IDA Global Connections - Fall 2021

Fall 2021

IDA GLOBAL

CONNECTIONS It’s Time to Talk About Water (Now and not Tomorrow)

By Dr. Valerio De Molli Page 14

Desalination Brine Mining for Sodium Chloride and Bromine

By Dr. Ahmad Al Amoudi, Dr. Seungwon Ihm and Eng. Nikolay Voutchkov Page 20

IDA Favorite Papers Page 38

Building a Sustainable and Innovative Water Business Focused on PPPs An exclusive interview with Eva Jalón Gonzalez Managing Director, SACYR Water

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 | MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

38 | FAVORITE PAPERS

6 | MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

60 | IDA NEWS

8 | COVER STORY:

62 | ʞ IDA 2021 WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING CONFERENCE

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE WATER BUSINESS FOCUSED ON PPPs

14 | EXECUTIVE INSIGHT ON INNOVATION:

IT’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT WATER (NOW AND NOT TOMORROW)

20 | RESEARCH CORNER:

DESALINATION BRINE MINING FOR SODIUM CHLORIDE AND BROMINE

74 | ʞ IDA 2022 WORLD CONGRESS IN SYDNEY 82 | ʞ IDA-SWCC DTRI INTERNATIONAL SPECIALTY CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION IN DESALINATION 84 | ʞ IDA-SWCC DTRI OCEAN BRINE MINING FOR DESALINATION CONFERENCE

26 | INNOVATION IN DESALINATION – THE PATH FORWARD

87 | ʞ IDA TALKS

30 | AFILIATE SPOTLIGHT:

88 | ʞ APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE IDA 2022 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

36 | IDA PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND

90 | ʞ AMERICAN-MADE CHALLENGES SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE TEAMING WORKSHOP, OCTOBER 28, 2021

WATER REUSE IN SPAIN CONTRIBUTIONS OF TAKURO SHISHIYAMA, 1957-2021

92 | ʞ IDA BOARD ELECTIONS TO TAKE PLACE IN THE FIRST QUARTER 2022

IDA Global Connections is published quarterly. The views expressed in articles contributed to IDA Global Connections 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

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MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL Dear Members and Colleagues, Last week, we had the pleasure to meet with the Mayor of Seville, Hon. Juan Espadas. I am thrilled to report that he has confirmed to IDA that he will host our 2023 IDA International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Seville under his patronage.

Currently, we are hosting the 2021 IDA International Water Reuse and Recycling conference in Rome, the first in-person IDA event since the covid pandemic. The ongoing theme of the biennial conference “Making Every Drop Count” reflects IDA’s longstanding mission is to promote sustainable advanced water treatment technologies to meet growing freshwater needs. We are incredibly honored by the growing participation of the public sector stakeholders in this event. Thank you to all those attending the conference, and thank 4

you to our wonderful sponsors: UDC, Dupont, Almar Water Solutions, Toray Membranes, Italmatch, SETE Saudia, Aqseptence. We also want to acknowledge that the program would not have been possible without the efforts of our technical program committee and authors, thank you for your time and participation.

In this issue of IDA Global Connections, we are thrilled to feature an interview with Mrs. Eva Jalon, CEO of Sacyr Water, discussing the value of the PPP model in reaching sustainable and innovative projects to ensure clean water for all.

Don’t miss the Favorite Papers section curated by former IDA President Jim Birkett, features a selection of papers chosen by a dynamic group of young leaders in our industry.

The selection includes technical topics such as seawater membrane autopsies, humidification dehumidification desalination cycles, physical and chemical damage on RO membranes, transport in composite reverse osmosis membranes, and trends in desalination technology.

opportunity for those interested in working with the teams through the next phase of the prize.

Additionally, the year ahead includes three IDA events that currently have open calls for extended abstracts: the IDA World Congress 2022 in Sydney, IDA-SWCC Innovation in Desalination Conference in Jeddah, and the IDA-SWCC Desalination Brine Mining conference in Jubail. You can find details on topics, deadlines, and how to submit your extended paper in this issue.

As we aim to engage with more stakeholders, I am pleased to spotlight the brilliant analysis presented in the Executive Insight article from Dr. Valerio De Molli, Managing Partner & CEO of The European House-Ambrosetti, a recognized leading Think Tank. Dr. De Molli shares with us the water-related initiatives Lastly, serving on the IDA Board is an of the organization and a fantastic overview opportunity to share your expertise and goodwill with the association and community of the water situation in Italy. at large. It is my pleasure to announce our Focusing on research, we are pleased upcoming Board election is happening in the to feature initiatives at the Saudi Water first part of 2022. We encourage you to put Conversion Corporations Desalination your name forward; you can learn about the election process on page 90.

Technology Research Institute.

As for upcoming programs and events, we As the world slowly opens, we look forward invite you to participate in a special webinar to seeing you again!

IDA is conducting with the USA Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Lab Yours Sincerely, (NREL) on October 28, 2021. This webinar will Shannon K. McCarthy showcase the shortlisted teams of the NREL IDA Secretary General Desalination Prize and provide a partnership 5

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT According to the UN progress report on SDG #6, three out of ten people do not have access to safe drinking water services, 40% of the world's population suffers from water scarcity, 80% of wastewater is returned to the environment untreated, and 1.8 million people are exposed to contaminated water as a source of drinking water. These figures clearly show that goal #6, the one that directly affects all professionals in the water sector, seems difficult to achieve, not precisely because of a lack of solutions or technologies, but rather due to the complexity of the problem itself.

intensifying environmental degradation, and increasing social conflict. In this context, non-conventional water resources can play a crucial role in achieving water security. Our association must take on a high degree of commitment and responsibility to achieve these challenging SDGs.

