when adequate measures and proper requirements are implemented.

All of these requirements and limiting factors of desalination will be evaluated in this research to intend helping the desalination development in all countries and to advance towards a long-term sustainable desalination addressing the water demand challenges. Do not hesitate contacting

us if you need any clarification and/or wish to receive the results when they are available: ivan. sola@ua.es. In addition, the results obtained will be published and shared on different platforms as the next IDA Congress in 2021.

About the Author Iván Sola is working as predoctoral researcher under the supervision of José Luis Sánchez Lizaso (University of Alicante, Spain) and Domingo Z a r z o M a r t í n e z ( S a c y r A g u a S . L .) . H i s PhD is focused on the environmental aspects of seawater desalination and the management of desalination plants during their operation phase to minimize their environmental impacts. He studies the requirements of environmental assessment process and the regulatory and legal framework for obtaining environmental authorizations for desalination projects in different

countries. With the aim of promoting cooperation between industry and scientists for the sustainable development of desalination. Finally, he is studying the most limiting factors for the global development of desalination projects such as the economic or environmental aspects. He has presented in different International congress and published in scientific journals. He is m e m b e r o f I D A Yo u n g L e a d e r s P r o g r a m a n d h e w a s a w a r d e d f r o m I D A Wo r l d Congress 2019 in Dubai to recognise the b e s t p a p e r p r e s e n t e d b y a y o u n g l e a d e r.

AFFILIATE

SPOTLIGHT

JAPAN DESALINATION ASSOCIATION IS SEEKING FOR CHALLENGES IN ADVANCED HIGHPERFORMANCE MEMBRANES & INNOVATIVE MEMBRANE PROCESS By Dr. Hideo Iwahashi Improving hygiene is essential around the world to protect our lives from the threat of Covid-19, and the importance of clean water will increase. In order to solve the shortage of water resources and to further spread the reverse osmosis process that can obtain clean water at a low price, the development of membranes and membrane processes that can stably exhibit good performance is an eternal theme. We at JDA are working hard every day to pursue this theme. Examples of JDA's challenges We introduce two challenges in the development of membranes and membrane processes that JDA is working on. The first one we will introduce is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mega-ton Water Systemâ&#x20AC;? (1,000,000 m3/d of product water) Project, which has been developed and demonstrated in Japan for more than 10 years. Currently the age of Mega-ton Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) has arrived mainly in the Middle East. With these trends in the global market, the requirements of sustainable SWRO desalination as green desalination for the 21st century are summarized under three subjects: 1) Energy resources: Renewable energy, 2) Seawater RO system: Advanced membrane and membrane system, 3) Desalination drainage (brine) to reduce marine pollution: Green desalination. The core of the above requirements is the improvement of RO membrane performance, that

is, the realization of high salt rejection and highwater permeability at low pressure. The specific development target is over 99.8% Rejection at 5.0 Mpa. This is equivalent to achieving the same salt removal performance at 15% lower pressure compared as conventional membrane, and various improvements have been achieved. As a result, in standard salt concentration seawater including RO membrane part, Specific Energy Consumption achieved a low value of 2.8 kWh / m3 in the whole process. In addition, in the Membrane Process, we have developed Biofouling Monitoring Technology that is friendly to the marine environment, without using chlorine or dechlorinating agent, for Biofouling on the RO membrane surface, which is one of the biggest trouble factors. The key to its realization was the establishment of indicators that accurately determine the occurrence of biofouling. The establishment of this indicator is so important that it is presented in a little more detail as follows. The membrane biofilm formation rate (mBFR) was established to provide a simple and reliable biofouling potential quantification tool that can easily be conducted in a RO plant. Its container is composed of consecutivelyconnected separable opaque plastic short columns and a RO membrane cut piece is installed in each short column as a biofilm formation base to prepare the exact same physicochemical property and the roughness of the surface of the RO element within the desalination plant

for accurate biofilm development monitoring. The biofilm is quantified by measuring the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). mBFR is measured as pictograms of ATP per square centimeter per day. A guideline on the RO chemical cleaning frequency for RO plants was established based on the accumulation of mBFR data of RO feedwater together with RO operation data. From our experience, a higher mBFR value always results in earlier biofouling (increase in pressure drop). A mBFR value below 10 pg-ATP/ cm2/d seems to be an appropriate target of RO feedwater quality to assist plant operators in preventing biofouling. Based on the above results, we conducted a verification test at Al-Jubail (SWCC), Saudi Arabia. We are currently considering the construction / operation of a commercial scale plant in Ummluji, Saudi Arabia. Another challenge is the Project by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Global Aqua Innovation Center', which is the development of new RO membranes with excellent robustness,

by full use of Japan's most advanced nano-carbon technologies. The specific aims are the following three items. 1) Energy saving by low resistance and high flux of membrane by applying carbon nanotubes. 2) Robust material on operating temperature range, pH and cleaning condition, etc. 3) Anti-fouling features to prevent adhesion of impurities such as protein. The membrane design is newly developed by applying carbon nanotubes (CNT) to polyamide, which can achieve the higher permeability, while water molecules smoothly move through the specific channel region formed around CNT in the active layer, which is named Multi-walled Carbon NanotubesPolyamide Nanocomposite RO (MWCNT-PA RO). The most significant feature of this membrane is that with same ability to produce water and eliminate salt as the common Polyamide (PA) membrane in the market the significant improving on the anti-fouling performance has been obtained. For example, in the conventional PA membrane, when feed water containing a large amount of protein is flowed, the mesh portion of the membraneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spacer will be fouled in about

one week, but this MWCNT-PA RO membrane does not accumulate such fouling matters. Labscale development has already been completed, and verification tests on the modules by real sea water are currently underway. When it is put into practical use, it is expected to be useful for raw water with severe contamination.

Summary We introduced two examples of Japanese efforts to develop stable and high-performance membranes and membrane processes. This is an eternal theme, not an end, and in this respect the JDA will continue to play a leading role in the new world after Covid-19.

About the Author D r. H i d e o I w a h a s h i i s a S e n i o r A d v i s e r of the Water Business Division of Mitsubishi Corporation and a former Chief Engineer (Desalination) of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. He has been the

Chairman of the Japan Desalination Association of NPOs since 2017 and was also on the IDA Board of Directors from 2011 to 2015.

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

IDA’S INFANCY AND EARLY YEARS: 1985-1995 By Dr. Jim Birkett The previous article in this series covered IDA’s ancestry, including the interaction of the International Desalination and Environmental Association (IDEA), the Water Supply Improvement Association (WSIA) and the Working Party for Fresh Water from the Sea (WP). It concluded with the formation of IDA through the amalgamation of IDEA with WSIA and the first elections of the infant IDA in Bermuda in 1985.