In 2050, the world's population will reach 9 billion people, 55% of whom will live in cities.

Water demand will increase by 55% worldwide, along with the energy demand, and 70% more food will be needed in the coming decades.

This requires us to rethink how water is used, The truth is that the current system is reused, and transformed as a resource. incapable of meeting the growing demand for water due to climate change and rapid According to the principles of the circular urbanization. Water scarcity will affect all economy, we must avoid wasting water. facets of human life, reducing food production, Instead, water reuse and recycling practices 6

should help to maximize the water resources after they are used. Water reuse is an opportunity that provides new approaches to meet the growing water demand and solve the lack of available water for crop production and industrial development. Only a small number of regions in the world are achieving the goals set for reuse. Most are very far from what we all expected many years ago.

Even though water reuse has benefits that include improved agricultural production, reduced energy consumption and environmental benefits, it has not been widely exploited due to various obstacles, including the conventional approach of seeking new sources of freshwater rather than reusing available water, and the public's reluctance to consume and use reused water. In light of this situation, this October in Rome, we will analyze the causes preventing technology from expanding and look for solutions to increase the use of reused water in sectors such as urban, agricultural, industrial, and even drinking water. We will discuss challenges such as the lack of regulation and financing,

institutional obstacles, and the success stories, such as Singapore, California, and Israel.

Non-conventional water resources contribute to the sustainable use of resources and effectively address water crises. Water reuse can bridge the gap between availability and demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic services while providing economic benefits.

Proper water reuse must be based on state-of-the-art technology, regulations, legislation, and sound knowledge. To industry leaders, experts, professionals, researchers, and others interested in supporting water reuse and the use of non-conventional water resources, I look forward to seeing you in Rome to continue the search for efficient and sustainable water treatment solutions and make every drop count.

Sincerely,

Carlos Cosin IDA President

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COVER STORY

Building a Sustainable and Innovative Water Business Focused on PPPs An exclusive interview with Eva Jalón Gonzalez Managing Director, SACYR Water

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1. What brought you to the water in our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, launched in February 2021, we have sector?

After more than twenty years working in the civil infrastructure sector, firstly in the construction stage and then in the PPP sector for the last 15 years, I assumed the general management of Sacyr Agua one year ago.

I have been with the Sacyr group for the last 14 years, where I have held different positions in all types of PPP management. Now, I am taking on the challenge of integrating Sacyr Agua into Sacyr Concessions as the water industry is strategic for our Group. We aspire to become a benchmark in applied technology, innovation, and project finance in water.

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set the goal of doubling the number of women managers in the Company.

3. What do you think are the main challenges facing the sector in the coming years?

Indeed, there are more than a few.

First, to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone.

Millions of people globally still lack access to these services, and all this requires adequate funding. Adequate legal framework and the involvement of the private sector through PPPs are also necessary.

2. We are seeing a new generation of women CEOs in water companies in recent years; do you read this to signal a higher level and equal opportunity for women in this sector?

Another critical challenge for the following years is to develop sustainable agriculture from a perspective that takes water resources and energy into account: the estimation is that by 2050 we will have to double food production, which will demand more water consumption.

Indeed, every day there are more and more women working in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as water.

Every step taken by women assuming positions of responsibility is an opportunity to achieve the longed-for gender equality, which gives us hope for the future. Companies like ours are promoting diversity and internal talent to move towards equality. For instance,

With all these growing demands and the effects of climate change, it is apparent that it will be necessary to have additional water resources produced through non-conventional solutions of desalination and reuse now growing worldwide very fast. It is also important that countries have common legislation promoting reuse, guaranteeing water quality, and protecting human health

and the environment. Other technical challenges concerning microplastics and microbiology will require our attention in the coming years.

And, of course, all our actions should be sustainable, promoting the use of renewable energies and reducing the water footprint and CO2 emissions.

In our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, we have set sustainability, innovation, and talent retention and attraction as the key values to achieve our objectives.

Sacyr has set its priority markets for this new strategic cycle and will strengthen its presence in those regions that are considered as “home markets”: Spain and Italy, in Europe; Colombia and Chile, in Latin America, and the English-speaking markets: the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK. 4. What regions are you most interested in, and where do you think we will see more growth in the application of desalination and reuse solutions?

In the coming years, the main actions will be to solve the problems of areas where there is currently a lack of water infrastructure. This includes the case of Latin America and Africa and those countries with higher growth rates where greater water scarcity and restrictions on access to water can be expected, as is the case in the Gulf countries.

Sacyr has set its priority markets for this new strategic cycle and will strengthen its presence in those regions that are considered as “home markets”: Spain and Italy, in Europe; Colombia and Chile, in Latin America, and the Englishspeaking markets: the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK. In addition, the company has defined other markets of interest, including Peru, Mexico, Portugal, Brazil, and the Nordic countries.

Of course, there are many other regions where water infrastructure actions, especially in desalination and reuse, are badly needed. Still, we are currently not interested in those countries or projects due to doubtful economic feasibility and high political risk.

This does not prevent us from ruling out any specific project that might interest us due to its technical characteristics or timeliness.

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There is a global trend to continuously reduce water prices in PPPs, which is not compatible with the best quality in technical design, construction, and operation.

5. With a strong focus on PPP projects, do you think these types of contract models can better help governments and industries solve water scarcity problems?

No doubt about it. The advantage of the PPP model is that it mitigates risks for the client, ensuring optimization in design, execution, and operation. In Sacyr's case, we additionally provide the differential advantage of intervening in the entire infrastructure value chain from project finance to design, construction, and operation.