Remember that this was in the days before e-mail and even before the wide-spread use of fax. Nearly every communication was by Telex, a cumbersome medium. Attached as Exhibit I is a copy of a Telex from Floyd to Isam Jamjoom in March of 1984. It gives an idea of the complexity of the process and the many individuals pitching in. But it was not an easy birth. Many details had to be sorted out and agreed upon by members of IDEA and WSIA. If there was a key individual during this period, it was most likely the late Floyd Meller (Ionics, Inc., USA). As President of WSIA and interim Co-President of IDA, Floyd had a calm, easy-to-work-with manner that smoothed the rough edges of

the many participants. Remember that this was in the days before e-mail and even before the wide-spread use of fax. Nearly every communication was by Telex, a cumbersome medium. Attached as Exhibit I is a copy of a Telex from Floyd to Isam Jamjoom in March of 1984. It gives an idea of the complexity of the process and the many individuals pitching in.

Financial Arrangements for the Merger Until the merger, IDEA had been operated wholly by volunteer labor and had no office nor the expenses related thereto. As a result it had accumulated some $140,000 from the net profits of its conferences and from dues. In contrast, WSIA maintained an office and a paid Secretary General. Net profit on conferences and dues was enough to keep its office going but its operating surplus was modest. As a result it was feared by some at IDEA that the merger was merely an attempt by WSIA to get its hands on IDEA’s money. This issue was ultimately solved by putting most of IDEA’s cash into a dedicated scholarship account honoring the memory of the late K. C. Channabasapa. “Channa” had been the Chief of Membrane Processes at the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT), U.S Department of Interior. He was a great advocate of membrane technology and highly influential in getting funding in this direction. However he died unexpectedly while at OWRT and his loss was felt throughout the desalination community. The scholarship continues to this day.

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Constitution As mentioned previously, Leon Awerbuch and Kris Buros, representing WSIA and IDEA respectively, worked feverishly to prepare a Constitution supporting the best interests and ambitions of the two merging groups. Of Thus IDA started out with probably less than course it included the usual “housekeeping” $100,000 in the bank in the hopes that the language but a few points bear mention. ensuing Bermuda World Congress (1985) Article II, Section 1, “Goals”, specifies the revenues would improve their situation. goals to be “the development and promotion (It did.) of …..desalination….in water supply, water reuse, …..: Thus water reuse was within IDA’s original writ. This was of only marginal interest in IDA’s early days but it has become increasing important in recent years. Of course the new IDA the regional affiliate, NWSIA (now AMTA), needed some “seed money” as well. As a result some of WSIA’s modest cash balance was transferred to NWIA, the remaining going to the new IDA.

Article II, Section 3, “Principles” contains the language “Maintaining neutrality whereby all members are treated fairly and impartially without regard to religion, race, sex, political beliefs or nationality.” As well as “keeping and maintaining neutrality with regard to governmental or corporate policies and the politics of countries, agencies, companies and others.” Such principles are very laudable. However, in the real world executing on these principles to the letter is difficult.

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

Article IV, Affiliate Membership The merger agreement itself included the provision that those members of the original WSIA who had a more regional than international interest in desalination and water reuse would be accommodated in an affiliated regional association. The Constitution, once approved, defined this “…the policy of the Association (IDA) to promote and encourage the formation and/or cooperation of other membership organizations whose goals are in harmony with those of the Association.”

Not only did this agreement hurt IDA’s finances, but it required that every other World Congress be held in Europe, limiting IDA’s desire to move the Congresses around the world. A qualifying regional association must have a minimum membership of 50, at least 25 of whom must be members of IDA. It should have a defined geographical orientation and this should not be less than one country. The Regional Affiliate would run programs and meetings within its region so as to avoid conflict with IDA activities. (It was the undocumented hope of IDA that while it itself would run major international programs every two years, the Regional Affiliates would run their major regional programs in the alternate years. For the first few years, it actually worked out that way!) There was also (and still is) a looser category of “Association Affiliate”, aimed at associations not significantly interested in desalination but whose “Objectives and goals in harmony with the purposes of the Association”.

Early Financial Structure As stated earlier, IDA was born with limited financial resources. While the Constitution specified that the Treasurer and Comptroller ensured that the recordkeeping of financial matters be accurate and in keeping with good practices, it did not give any hints as to the Association’s fiscal policy. In February 1987 the budget showed a surplus of $20,000 on total income of $135,000. It was the President’s recommendation that, with the major World Congress’s occurring every two years, the financial planning be done in two year increments. That is to say, acknowledging alternating fat and lean years. While a lean year might show an operating shortfall that might be acceptable if the following fat year could confidently be expected to return a margin in excess of that shortfall. The goal would be to always have a two-year cumulative positive margin. This would make it possible to build up a “cushion” of funds allowing IDA to ride out any unforeseen hard times. It was estimated that such a cushion would provide a defensive interval (cushion divided by annual fixed expenses) of about 12 months. This policy is still in place today.

The Working Party (WP) again In his letter above, the President also touched upon the question of IDA’s continuing cooperation with the WP, an informal relationship inherited from IDEA, and its impact on IDA’s finances. It appeared that IDEA had many years ago established a policy whereby every alternate biennial international conference would be organized by the WP and held in Europe. The WP was now expecting IDA to hold to that earlier agreement. At first the new IDA tried to be accommodating. The World Congresses in Bermuda (1985), and

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

Cannes (1987) all included the WP as CoOrganizer but the WP insisted on a share of the income and a larger share of the organization. IDA resisted. Not only did this agreement hurt IDA’s finances, but it required that every other World Congress be held in Europe, limiting IDA’s desire to move the Congresses around the world. In the spring of 1987 the IDA Board voted to terminate its relationship with the WP, following the Kuwait World Congress in 1989 (already in planning stages). (We will hear about the WP once more when we discuss our regional affiliates)

In IDA’s earliest years an effort was made to keep a part time office in Glasgow, Scotland to better serve its European members. This experiment lasted only a few years and never was really successful.

Office(s) The main office of the IDA remains in eastern Massachusetts, USA, as did that of WSIA and its predecessors. It has moved over the years from Ipswich to Topsfield and now to Danvers but always just a stone’s throw away.

Affiliates proliferated The creation of IDA Affiliate organizations has surpassed the founders‘ dreams. At last count they numbered nine Regional and seven Association affiliates. This is both a blessing and a curse. It demonstrates IDA’s leadership

Publications For a brief period (spring of 1986 to the winter of 1968) IDA published 10 issues of The IDA Magazine which gave association news, affiliate news, regional news and some technical papers. Ad revenue never covered costs and it was abandoned in 1968. It is still however a good source of early IDA history.

some form of association and the IDEA/ WSIA merger process with its possibility of Regional Affiliates provided the incentive to proceed. Key individuals promoting this were H.E. Abdullah Al Ghulaighah of SWCC and Abdulaziz Al Sheikh of Amiantit, Inc. A draft constitution was prepared in 1985 and the name Water Sciences and Technology Association (WSTA) chosen. The territory to be served was the Arabian Gulf region with Of course the “new” WSIA, the North American the headquarters in Bahrain. The first General Affiliate, was born on paper simultaneously Meeting was scheduled for Al Khobar, KSA, in with IDA’s birth in January, 1985. However October of 1986. creation and approval of a constitution took some time and WSIA was not incorporated Although the three above named associations until December, 1985. The first president was formed the original core of IDA’s Regional David Furukawa and their first conference Affiliate program, many more soon followed. was held in Washington, DC, USA in 1986. There were eventually even sub-regional The organization’s name was changed to affiliates formed within Regional Affiliates, the American Desalting Association (ADA) in prompting Dr. Bill Hanbury of Glasgow in an 1983 and again to the American Membrane issue of The IDA Magazine to quote Augustus de Morgan’s poem Technology Association (AMTA) in 2000. position in the fields of desalination and water reuse and offers a template for creation of regional organizations. Yet it has a down-side as well. Each Regional Association (depending on its size) may delegate one (voting) Director to the IDA Board. Each Association Affiliate may delegate one (non-voting) Director to the board as well. Three especially were established shortly after IDA’s birth.

The European Desalination Association (EDA) was likewise formed in 1986 with Dr. Tom Temperley as its first President. In 1993 it merged with the European Desalination Society (EDS), a like group which had been formed by individuals previously active in the Working Party (WP)! In 1996 IDA recognized the reconstituted EDS as the Regional Affiliate officially representing the European region.

“Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.”

What’s next? It makes sense to close out this period of IDA’s history in 1995. That marked the tenth year of IDA activity and coincided with the 5th The Middle East desalination community World Congress in Abu Dhabi. That was also as early as 1984 had discussed having a turning point for the IDA World Congresses.

Errata The Winter, 2020, issue of Connections contained the article “IDA’s Genealogy. The author thanks Leon Awerbuch for pointing out that the first Vice President was not Dr. Adil Bushnak, as stated. The first Vice President was Adrian Veenman of the Netherlands. However Veenman resigned from the IDA Board prior to the Cannes World Congress and Bushnak was there elected to be IDA’s second President. Leon also points out that the date of the WP conference on Gran Canaria was 1978.

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

Suddenly exhibitors were pounding on the door, begging for space. Space ran out. Tents had to be set up to accommodate everybody and their displays. It was pandemonium on

every level. And IDA suddenly realized that the market wanted to exhibit alongside a stellar technical program to optimize commercial aspects of their activities.

About the Author Dr. Birkett’s admirable career includes more than 50 years’ experience in the study of desalination, advanced water treatment, and membrane separation industries and technologies with Arthur D. Little and West

Neck Strategies. He is a Past President and Director of IDA, recipient of the IDA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the former editor of “The IDA Journal on Desalination and Water Reuse.”

R&D SPOTLIGHT 44

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: INNOVATION AT THE WATERENERGY NEXUS: NEW COLLABORATION AIMS TO DEVELOP MORE EFFICIENT WATERENERGY TECHNOLOGIES Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s using massive amounts of water to generate electricity or using enormous quantities of energy to move, clean and heat water, water and energy are undeniably, closely and crucially connected.

Led by Northwestern University and BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev, CoWERC will research, develop and commercialize technologies with potential to reduce the energy needed for desalination, A new multi-institutional program, called improve safe wastewater reuse and improve energy recovery. the U.S.-Israel Collaborative Water-Energy Research Center (CoWERC) seeks to tackle Announced in March 2020, the consortium challenges and explore opportunities that sit has a total budget of $18.4 million, including at this water-energy nexus. a $9.2 million grant over 5 years from the U.S.

Department of Energy, Israel’s Ministry of Energy and the Israel Innovation Authority. CoWERC is part of the U.S.-Israel Energy Center program, administered by the U.S.Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. The highly collaborative consortium includes partners from leading research institutions, water utilities and private companies across the United States and Israel. “CoWERC’s binational partnership allows us to link innovative processes and materials from both countries into new desalination system configurations,” said Northwestern’s Aaron Packman, who co-leads the collaboration. “We can use our combined expertise to tailor ion selectivity, for example, that increases water recovery from inland brackish waters and enables additional brackish water sources to be accessed in a cost-effective manner.” Packman is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of Northwestern’s Center for Water Research. He co-leads CoWERC with Moshe Herzberg, a professor of environmental engineering at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR) at BGU. The CoWERC team first will focus on nutrient and energy recovery from wastewater as well as high-recovery desalination. As water scarcity increases from population growth, environment degradation and climate change, researchers and governmental officials increasingly look toward marginal waters (municipal wastewater and brackish groundwater) as sources for drinking water and agriculture.

“There is a critical need to develop technologies to achieve maximal recovery when desalting brackish water,” said desalination expert Jack Gilron, who is a professor at ZIWR and the desalination project lead at CoWERC. “The current processes use a tremendous amount of energy or a very large land area to treat desalination concentrates. Employing energy saving membrane processes to recover more

water from these concentrates, and thereby reducing their volume, would reduce both the carbon footprint and the land footprint for inland desalination.” For treating wastewater, CoWERC will evaluate an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) process, in which municipal wastewater are efficiently, biologically treated and separated with membranes from sludge. While this process is more sustainable than other common processes, it’s not without its challenges. A major disadvantage is that it produces liquid waste and sludge that are rich nutrients (reactive nitrogen and phosphorous), which create significant economic and environmental burdens for disposal. “We believe we can turn this disadvantage into a benefit,” Herzberg said. “We are developing a new platform to extract and recover these nutrients, so they can be used as fertilizers.” The CoWERC team also is finding new ways to recover energy, including biogas (methane) and nitrous oxide, a compound that is commonly used to boost horsepower in gasoline engines. The biogas composition produced by AnMBR can vary from 50% to 90% methane, which can be used for heating and electricity. The process, however, has significant disadvantages, including high costs, poor nutrient removal and high carbon emissions. This is another area that the team wants to confront with new technologies. “Interestingly, urban wastewater contains more energy than the amount needed for its purification,” Herzberg said. “Our aim is to recover this energy, along with nutrients, and reuse the treated water.”

SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE 48

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOLICITS INNOVATIONS FOR $9 MILLION SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE COMPETITION By Ms. Meghan Hughes In April, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office launched the Solar Desalination Prize, a $9 million prize competition designed to accelerate the development of solarthermal energy-powered desalination systems. Using solar-thermal desalination to treat non-traditional water sources, such as those produced by oil and gas extraction, has the potential to reduce electricity costs, which accounts for up to half the expenses for state-of-the-art desalination plants. The Solar Desalination prize is part of the American-Made Challenges (AMC) Network, a series of prize competitions aimed at incentivizing the nation's entrepreneurs to strengthen American leadership in energy innovation and domestic manufacturing.