6. The new Sacyr 2021-2025 Strategic Plan reinforces the company's focus on PPP businesses and promotes sustainability as a key tool for the next five years. What do you think is the added value that the membership of industry associations such as IDA gives you and your company?

and markets for planning solutions.

And of course, the active presence in conferences, seminars, etc., gives you visibility and the opportunity to share your experiences and knowledge.

7. How important are environmental aspects such as ensuring a circular economy, reducing the water-carbon footprint, implementing renewables, etc.?

It is a crucial part of our business decisions. In our case, we have a firm corporate commitment with measurable sustainability objectives such as reducing carbon and water footprint in all our activities.

8. Do you think we’re heading for a much more sustainable sector?

Of course. This is currently an essential condition to define the new projects, executive methods, operating way, and even the bankability of the projects.

9. What recommendations do you have to reach clean water security I think that sectorial and global faster? associations like IDA promote the sustainable use of water resources (in this case, more focused on non-conventional resources). It is also a meeting point for leaders, decision-makers, potential clients, and suppliers sharing knowledge and technology and detecting needs 12

Firstly, sustainable management of scarce freshwater resources promotes water-saving and efficient use. All of them are complemented by the use of non-conventional resources such as reuse and desalination. However, to

achieve this, we should have a clear legal and economic framework regulating the minimum water quality parameters and making projects viable and sustainable.

Another critical objective should be to have real-time monitoring and control systems that allow us to know the available quantity and quality of water and develop protocols of immediate actions in case of need.

10. What role do you think innovation and digitization can reduce water purification costs in the coming years?

This trend is unstoppable. Digitalization permeates all our activities and will lead to greater efficiency, effectiveness, and cost savings. Tools such as AI, IoT, Big

Data, digital twins, Robotics, etc., have already entered our vocabulary and activities, and they are transforming the industrial sector positively.

11. What advice would you give to younger women working in the sector to establish a leadership role for themselves?

My main advice would be that we, women, must internalize that being a woman is not a limitation of any kind and that we need to be confident enough to fight for our dreams and aspirations.

I also believe that supporting other women through mentoring, for example, legal protection and the encouragement of senior management in companies and public administrations, is essential.

About the Author Eva Jalón is the Managing Director of Sacyr last 14 years, where she has held different Agua a Sacyr’s company specialized in the positions in all types of PPP management. integral water cycle management.

Now, she is focused in the challenge for Master's Degree in Civil Engineering, with Sacyr Agua of becoming a benchmark in more than 20 years of experience, she applied technology, innovation and project has been linked to the Sacyr group for the finance in water.

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EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINT 14

IT’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT WATER (NOW AND NOT TOMORROW)

By Dr. Valerio De Molli (Managing Partner & CEO, The European House – Ambrosetti) Water is a scarce and strategic resource for economic and social development.

Demographic trends, increasing urbanisation and climate change are subjecting water to unprecedented stress in the world, in Europe and in Italy. To date, 25% of the world's population is experiencing water shortage and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has estimated that 40% of the world’s population will be exposed to the risk of water stress by 2050.

Italy is a country with a high climatic vulnerability, characterized by two opposite phenomena: on the one hand, 21% of the territory is at risk of desertification, and on the other, extreme weather phenomena are constantly increasing.

Now more than ever, an efficient and sustainable water value chain is a systemic priority, with externalities on the prosperity of our communities and the daily lives of citizens and businesses. Starting from these considerations, The European House – Ambrosetti, no. 1 think tank in Italy, among the most independent in the world and among the best in Europe according to the University of Pennsylvania, has launched Value of Water for Italy Community, a high-level multi-stakeholder platform dealing with management of the world’s water resources

as a driver of competitiveness and industrial development. Now in its third edition, the Community counts 22 partners1 of the Italian extended value chain, which overall represent 5,8 billion Euros of revenues, over 2,2 billion Euros of Value Added, 15.000 employees and over 1,3 billion Euros of investments, covering 165.000 km of water distribution grid and more than half of the Italian population.

Analyses carried out by the Community show that Italy needs to address some

1| The partners are: A2A, ACEA, Acquedotto Pugliese, Celli Group, Iren, HERA, MM, SMAT, ANBI – Associazione Nazionale Consorzi di gestione e tutela del territorio e acque irrigue, Schneider Electric, SIT Group, Alfa Varese, Brianzacque, Consorzio Idrico Terra di Lavoro, Irritec, IWS, Livenza Tagliamento Acque, Maddalena, Padania Acque, RDR, SIAM, SOTECO.

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structural issues in the water sector. Italy is a country with a high climatic vulnerability, characterized by two opposite phenomena: on the one hand, 21% of the territory is at risk of desertification, and on the other, extreme weather phenomena are constantly increasing. The paradox between the lack of water due to drought and the risk of hydrogeological emergency caused by extreme weather continues to worsen in the country.

These phenomena are further exacerbated by the obsolescence and inefficiency of the infrastructure: 60% of the national infrastructure is more than 30 years old and 25% is more than 50 years old.

Moreover, almost half of the water currently

withdrawn is wasted along the way (47.6%, twice the European average).

Italy’s infrastructural backwardness is largely due to an inadequate level of investment. With 40 Euros per inhabitant per year (compared to a European average of 100 Euros per inhabitant per year), Italy is at the bottom of the European ranking for investment in the water sector, 2.5 times lower than France and 2.3 times lower than Germany. With the current level of investment, additional 2.9 billion Euros per year would be needed to reach the standards identified by the Italian Regulatory Authority and additional 3.6 billion Euros per year to reach the European average, assuming absence of performance improvements by other countries.