Throughout the competition, competitors have the opportunity to win over $2 million in cash prizes and $200,000 in vouchers. The vouchers cover the cost of work at a national laboratory or facility in the American-Made Network to validate the desalination technology proposed by the chosen competitors. By the end of the competition, the teams will have designed a solarthermal desalination system, obtained the necessary permitting and approval documents, built the system, and then demonstrated the operation of the system. The National Renewable Energy Lab, which administers the AMC Network, is also seeking connectors to help support the competitors by providing technical expertise, testing facilities and other resources.

The prize competition is structured in Competitor submissions for the first four phases. In each of the first three, phase are due July 16. competitors are selected to advance to the next phase. Read the competitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official rules for details on submissions and competitor In the first phase of the competition, eligibility. participants submit innovative concepts. Learn more about the American Made If chosen to advance from the innovation Challenges Prizes by visiting https:// phase, competitors form teams or join americanmadechallenges.org/. forces to bring their innovations to the concept stage. Sign up to receive updates on the Solar Desalination Prize.

THE ÁGUA DOCE PROGRAM 50

THE Ă GUA DOCE PROGRAM (PAD) USES DESALINATION TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE QUALITY WATER TO RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL By Dr. Emilio Gabbrielli The Ă gua Doce Program (PAD) is an initiative of the Federal Government of Brazil, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Regional Development in partnership with federal, state, municipal and civil society institutions. It aims at establishing a permanent public policy of access to quality water for human consumption in the Brazilian semi-arid region through desalination systems using reverse osmosis technology. This region, which spans over 10 of the 27 States of Brazil, is characterized by thousands of sparse low-income rural communities, some founded by escaping slaves hundreds of years ago. The groundwater, which is the main source of water, is brackish and salinities found

cover the whole spectrum of brackish water up to values in the range of sea water. Due to geological characteristics, the production capacity of deep wells is small. In most cases it is just enough to produce water for personal consumption, cooking and bathing of infants. The PAD has proven incredibly successful and resilient. It has already achieved having 811 plants in operation serving 320,000 people. Unless delays occur due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it aims at reaching the landmark figure of 1000 operating plants by the end of the current year. This success is against all odds given the disadvantaged context, the high level of analphabetism and limitations of local government. The

management of the desalination systems, with effective participation by communities and representatives of municipalities, states and the federal government. In each community, â&#x20AC;&#x153;shared management agreementsâ&#x20AC;? are built and signed. These instruments define the management responsibilities of the parties, with the key responsibility resting with the community itself. The capital investment for the plant and its periodic maintenance, including chemical analysis of raw water and permeate, comes from the Federal Government, but the cost of running the plant on a day to day bases has to be met by the community. Another differential of the PAD is the environmentally appropriate destination of the effluent generated in the desalination process. Whenever possible, depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the concentrate, this is taken advantage of for other uses such as animal feed, growing fish of the Tilapia species and irrigation for biosaline agriculture. Crops produced are normally of Atriplex Nummularia, which is used as fodder to grow sheep and goats. When reuse is not possible, which is not frequent, the effluent is released into a containment tank for evaporation, preventing soil degradation. There are ten agreements in execution, one for each one of the States of the Brazilian semi-arid region, with an investment of approximately R$ 260 million (around US$ 50 million) to supply quality water to 1,200 communities. Since the beginning of implementation, 3,378 communities in 270 of the most critical municipalities were diagnosed. Approximately 2,400 operators, all from the communities to be served, were trained.

key to success has been some key differentials which have meant strong The desalination systems built so far have an installed capacity to produce around social mobilization and buy-in. 3.2 million liters of drinking water per A key differential is in fact the shared day. Considering the minimum reference

flow rate of a deep well of the PAD, which is approximately 1,000 l/h and is typical of a large part of the wells located in the Brazilian semi-arid region, a system has normally the potential to produce safely 4,000 l/day of desalinated water according to a day-time production schedule established. The recovery is always kept low to minimize use of pretreatment and the risk of fouling of the membranes. This amount allows one well to supply 400 people with 10 l/day of drinking water per person. The biggest challenge has been to secure continuous supply of electric power, both because of unreliability of supply and its cost. With a view to overcome it, the PAD has started introducing the use of solar energy to feed the desalination systems. The first pilot project using photovoltaic panels has been implemented in the municipality of João Câmara, Rio Grande do Norte, followed by a few more. The 2020-2025 work plan includes an ambitious program to introduce solar energy in many other plants. 1500 photovoltaic solar systems are expected to be installed to serve the PAD desalination plants.

The IDA acknowledged the success and contribution of the PAD with a Presidential Award at the IDA World Congress in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2017. The PAD was also recognized as an initiative which adopts an integrated approach to sustainable development and fight to poverty in a parallel event to the UN Economic and Social Council held in New York in May 2017.

About the Author Emilio

Gabbrielli has a degree in the CEO of the Global Water Partnership,

Chemical Engineering (1972) and a Post-Degree Certificate (1973) from the Bologna University, Italy. He has 45 years’ worldwide experience in water and is now operating as an independent c o n s u l t a n t. H i s m a i n a r e a s o f e x p e r t i s e are desalination and reuse and water utilities. Between 2003 and 2008 he was

the IGO promoting sustainable management of water resources. He has served the IDA as a director for several t e r m s a n d a s P r e s i d e n t i n 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 7. H e is a member of the IDA Honorary Council and VP of the IDA Foundation. He is an Honorary Global Ambassador of the Australian Water Association.

A NOTE FROM IDA SECOND VICE PRESIDENT 54

WHAT THE PANDEMIC PICTURES DO NOT SHOW US By Alejandro Sturniolo, Second Vice President of IDA (International Desalination

Association) and Director of ALADYR (Latin American Association of Desalination and Water Reuse)

Our environment has been deteriorating since the industrial revolution. The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed us to look at the canals of Venice and see the waters changing with the industrial shutdown this pandemic has placed upon us. The shutdown has created a striking difference on our environment, specifically with hundreds of rivers around the world, water reserves and even with the air quality. The photos of the before and after a third of the world had stopped due to the virus speak for themselves. What if instead of taking a picture of the water, we take an x-ray? If we are concerned with what we see in these photos, we should be more concerned with what is not visible, and what is surely not of our knowledge. As a reference, according to the WHO, around 56 million people died in 2017 worldwide, 12.6 due to the unhealthiness of the environment, almost one in four people. Starting with the oceans. Not all the carbon dioxide that is emitted through human industrial activities and creates the global warming concern, remains in the atmosphere. Between 25% and 50% of these emissions are absorbed by the oceans, making them more acidic. For this reason, ocean acidification is called the evil twin of global warming. This process can cause plankton reduction, affecting species that support the food chain (made up of other marine beings like us) and play an important role in regulating the global climate. If this continues to advance at this rate, in 75 years 30% of marine species can become extinct.

Additionally, we find a huge amount of pollutants generated by domestic and industrial waste and washed by storm water until being discharged untreated to rivers all across the world (Eutrophication). In the case of untreated wastewater, they have the presence of pathogenic organisms (mostly from the intestinal tract), heavy metals, personal hygiene products, drugs, plastics and microplastics (less than 5 mm), carcinogenic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides that make these waters extremely dangerous. In some places, they are consumed again without treatment and not only reach the sea to poison our oceans, but also a large part of the world's population. Due to this problem, 1.8 million people die each year from diarrheal diseases (including cholera); 90% of these people are children under the age of five, mainly from developing countries. Another major problem that is increasingly present in surface waters is the presence of phosphorous and nitrogen, especially from sewage. This favors cyanobacteria, organisms with certain bacterial traits and some characteristics of algae that can be toxic to both animals and people. The SuquĂa River in the province of CĂłrdoba, Argentina, is one of the most affected by this problem. We also see it impacting the East Coast of the US in the Chesapeake Bay in MD and the Everglades in FL. Nutrient discharge from sewage does not only promote the growth of cyanobacteria, nor to a local

problem where these contaminants are released into the environment. The combination of the nutrients generated by agriculture (62% of what reaches our oceans), the increase in the temperature of the ocean water caused by climate change and the help of fertilizers that reach our rivers is the perfect formula for the appearance of sargassum that grows on the Caribbean coast. Forest activity also has a significant effect. Once sargassum is stored on beaches, decomposition of organic matter occurs. In addition to the awful odor, algae putrefaction generates leachates, hydrogen sulfide and arsenic that can contaminate soils and ecosystems. When the algae are in suspension, they make the water turbid, and prevent the photosynthesis of other species of algae and seagrasses, destroying oxygen in the region, causing â&#x20AC;&#x153;dead zonesâ&#x20AC;? and causing other algae and aquatic species to die as well. The x-ray also shows us the plastic progress. It is estimated that currently 8 billion tons reach the sea per year. As is known, plastic does not degrade in the environment, but breaks into smaller and smaller particles, forming microplastics.

In the sea, this occurs through the action of ultraviolet rays, added to the movement of the waves and the action of some bacteria. Many marine animals mistake this pollutant for food and fail to eliminate it, so their digestive tract is blocked, and they starve to death with a stomach full of these components. Due to the small size of micro-plastics, it has been shown that microplastics can leave the sea into the atmosphere and return to land, thanks to a phenomenon called bubble burst effect, where the wind helps transport them and they are incorporated into the microplastics already present in the air. They can also travel through the atmosphere and reach the top of the highest mountains in the world, touch the ground again thanks to the rain and percolate in our aquifers to reach our table as mineral water and enter our body (a person could be ingesting 5 grams per week of these plastics, that is, the weight equivalent to a credit card), and then continue traveling when leaving our body through the wastewater to our rivers. A study from the State University of New York at Freedonia found an average of 325 plastic particles for every liter of bottled water analyzing

259 bottles of 11 different brands in 9 see it. The time has come to take our different countries. responsibility seriously and respect the environment or, in other words, take care A piece of plastic can adsorb chemicals of our lives. Our hope is that in addition of all kinds, even hide viruses inside to beginning to take responsibility for them and transport them to different the waste we generate, we have the continents for years. Some of these toxic technology and engineering to avoid substances present in microplastics are continuing polluting the environment or the so-called Emerging Contaminants. intoxicate ourselves in the way we have These substances are also emitted into been doing. These technologies include the environment from the factories where the use of renewable energies (solar, they are produced, ending up in the air, wind, biomass, and hydro), wastewater rivers, consequently in the oceans and reuse, wastewater treatment with the water we drink. removal of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), from leachate, from urban The x-ray of our planet shows us that solid waste, to the treatment of multiit is not in a good condition, and that in barrier membranes for the removal some occasions we have already passed of emerging contaminants for the the point of return, even if we do not generation of truly pure water.

About the Author Alejandro

Sturniolo

is the Vice President for Sales and Marketing, South America, at Fluence Corporation (formerly RWL Water). Fluence is a global leader in mid-sized, decentralized water and wastewater solutions. In 2013, Alejandro was the Vice President for Marketing and Sales at RWL Water for all Latin America. Before becoming R W L W a t e r, t h e A r g e n t i n i a n c o m p a n y called Unitek was dedicated to project development engineering that produced high technology systems for water treatment and reuse since 1993. M r. S t u r n i o l o s t a r t e d a t U n i t e k a s a trainee in 1998, while still a student at the university. In 1999, he began working there as an application engineer and became Business Development D i r e c t o r i n 2 0 0 3 . To d a y h e h a s 1 9 y e a r s of experience in the water business.

During this process, he has authored and co-authored many international publications. He is an active member of the International Desalination Association (IDA) and is Director of the Latin American Association of Desalination and Reuse (ALADyR) for the term 2017 to 2021. He also played a role as Vice President of the Association of Desalination and Water Reuse Argentina (ADRA) from 2012 to 2016. M r. S t u r n i o l o i s a C h e m i c a l E n g i n e e r with a degree from the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also received certification in a post-graduation course in Strategic Marketing at the Universidad Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Supported by

IDA WORLD CONGRESS UPDATE 2021 IDA WORLD CONGRESS:CHARTING RESILIENT WATER SOLUTIONS, NOVEMBER 7-11, 2021, RELOCATES TO SYDNEY WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT. The International Desalination Association flagship event returns to Australia a decade later from the 2011 IDA World Congress held in Perth. The World Congress will take place during the week of November 7-11, 2021, in the strikingly beautiful city of Sydney, Australia at the International Convention Center Sydney (ICC Sydney), a spectacular location and state of the art facility that opened in 2016 the world-famous Darling Harbour. Supported by the University of Technology Sydney - Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, Australian Water Association, the Government of New South Wales, Sydney Water, Sydney Desalination Plant, UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology at University of New South Wales, and the Water Services Association of Australia, the 2021 IDA World Congress and exhibition will provide knowledge-sharing and interaction opportunities for participants on a plethora of both technical and business topics, related to the use of desalination and water reuse solutions to ensure a secure water future.

behind us, we have a unique diversity of experience to share. Our water community is looking forward to networking and collaborating on new solutions with their global peers", Said BESydney CEO Lyn LewisSmith. The centerpiece of the Congress is its robust Technical Program covering all aspects of desalination and water reuse as solutions to ensure the sustainability of the world's water resources. With more than 300 papers among ten technical topics and multiple subtopics, the Technical Program will explore a broad range of desalination and water reuse technologies, practices, and experiences worldwide. The knowledge-sharing aspect of the program recognizes that resources and requirements can vary based on location, climate conditions, and natural resources.