Figure 1. Average annual investment rate in the water sector in European countries (Euro/inhabitant/year), 2019 or latest available year. Source: The European House - Ambrosetti elaboration on EurEau data, 2021.

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One of the main outputs produced by the Community has been the mapping and reconstruction of the extended water value chain in Italy (the first attempt ever carried out), with the aim of qualifying its relevance at an economic-strategic level. More than 1.8 million of companies operating along the water supply chain has been analysed,

generating a database with more than 50 million of observations. Overall, the water resource is the enabler of 310.4 billion Euros of Value Added in Italy (comparable to the GDP of South Africa and 30% higher than the GDP of Finland). In other words, almost one fifth of the country's GDP (17.5%) could not be generated without water.

Figure 2. Value added generated by the extended water value chain in Italy (billion Euros), 2019. Source: elaboration

by The European House – Ambrosetti on Istat and Aida Bureau Van Dijk data, 2021.

The Community has also carried out an in-depth data collection, analysis and mapping to assess how a sustainable and effective water management can impact the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (and their corresponding 169 targets).

The results show that 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 53 of the 90 related targets are influenced by an efficient and sustainable water management.

the United Kingdom. Italy ranks 18th out of 28 countries, with a score of 5.01 on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), improving by 3 positions since last year.

Evidence displays that Italy still has a long way to go to improve the efficiency of water sector and to encourage the transition to more sustainable and conscious consumption patterns. The improvement achieved in several indicators shows that a Based on this evidence, the Community has positive direction has been taken over the constructed the composite index “Water last period, but greater effort is needed.

Value towards Sustainable Development” to provide a comprehensive overview of the We should draw inspiration from ancient water management contribution to the UN Romans. Instead of despising water 2030 Agenda in the 27 EU countries and in sewages, Romans venerated them through 17

“Cloacina”, the patron goddess of Cloaca Maxima, the world largest water sewage system at the time. Rome was built on a swamp and sewage water management was essential for wellbeing and public health. Without Cloaca Maxima, Rome

would have been a shepherd’s settlement, besieged by diseases. This is why ancient Romans considered sewages as a magic world to be accessed through wonderful doors, as the famous “Bocca della Verità”, the most beautiful manhole of all time.

About the Author Valerio De Molli has been Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of The European House - Ambrosetti since 2000. In 2008, he led the management buyout of The European House - Ambrosetti along with other partners, thereby settling with the founder.

He founded and continues to chair important Think Tanks including Observatory on Europe in Brussels, Observatory on the Excellence of Corporate Governance in Italy, Meridiano Sanità, and Cashless Society, among others.

From 1995 to 2000, he was head of the He is also Director of London’s Ambrosetti Group International Division of The European House Limited, Chairman of The European House - - Ambrosetti where he oversaw its activities in Ambrosetti Middle East, Senior Advisor of the Europe, China, Japan and the United States.

Venture Capital Fund United Ventures, and Since 1992, he has been responsible for Mentor of the Kairos Society, an association of The European House - Ambrosetti’s Forum young American entrepreneurs. He has been a “Intelligence on the World, Europe, and Italy”, member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) which is held every September at Villa d’Este in since 2011.

Cernobbio, Italy.

He is a member of the Boards of Directors of He was the local organizer of the 2004 Bilderberg numerous companies. meeting in Italy.

He gives lectures and seminars on strategy and management for top executives, associations, and universities. He is the author of Towards Excellence. Boards of Directors: A Tool for an Effective System of Corporate Governance.

Proposals and Recommendations, published

by Sperling & Kupfer in May 2005, and The Fundamentals of Strategic Management Paradigms of the Corporate System, published by IPSOA in January 2009.

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Before joining Ambrosetti he worked as a financial advisor in the corporate finance division of Paribas in Amsterdam. He also worked at one of the principle stockbrokers in Milan, Belloni & Tedeschi, and in the research and analysis department of Banca Popolare di Luino e Varese.

He obtained a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University and is married with three children.

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RESEARCH CORNER 20

DESALINATION BRINE MINING FOR SODIUM CHLORIDE AND BROMINE

By Dr. Ahmad Al Amoudi, Dr. Seungwon Ihm and Eng. Nikolay Voutchkov, Desalination Technology Research Institute (DTRI) of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), Saudi Arabia The Desalination Technology Research Institute (DTRI) of Saline Water Conversion Corporation of Saudi Arabia (SWCC) has recently initiated a comprehensive program for the development of advanced technologies for mining of minerals and other substances from seawater desalination brine. An addtional benefit from brine mining is the significant reduction of the volume of concentrate discharge to the sea and increase of the recovery of seawater desalination reverse osmosis (SWRO) process from 45% to 65% or more.

sodium chloride and bromine, with plans in a later phase for production of of potassium chloride, magnesium salts, and rare metals such as rubidium, lithium and cesium. The revenue from selling these commodities can be used to subsidize the cost of water production, with the ultimate vision of ‘zero cost’ water.

Over the last two years DTRI has developed and patented an innovative system for concentration of brine from seawater desalination plants (Dual Brine Concentrator SWCC considers desalination plant brine – DBC – see Figure 1) which is suitable to to be a valuable resource rather than a produce brine in liquid and crystal form as a waste. At present our focus is extracting source product for the chlor-alkali industry.

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of Membrane Dual Brine Concentrator

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The DBC consists of a nanofiltration (NF) system that removes a large portion of the calcium and magnesium contained in the source seawater, followed by a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) system that generates low salinity permeate suitable for drinking water after post-treatment, and concentrate (brine) with high content of sodium chloride.

The DBC is combined with subsequent membrane brine crystallization (BC) system; crystallizer and bromine production plant to generate high quality sodium chloride (NaCl) with purity of 99.6% and commercial grade bromine suitable for use in preparation of clear brine salts for oil well completion - see Figure 2.

Figure 2. General Schematic of the Brine Mining Plant for NaCl and Br

In 2020, SWCC has signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) and entered negotiations of brine sales agreements with a number of chlor-alkali producing companies of Saudi Arabia to supply a total of 2 million dry tons/year (2 MM tpa) of high purity (99% or higher) sodium chloride as either liquid solution of 25% or as salt crystals. Based on these agreements SWCC intends to design, construct, and operate 22

a 2 MM tpa brine concentration plant combined with a bromine production plant with installed capacity of 3,800 tons/year.

The volume of brine needed for the JBCP to produce 2 MM tpa of sodium chloride (NaCl) crystal salt is 201,254 m3/day @ 75,000 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS) – which is approximately 16% of the volume of brine produced by the 1 MM m3/day Jubail 2 desalination plant.

The brine concentration plant will be located in the city of Jubail, Saudi Arabia and will receive SWRO brine from a greenfield 1 million m3/day SWRO desalination plant located in Jubail (Jubail 2 desalination plant) also known as the Jubail 2 desalination replacement project. A portion of the SWRO trains of this desalination plant will be equipped with a nanofiltration (NF) system with membranes capable of high rejection of calcium and magnesium from the source seawater. This NF system will operate at recovery of 75 to 85% and will produce permeate with low content of calcium and magnesium.

The brine generated from the NF system will be discharged through the outfall of the Jubail 2 SWRO desalination plant. A portion (10 to 18%) of the brine from the Jubail 2 SWRO desalination system will be

directed to the Jubail Brine Concentration Plant (JBCP) and will be used as a source for production of high purity sodium chloride in crystal and liquid form suitable for use by the chlor-alkali industry. The site of the JBCP will be located adjacent to the site of the Jubail 2 desalination plant. Both plants will use the intake and outfall facilities of the Jubail 2 desalination plant.

Currently, the Jubail 2 desalination replacement project is at a stage of procurement of turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor. The EPC contractor for the JBCP will be retained under a separate procurement process which is targeted to begin in the late fall of 2021. The Jubail 2 SWRO desalination and the Jubail brine concentration plants will be operated by the SWCC.

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About the Authors Dr. Ahmed Al Amoudi, Ph. D. Director General - Desalination Technologies Research Institute (DTRI), Saline Water Conversion Corporation Dr. Al Amoudi has over 30 years of experience in applied research and development of technologies for advanced membrane and thermal desalination. Under his leadership the DTRI has developed landmark innovative technologies for brine concentration and mineral mining. A veteran of the SWCC, Dr. Al Amoudi’s experience encompasses desalination plant design, operation and troubleshooting.

Eng. Nikolay Voutchkov. Senior Desalination Expert. Desalination Technologies Research Institute, Saline Water Conversion Corporation. Mr. Voutchkov has over 36 years of experience in the field of desalination and water reuse, as an independent technical advisor to public utilities implementing large desalination projects, and companies and investors involved in the development of advanced membrane technologies. Currently, he works as a senior expert with the Desalination Technology Research Institute of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation. Mr. Voutchkov is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and have published over 10 books in the field of desalination and water reuse.

Seungwon Ihm, Ph.D. Senior Desalination Expert. Desalination Technologies Research Institute, Saline Water Conversion Corporation.

Dr. Seungwon IHM received his Ph.D in Seoul National University, Korea, majored in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. After 10 years of career as a senior research engineer in Doosan on desalination and power-water cogeneration, he joined DTRI-SWCC, Saudi Arabia in 2018. As a senior expert in DTRI, his current research topics are on the development of innovative membrane systems for brine concentration and mineral recovery.

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RESEARCH CORNER 26

INNOVATION IN DESALINATION – THE PATH FORWARD

By Dr. Ahmad Al Amoudi and Eng. Nikolay Voutchkov, Desalination Technology Research Institute (DTRI) of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), Saudi Arabia Over the past decade seawater desalination has experienced an accelerated growth driven by advances in membrane technology and material science. Recent technological advancements such as advanced pressure-exchanger based energy recovery systems, higher efficiency reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements, nanostructured RO membranes, innovative membrane vessel configurations, and high-recovery RO systems, are projected to further decrease the energy and costs for seawater desalination and be a backbone for disruptive decease in the cost of fresh water produced by desalination of saline sources (seawater, brackish water and treated wastewater).

High Recovery SWRO Systems.

A recent trend aimed at the reduction of the cost for fresh water production is the use of SWRO system configurations that allow to increase the overall recovery of the desalination plant from a typical range of 40 to 50% to a range of 55 to 60%.

Advanced Membrane Technologies and Materials.

A recent trend in the quest for lowering the energy use and fresh water production

costs for desalination is the development of nanostructured RO membranes, which provide more efficient water transport as compared to existing conventional thin-film membrane elements. These nanostructured membranes reportedly have much higher specific permeability than conventional RO membranes at practically the same high salt rejection. In addition, nanostructured membranes have comparable or lower fouling rate than conventional thin-film composite RO membranes operating at the same conditions, and they can be designed for enhanced rejection selectivity of specific ions.

Beneficial Use of Concentrate.