Through its biennial World Congress and Exhibition, the IDA upholds its global commitment to sustainability and raises awareness of water's value, protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. It is the ideal forum to advance "Team Sydney is very much looking forward goals that benefit the industry and, more to welcoming the IDA and its membership to importantly, ensure clean water sources for Australia next year. As a large island nation future generations. with many generations of water innovation

SAVE THE DATE FOR IDA WORLD CONGRESS, November 7-11, 2021. By Dr. Mike Dixon, CEO of Synauta The IDA is very pleased to be heading to Sydney for World Congress in 2021. As the driest inhabited continent on the planet, Australia is a key desalination hub. Australia greatly increased its desalination investment during the country’s Millennium drought from 2006-2012, adding over $16bn worth of infrastructure investment. As Australia enters yet another drought period, in places recording lowest recorded rainfall levels, a greater investment will be required to keep up with additional water demands.

The IDA World Congress upholds our global commitment to sustainability and raises awareness of the value of water, protecting the environment, and conserving natural resources. It is the ideal forum to advance goals that benefit the industry and, more importantly, ensure the prosperity of communities, nations and future generations. More efficient management of water is critical to addressing the growing demand for water, threats to water security and the increasing frequency and severity of droughts resulting from climate change. Despite progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal #6, Water and Sanitation for All, billions of people still lack safe water, sanitation and handwashing facilities. Data suggests that achieving universal access to even basic sanitation service by 2030 requires doubling the current annual rate of progress. As an industry, there is much work we must do to support the global sustainability effort.

Sydney is an exciting place to hold our World Congress, being a centre of desalination expertise as well as a culturally interesting place with excellent experiences to be had in and around the conference centre, positioned on the picturesque Darling Harbour. You can even visit the Sydney Zoo and see a kangaroo and a koala! With a multitude of hotels walking distance to the venue, it is close by to the world-renowned Sydney Harbour, sporting the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. This is a must visit for all visitors to Australia. IDA’s aim to promote the maximum practical use of non-polluting renewable energy We are also excited to expand upon the sources to power desalination and water strong technical program created by the last Australian IDA World Congress in Perth in processing for reuse will be again strongly 2011. The Technical Program Committee will supported. Indeed, it is IDA’s mission to expand be drawing on the experiences from Perth strategic relationships, providing knowledge and looking to improve the experience for and value to the communities it serves through all delegates. Australia also has a strong the engagement of technology providers, technical knowledge in desalination and water government policy-makers, technology reuse, given the legacy of the National Centre users, the international finance community, of Excellence in Desalination Australia’s global think tanks and NGOs. We will also $20m research program, which has created a continue to increase our focus on providing strong community in the country. more support for the industrial water domain.

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2021

CHARTING RESILIENT WATER SOLUTIONS

Members for 2021. To reflect the IDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong value of diversity and quality, the Technical Program Committee has ensured gender balance, private/public/academic balance, and young leader participation across the I am delighted to announce the Technical selection of all committee members, topic Committee Co-chairs and Technical Committee chairs and session chairs. Interest in this sector is growing and we have heard from multiple innovative companies during our conferences, and encourage their participation in our technical program.

Technical Program Co-Chairs: Dr. Mike Dixon

Mr. Fady Juez

Prof. John Lienhard V

Mr. Greg Wetterau

Synauta

MIT

Metito

CDM Smith

Victor Verbeek

General Manager for Toray Membrane Australia (ANZ).

Technical Committee Members: Dr. Al Arifi

Mr. Kevin Price

Mr. Nasser Lootah

Mr. Tim Lam Shing

DTRI, SWCC

DEWA

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2021

AWTT

WSD

Mrs. Naomi Jones

Mrs. Olga Sallangos

Dr. Antonella De Luca

Dr. Giancarlo Barassi

Mr. Guillaume Clairet

Mr. Alistair Munro

Dr. Victor Monsalvo

Mr. Patrick Buchta

Dr. Domingo Zarzo

Mr. Rodrigo Segovia

Dr. Amy Childress

Mr. Hiep Le

Dr. Jaichander Swaminathan

Dr. Emily Tow

Prof. Shadi Hassan

Dr. Mohammad Wakil Shazad

Dupont

OMYA

H20 Innovation

FCC Aqualia

SACYR

University of Southern California

IIT Gandhinagar

A.Prof, Khalifa University

Caramondani Desalination Plants

FEDCO

Gaia Wind

Dupont-Inge

Almar Water Solutions

Head Process Engineering, Gradiant

Olin College

Northumbria University

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2021

CHARTING RESILIENT WATER SOLUTIONS

Dr. HK Shon

Prof. In S. Kim

Mr. Miguel Angel Sanz

Mr. Antonio Casanas

Mr. Rama Jagwani

Mr. Ravid Levy

University of Technology Sydney

SUEZ

PROJECX

The World Congress Technical Program Committee reviewed roles of the Committee, Topic Chairs and Session Chairs together with Secretary General Shannon McCarthy and the IDA HQ team. No major changes will be made to leadership roles for the 2021 World Congress, but the roles have been further clarified based on experiences from Dubai and clearer guidelines provided.

Institute of Science and Technology

Dupont

RLV Consulting

publications committee to make papers more widely accessible after the conference. IDA is preparing to have all papers searchable via Google and have started work to make this a reality. IDA has also streamlined the submission and review process with a new software package to aid members and delegates. For 2021, the Technical Program Committee will determine whether an abstract will become a platform or poster session at the first submission. Authors will no longer have to wait until later in the process and after going to the length of preparing a full paper to know their position at the congress.