Over the last several years the desalination industry has developed a number of brine concentration and mineral extraction technologies which enable the manufacture of commercially valuable products from the brine. Extracting minerals from seawater is a more environmentally friendly enterprise than terrestrial mining. As technologies for beneficial reuse of brine evolve, revenues from commercial scale extraction of high-value minerals from the brine, such as magnesium, lithium, and pure sodium chloride, can be used to offset the costs for 27

production of desalinated water, thereby Breaking Down the Energy Use converting desalination from the highest- to Barriers. the lowest-cost sustainable source of fresh At present, most desalination plants water supply. worldwide are supplied by power generated from fossil fuel. In parallel with the Chemical Free Desalination. exploration of renewable power alternatives, Chemicals used for brackish and seawater the world’s leading research centers in the RO membrane cleaning are typically the USA, Saudi Arabia and Europe are working same as these used in toothpaste, soaps on the development of new generation of and commercial detergents. Both backwash energy recovery devices, high pressure water and membrane cleaning water are pumps, and membranes which aim to bring typically treated to remove solids or other the total energy use of desalination plants contaminants prior to being added to the to less than 2.5 kWh/m3 and the energy desalination concentrate for discharge. The demand of the reverse osmosis desalination state-of-the-art desalination processes system below 1.8 kWh/m3. employed in contemporary desalination These advancements will result in the plants use a very limited amount of reduction of the total energy use and carbon chemicals. Recent desalination industry footprint of desalination plants with over shifts toward chemical-free desalination 30%. The new technologies are tailored to and recovery of valuable minerals and rare fit equally well in both existing desalination metals from concentrate are expected to plants and future reverse osmosis facilities. transform desalination into one of the most environmentally sound and sustainable What Does the Future Hold? water supply alternatives of the 21-st The steady reduction of desalinated water century. production costs coupled with increasing

These technology advances are expected to ascertain the position of desalination as a viable and cost–competitive processes for potable water production and to reduce the cost of fresh water production from seawater by 25% in by year 2022 and by up to 60% by year 2030

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costs of water treatment driven by more stringent regulatory requirements, are expected to accelerate the current trend of increased reliance on the ocean as an attractive and competitive water source by year 2030. These technology advances are expected to ascertain the position of desalination as a viable and cost–competitive processes for potable water production and to reduce the cost of fresh water production from seawater by 25% in by year 2022 and by up to 60% by year 2030 as shown on Table 1.

Table 1 - Forecast of Energy Use and Costs for Seawater Desalination Plants Parameter for Best-in Class Desalination Plants

Year 2020

Year 2025

Year 2030

Total Electrical Energy Use (kWh/ m3)

3.5 – 4.5

2.8 – 3.2

2.1 – 2.4

Cost of Water (US$/m3)

0.4 – 2.5

0.3 – 1.0

0.2 – 0.5

Construction Cost (US$/MLD)

0.8 – 2.2

1.0 – 1.8

0.5 – 0.9

28-48

55-75

95-120

Membrane Productivity (m3/membrane)

About the Authors Dr. Ahmed Al Amoudi, Ph. D. Director General - Desalination Technologies Research Institute (DTRI), Saline Water Conversion Corporation Dr. Al Amoudi has over 30 years of experience in applied research and development of technologies for advanced membrane and thermal desalination. Under his leadership the DTRI has developed landmark innovative technologies for brine concentration and mineral mining. A veteran of the SWCC, Dr. Al Amoudi’s experience encompasses desalination plant design, operation and troubleshooting.

Eng. Nikolay Voutchkov. Senior Desalination Expert. Desalination Technologies Research Institute, Saline Water Conversion Corporation. Mr. Voutchkov has over 36 years of experience in the field of desalination and water reuse, as an independent technical advisor to public utilities implementing large desalination projects, and companies and investors involved in the development of advanced membrane technologies. Currently, he works as a senior expert with the Desalination Technology Research Institute of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation. Mr. Voutchkov is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and have published over 10 books in the field of desalination and water reuse.

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AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT 30

WATER REUSE IN SPAIN

By Dr. Domingo Zarzo, President of the Spanish Desalination and Reuse Association (AEDyR) Water scarcity and imbalance between regions have forced many countries to include in their hydrological planning non-conventional water resources such as desalination and reuse, which will be increased without doubt due to the effects of climate change, population growing and water demands from different activities, such as agriculture (as the main global water consumer). Spain is no exception and these additional resources have been growing for many years turning both our country and industry into international benchmarks.

Reuse not only responds to growing water demands, but it is also an important tool for environmental protection of water bodies (reducing extraction and discharges) and delves into water saving, sustainability and circular economy.

At European level the estimated volume of reclaimed water is close to 1,000 Hm3/ year, accounting approximately 2.4% of the treated wastewater in the European Union, although some countries have much higher rates, such as Cyprus (close to 100%) and Greece, Spain and Italy with values between 5 and 13%.

Spain leads the European reuse with almost half of the total volume and it is ranked fifth in the world in terms of installed capacity. 27% of the 2,000 WWTPs have tertiary treatments including large plants with advanced technologies (membranes, advanced oxidation and disinfection, etc.).

Thus, without doubt, one of the greatest challenges to the global implementation of reuse is the regulation, which not only has a great disparity throughout the world but is also practically non-existent in many countries, representing an important barrier to the use of reclaimed water and other related economic activities such as agriculture.

Distribution of reuse within Spain is very uneven. More than 80% of the total is concentrated in the Valencian Community, Murcia, Andalusia, Canary Islands and Balearic Islands (the areas with greater

31

water stress and important agricultural activity), with Murcia Region representing the higher reuse rate, close to 90% of treated wastewater and agriculture irrigation as the main consumer (49% in 2020).