With a focus on continuous improvement, IDA sought feedback from delegates to Dubai 2019, and we have discussed and devised an action plan to further improve our program quality and member satisfaction. Thanks to all members who provided feedback after Whether our conference is in Asia, Africa, Dubai, we cannot wait to bring you an even Europe, North America, South America, more beneficial experience in 2021. Australia (or even Antarctica one day), delegates will be afforded the same As part of the response to feedback, the opportunities. If you're doing business in Committee will act to improve the quality of water reuse and desalination, this is the must written papers to ensure each meets the IDA's attend event in 2021! long held paper standards, and work with the

IDA YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM 66

IDANEWS

YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM By Michael Warady Another priority for the program was ensuring mentees feel consistently encouraged and supported throughout their experience. The YLP continues to seek pairings that will elevate new faces and roles within the global water industry. Program coordinators have established routine check-ins between mentors and mentees, strengthening these relationships and giving mentees a place to voice any concerns or questions. In addition, the coordinators themselves will be in regular communication with both mentors and mentees, making any adjustments as needed. Bringing new faces, voices, and ideas into the desalination and reuse industry is the path forward to continuing to improve the industry’s technical, commercial, While the global water industry continues to and regulatory standing throughout the world weather the aftershocks of the global economic and the IDA Mentorship Program seeks to play collapse, public health crisis, and travel a role in this effort. shutdowns caused by the spread of COVID-19, many of the typical activities undertaken by the IDA Academy Webinar Series YLP, as with much of the rest of the world, have Similarly, as much of the global travel required moved online. to bring the IDA together at conferences has The IDA Young Leaders Program was launched formally in Dubai at the 2009 World Congress. When the program was first ideated, the goals were straightforward: to help promote opportunities in the industry, support career advancement, and provide a forum for communication and the exchange of ideas among young professionals and the industry at large. As we all move into the second decade of the YLP’s existence, this organization of water industry leaders – with Committee members now stemming from six different countries and four different continents – continues to evolve and grow in its goal and mission.

Mentorship Program During the 2020-2021 term, program coordinators have once again initiated the IDA mentorship program, managed by the YLP Committee. In June the IDA sent out its first call for the current terms’ mentors and mentee pairings – hoping to grow this program above and beyond the fifteen pairings from around the world that were matched last year. Over the next year, mentors and mentees will work together, with activities ranging from simple career advice check-ins to the co-authoring of research papers. This structure is geared towards allowing young professionals to gain exceptional insight into the fields of water reuse and desalination as well as provide experienced IDA members with insight into the next generation of leaders and the projects they are pursuing.

IDANEWS

ground to a halt, the YLP has continued to support IDA in growing the IDA Academy Webinar Series.

As the challenges facing water operators, engineers, and developers continue to grow due to climatic uncertainty and increasingly stringent regulation, it is more important than ever for leaders throughout markets across the world to share best practices and work together to enable future opportunities for the sector. The goal of the IDA Webinar Series accomplishes just that - becoming a leader in knowledge sharing and technical exchange in the fields of desalination, water reuse and energy reduction for these technologies. As part of this offering, the YLP has taken on the role of moderating these webinars and helping bring these important learnings and teachings from

the experienced IDA members to the broader I am very grateful to continue serving to serve IDA community. as a Committee member of the YLP and look forward to the next webinar, and in-person As the YLP grows into its second decade meeting, with all of you in the near future. of existence, we continue to develop new strategies which will lead the organization for Be well, the next decade. In the future, we look forward Michael Warady to continuing to offer new opportunities michael@sylmargrp.com both to the YLP members, and to the broader IDA community, in order to capitalize on the unique experiences and expertise distributed throughout the IDA.

About the Author Michael is a Founder and Principal at has consulted on several infrastructure

Sylmar Group LLC. Prior to founding Sylmar Group, Michael led the infrastructure project development team at Aquatecture LLC, a family office investing in and developing innovative water infrastructure projects such as seawater desalination and wastewater reuse facilities. Previously, Michael led international supply chain efforts for Clean Energy Associates, a solar panel procurement and quality assurance firm based out of Shanghai, China. Michael

projects across the water industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including supply chain work for Oasys W a t e r, f u n d r a i s i n g f o r a 2 2 M G D s e a w a t e r d e s a l i n a t i o n p l a n t, a n d a g o - t o - m a r k e t strategy for a $1 billion biotechnology company. Michael is a Board member of the International Desalination A s s o c i a t i o n Yo u n g L e a d e r s P r o g r a m , a frequent contributor to industry editorial publications, and received his Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree from Duke University a n d h i s M B A / M E M f r o m Ya l e U n i v e r s i t y .

IDANEWS

MAKE EVERY DROP COUNT ROME CONFERENCE 2021 Join stakeholders and industry professionals for IDA’s 2021 International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference to present cutting-edge solutions, develop business opportunities, grow your network, and – most importantly – learn how together we can make every drop count.

ABOUT IWRRC The International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference raises one of the most important questions for the water sector: how can we make every drop count – and how can make every drop count starting today? With a limited number of natural resources, a rapidly changing climate, and a growing demand for fresh water, the urgency of these questions is undeniable. It is time for our sector to meet the future with a new vision for sustainability, using the industry’s brightest minds, best research, and strongest leaders. The International Desalination Association invites you to be part of this vision. Join the Association in a global collaborative effort to implement best practices surrounding water reuse and recycling, taking into account governmental policies, financial challenges, innovative technologies, and cutting-edge research, so that we can create a future where every drop counts.

IDA THANKS OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS DIAMOND SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

MEMO BOOK SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNERS

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH THE INDUSTRYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP PROFESSIONALS AND PUBLIC POLICY MAKERS DURING THE IWRRC TECHNICAL PROGRAM. IDA is currently accepting extended abstracts for oral presentation during the 2021 WRR Conference. Accepted abstracts will contain original work and findings on a wide variety of topics related to Water Reuse and Recycling. Those accepted into the Technical Program will be expected to sign an author participation agreement and present at the Conference. Abstracts can address any of the following topics:

Cutting-edge technologies

Non-potable and agricultural reuse

Advanced technologies for joint desalination and water reuse

Best practices in reuse

Direct and indirect potable reuse

Water quality monitoring and control

Industrial water reuse and recycling

Health concerns in water reuse

Submit your abstract by December 15, 2020! Any questions can be addressed to papers@idadesal.org.

MEET THE IDA WATER REUSE AND CONSERVATION AWARDS COMMITTEE

IDA is pleased to welcome the below experts to the Water Reuse & Conservation Awards Committee. This committee will evaluate all nominations for the Water Reuse & Conservation awards, presented at the IDA Water Reuse & Recycling Conference 15-17 March, 2021, in Rome, Italy. Nominations will be accepted until January 15th 2021. You can submit your nomination here.

Dr. Jim Birkett Former IDA President, current IDA Honorary Council Member

Hon. Fatma Awale Fmr. Minister of Water, Mombasa

Professor Maria Kennedy Professor, UNESCO-IHE

Professor George Tchobanoglous Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis

Professor Seungkwan Hong Professor, Korea University

IDA PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF EMERITUS PROFESSOR SHOJI KIMURA, 1935â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2020

Prof. Shoji Kimura, former emeritus professor of University of Tokyo and former president of Membrane Society of Japan, passed away on 21, May 2020 at the age of 85. Prof. Kimura was really a pioneer and internationally renowned scholar in both areas of theory and engineering of desalination and water reuse technology. Over the course of his career, he acted as Prof. of University of Tokyo and the president of Membrane Society of Japan, contributing to the development and spread of membrane transport of desalination technology, and also Japanese strong technologies such as distillation and membrane, from Japan to the global world. After the graduating from University of Tokyo in 1962, completing PhD degrees in chemical engineering at the school of engineering, he went to National Research Council of Canada at Ottawa in 1965 as post doctorate fellowship under the supervision of Prof. Dr. S. Sourirajan, to collaborate on reverse osmosis especially on the membrane transport for two years.