From the point of view of the river basins, the contribution of the Jucar and Segura river basins (SE of Spain, Mediterranean coast) represents about 60% of the whole reuse in Spain.

The incorporation of this water resource within the hydrological planning requires to take into account several important aspects; the applicable legal framework, the elimination of health risks through regulation, risk analysis, best practices and technologies, a competitive price including transport to the end user, and the conscious acceptance of end users through appropriate communication.

Thus, without doubt, one of the greatest challenges to the global implementation of reuse is the regulation, which not only has a great disparity throughout the world but is also practically non-existent in many countries, representing an important barrier to the use of reclaimed water and other related economic activities such as agriculture.

Spain incorporated reuse regulation to the law by means of the Royal Decree 1620/2007, which has been an important tool to develop and to order the application of reclaimed water to different uses (14 uses 32

grouped into 5 categories; urban, agriculture, recreational and environmental uses, with different water quality requirements) and setting the procedures for authorizations, concessions, control, etc.

future, and on the other hand the use of reclaimed water in industry for cooling or heating applications is very restricted due to the fear expressed by the health authorities to legionella, which limits the largest potential use in industry also generating This has been the legal framework in mistrust in the potential users. effect for all the reuse activities in Spain until past year, when European Union Speaking about health is very interesting to launched the Regulation (EU) 2020/741 on mention the role that wastewater treatment minimum requirements for water reuse. and reuse have played in the detection This Regulation applies only to the reuse for of the SARS-CoV-2, not only helping to agriculture (by establishing 4 different water the health authorities to detect and to qualities for different conditions) and leaves quantify the epidemic outbreaks but also the rest of uses (industrial, environmental, demonstrating the absence of the virus in etc.) up to the Member States. treated wastewater and reclaimed water and therefore their safety and quality.

From the industry point of view there are room for improvement in Spanish And finally, I would like to remark that after regulation; on one hand, direct potable the more than a year of pandemic and reuse is forbidden by law (except in the non economic crisis, a hopeful future opens up well defined “emergency situations”), which over the potential reuse growing thanks to probably should be re-considered in a near the different financial instruments which

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have been recently launched and can be applied to reuse:

with EUR 10,000 million for the next 18 years, and

ʞ The so-called “Next Generation” European ʞ The European R&D program called HORIZON EUROPE, with an investment of funds for reconstruction (approximately EUR 100,000 million for the period 2021EUR 140,000 million for Spain for the 2027, whose objectives are the fight period 2021-2026) where one of its pillars against climate change, the contribution is the Ecological Transition to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and boosting the Union’s competitiveness ʞ The Spanish plan DSEAR (acronym and growth. for wastewater treatment, sanitation, efficiency, saving and reuse) endowed

About the Author Domingo Zarzo is Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (1988) and PhD on Water and Sustainable Development (2017), University of Alicante, Spain.

Member of the BoD and current President of AEDyR, Member of the BoD of IDA and Member of the Board of Trustees and Scientific Committee in IMDEA Agua (Madrid Institute of Advanced Studies- Water).

Innovation and Strategic Projects Manager of Sacyr Water since 1995. Previously he worked 10 years Associate Professor and currently as a researcher at the University of Alicante Honorary lecturer at the Chemical Engineering and later as O&M manager in different Department, University of Alicante.

WWTPs. More than 100 publications in scientific More than 150 water treatment plants journals, invited lectures and international have been designed, built and/or operated congresses and 3 patents on water treatment. under his supervision including some of the largest desalination facilities in the world with different technologies as well as large wastewater, reuse plants and innovation projects.

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35

Takuro Shishiyama, the general manager of the water treatment division of Toray Industries, Inc., passed away of interstitial pneumonia on 3 August, after a 100-day battle with Covid-19 at the age of 64.

IDA PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF

TAKURO SHISHIYAMA, 1957-2021

Born in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan and raised in Kyoto City, he graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kyoto University. He joined Toray in 1983 after passing the Examination of Japanese government executive candidate.

His first job at Toray was a global RO membrane business with trading companies such as Mitsui & Co., Ltd., dealing with seawater desalination in the Middle East and industrial water in the United States.

After that, his works were expanded to the RO membrane business for large water treatment plants, and he also focused on the technologies required for plant systems, such as brine conversion system (BCS). This BCS system is still quite vibrant today.

His third job was to set up a global sales organization in Toray. He had always been interested in International Desalination Association World Conferences and its events, therefore, he traveled around

36

the world to meet international desalters and made many friends in areas in need of desalination.

In 2006, while serving as a manager, he contributed significantly to the launch of Toray Membrane USA, Inc., in California, the first overseas base of Toray's water treatment business.

He then became vice president of sales of the said company and made a great contribution to the construction of its global sales teams.

After returning to Japan, he endeavored to achieve his next target in establishing a company in Saudi Arabia. Signing ceremony of a company establishment was held in Tokyo in 2014 (see Figure 1).

Toray Membrane Middle East LLC was established in 2015, and he was appointed president.

He was also deeply involved in the new initiative announced at Saudi Arabia-Japan Business Council in Tokyo in May in the same year. (See Figure 2)

Figure 2. Saudi Arabia-Japan Business Council in May 2015

He has contributed significantly to the Middle East SWRO market, especially the Mega-SWRO market.

He returned to Toray’s Headquarter, he was appointed as the general manager of the water treatment division in 2019.

His achievements over his entire life can be evaluated as having consistently led the way in contributing to the world’s Sustainable Development Goals, which is the common goal of humankind, especially SDGs 6, emphasizing on ensuring clean water and sanitation for all.

Figure 1. Toray-Abunayyan Holding Company signing ceremony in February 2014

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38

PAPERS

favorite

Dear Colleagues, Looking backwards - The Favorite Papers item has now appeared in four issues of Connections, a full year's worth. It's pretty interesting. Choices range from a whole book to a chapter in a book to published papers through presentations at conferences. One name appears once as author and twice as co-author! Read through the set and see if you can spot any trends or patterns. I cannot. These are pretty independent individuals.

Looking forwards - We never knew where this project would lead when IDA started it. We're still not sure but it has been in many ways satisfying and fun and also we hope for the readers and participants. But moving forwards we would appreciate some feedback and suggestions.

Sincerely, Jim Birkett

Dr. Jim Birkett, westneck@aol.com

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Favorite Papers

Results from 99 seawater membrane autopsies

By Steve Chesters's Authors: Stephen P. Chesters, Nuria Pena, Silvia Gallego, Maqsood Fazel, Matthew W. Armstrong, Fernando del Vigo, World Congress/Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC), Perth, Western Australia September 4-9, 2011, REF: IDAWC/ PER11-297.

Nominated by: Dr. Mike Dixon

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ne of my favourite papers from the IDA manuscript database is Steve Chesters's "Results from 99 seawater membrane autopsies" from IDA World Congress in Perth, Australia in 2011.

O

I found the paper contributed a lot to Desalination's body of knowledge by showing practical results from a good many RO plants. It broke down the real-world problems experienced and showed the stats behind the most common sources of fouling. At the time I was working on the Adelaide Desalination Project and part of my role was to read as many papers as possible, both practical and academic and transfer the knowledge to the process engineering team. I had found at the time that many academic papers were very focused on the biofouling problem and continually claimed it to be poorly understood.

This paper backed the statements of academia, showing that it was indeed a real-world problem. Now 10 years later, I believe we know far more about biofouling and believe it can be better

prevented if we heed the advice of the membrane manufacturers and specialty membrane suppliers. In his paper, Chesters alludes to many ways to limit biofouling which reminds us that there is no silver bullet for biofouling.

Thus we must adopt a multi-faceted approach.

Closely related to this paper was Hans Vrouwenvelder's paper "Biofouling of spiral-wound nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes: A feed spacer problem", published in Water Research in 2009. I found this paper to be very influential and polarizing among the academic community because the mechanism Vrouwenvelder proposed was very different to the standard biofouling model that considers biofouling developing on the membrane surface. I particularly enjoyed watching Tony Fane and Hans Vrouwenvelder heatedly debate the topic during a National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA) workshop in the proceeding months after IDA World Congress. I believe the dissemination

41

Favorite Papers

of the knowledge generated from Vrouwenvelder's thesis has greatly helped our industry better understand the biofouling problem evidenced in Chesters’s paper.

Coming back to the Chesters's paper itself, it has always stuck out in my mind not only for the content but also for

the way he presented, which I found extremely novel at a conference. He noted at the beginning to watch for the "gold nuggets" which he strategically placed throughout the presentation to indicate the key messages, but actually placed images of gold nuggets on the slides.

About the Nominator

Dr Mike Dixon is a global expert in desalination and water treatment technology working with membrane and thermal technologies in Australia, North America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Asia.

Mike has worked across the entire value chain with technology manufacturers, water utilities, oil and gas companies, pharmaceutical companies and research hubs.

Mike is the CEO and Founder of Synauta Inc, a cleantech startup working with desalination innovators with a goal to reduce energy and chemical use using data science and machine learning.

Prior to Synauta, Mike was Chief Technology Officer for WaterNEXT (Western Canada's Water technology accelerator) and Applications Development Manager for NanoH2O, a global provider of reverse osmosis membranes that leveraged UCLA

42

developed nanotechnology to lower the cost of desalination with over 300 installations in 40+ countries in the three years from market launch. LG Chem acquired NanoH2O in 2014.

Mike is experienced with the development of intellectual property and the commercialization of new technologies. He has more than 60 publications in international journals and is an author of several books and book chapters.

Mike is currently a Director of the International Desalination Association (IDA) Board. He has been an Editor of the IDA Journal and a reviewer for the Journal of Membrane Science and Water Research.

Mike was National President of the Young Water Professionals for the Australian Water Association and in 2012 won the prestigious IDA Fellowship Award.

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Favorite Papers

Thermodynamic analysis of humidification dehumidification desalination cycles Narayan, G.P., Sharqawy, M.H., Lienhard V, J.H. and Zubair, S.M., 2010. Thermodynamic analysis of humidification dehumidification desalination cycles. Desalination and water treatment, 16(1-3), pp.339-353.

Link: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/69156 Nominated by: Mr. Ronan McGovern 44

hat paper served as inspiration to me on entering the field of desalination? It would have to be "Thermodynamic analysis of humidification dehumidification desalination cycles" by Govindan, Sharqawy, Lienhard V and Zubair. Quite simply, during my undergraduate studies, I took interest in studying thermodynamics in grad school.

I considered different labs in universities across the US and this is the paper that led me to study under Prof. Lienhard at MIT.

W

I like thermodynamics because it is both applied (you can analyze stuff like desalination processes) while also being abstract (there are hard to grasp concepts like entropy). I see this applied and abstract thinking now in decentralized/crypto governance systems I'm involved with now too. Another reason I like thermodynamics is because my dad likes thermodynamics and I copied him.

One thing I learned at MIT is that my research in desalination was so applied

it made more sense to start a company rather than stay in academia. I suppose this is the conclusion Prakash Govindan came to when he started Gradient with