IDANEWS

Prof. Kimura worked as a deputy professor, full professor, and emeritus professor of University of Tokyo. After that, he became prof. of Osaka University and Kogakuin University. He was involved in many global associations, including the International Conference on Membrane (ICOM) and International Desalination Association (IDA). He organized the ICOM'87 at Tokyo, Japan, and ICOM'96 at Yokohama, Japan, and the IDA World Conference at Yokohama, Japan in 1993. Prof. Kimura was awarded the President Award of International Desalination Association (IDA) for the contribution of IDA World Congress at Yokohama in 1993. He was also a board member of IDA. He served as president of the Society of Sea Science and vice president of Society of Chemical Engineering, Japan. He was awarded the Third Prize for the orders of Sacred Treasure and Gold Rays with a Neck Ribbon from the Japanese government. He was also awarded the award from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the award of the Society of Sea Water Science. He was the author of countless papers and articles on desalination and water reuse.

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IDA ESSENTIALS 76

IDANEWS

IDA ESSENTIALS By Ms. Jantje Johnson I am happy to announce that we have launched The technical content of many papers is still very our first set of IDA Essentials publications. The relevant, and in some cases “what is old, has titles of these first IDA Essentials are: become new again.” We have been evaluating on how to make this valuable information available ʞ Issue 1.0 - Impact of Algae Bloom on the in a comprehensive way while still being user design and operation of water treatment friendly and relevant to the reader. One of systems. the goals and missions of the International Desalination Association is connecting people ʞ Issue 2.0 - Concentrate Discharge and ideas to enable a sustainable source of Management: Environmental Assessments, water. The launch of the IDA Essentials supports Discharge Technologies, and RO Brine that fundamental mission. Treatment Technologies. and The IDA Essentials are electronically available to IDA members at no cost. We will be issuing new IDA Essentials For more than 20 years, the IDA has hosted publications twice per year. conferences globally for water desalination and I welcome any feedback on our IDA Essentials. water reuse. During this rich history, the IDA You can contact me at essentialjantje@idadesal. has built up a large library of papers presented org. at these conferences. ʞ Issue 3.0 - Renewable Desalination - Solar Energy.

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IDA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Water Corporation (www.watercorporation.com.au) Water Corporation is the principal supplier of water, wastewater, drainage and bulk irrigation services in Western Australia to hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and farms. We directly employ over 2,800 people located in offices in Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Karratha, Geraldton, Northam and Kalgoorlie, as well as a number of depots, providing a high level of expertise and strong commitment to communities across the state. We manage $37 billion (replacement value) of assets to deliver water services across the 2.6 million square kilometre expanse of the State, directly and through our alliances with the private sector. Our purpose is the sustainable management of water services to make WA a great place to live and invest.

USCI (www.usci.com.sa) Unique Solution for Chemical Industries Co (USCI) is a subsidiary of Aquapharm Chemicals Pvt. Ltd & one of the largest specialist manufacturers of Antiscalant and associated products for use in the Desalination and Water Treatment industries registered and based in Saudi Arabia. Aquapharm Chemicals Group has manufacturing operations in India, Saudi Arabia and United States, with customers across the world. Trusted by leading organizations including SWCC, NOMAC, JECO, SEWA etc. to supply specialist water treatment chemicals and to advise on the safety, quality and performance of their use in operations. Our customers look to our expertise to deliver technically demanding products that help to protect and extend life of their key assets. Having a strategically located GCC manufacturing facilities based in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, allows USCI to maintain a strong focus on customer service, including a proactive commitment to the quality and integrity of products supplied. USCIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has accreditation for manufacturing water treatment chemicals in accordance with NSF and has quality accreditations for ISO 9001, ISO-14001 and OHSAS18001. USCI is confident of being able to serve your company across a diverse range of Water Treatment Processes and Chemical requirements.

IDA EVENTS/PARTNER EVENTS

IDA ACADEMY WEBINAR WITH SWCC, INNOVATION IN DESALINATION MINING July 29, 2020 https://idadesal.org/ida-academy-webinaron-innovation-in-desalination-brine-miningwith-swcc/

WATER IN MINING CONFERENCE September 29-30, 2020 Online

XIII AEDyR CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL February 24-25, 2021 Cordoba, Spain

IDA 2021 INTERNATIONAL WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING CONFERENCE March 15–17, 2021 Rome, Italy https://wrr.idadesal.org/

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON INNOVATIONS IN OCEAN BRINE MINING FOR RARE METALS & MINERALS First Quarter 2021 (TBD) Jubail, Saudi Arabia https://idadesal.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/12/Brochure-Ocean.pdf

AMTA/AWWA MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION

AWA OZWATER21 May 4-6, 2021 Adelaide, Australia

EUROPEAN DESALINATION SOCIETY, DESALINATION FOR THE CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: CLEAN WATER AND ENERGY May 16-19, 2021 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain

IDA EXHIBITION PAVILION AND IDA BUSINESS FORUM AT SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK (SIWW)

June 20-24, 2021 Singapore Be Part of the Pavilion Offering Solutions to Water Scarcity Around the Globe by Contacting exhibits@idadesal.org Today!

CARIBDA 2021 BIENNIAL CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION June 29–July 2, 2021 Grand Hyatt Baya Mar, Nassau, Bahamas

IDA 2021 WORLD CONGRESS November 7-11 2021 Sydney, Australia

W12 CONGRESS

To be announced Cape Town, South Africa https://www.w12-congress.com/

March 22–26, 2021 West Palm Beach, Florida https://www.amtaorg.com/awwaamtamembrane-technology-conferenceexposition

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Articles inside

IDA YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM

A NOTE FROM IDA SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

THE ÁGUA DOCE PROGRAM

SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE

R&D SPOTLIGHT

IDA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT CORNER

WOMEN OF OUR INDUSTRY

PUBLIC UTILITY LEADER INSIGHT

EXECUTIVE INSIGHT

COVER STORY DISCUSSING PRIVATIZATION IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

ADVERTISE IN IDA GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

IDA ESSENTIALS

IDA 2021 INTERNATIONAL WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING CONFERENCE

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2021

IDA PAYS TRIBUTE TO DR. SHOJI KIMURA

IDA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS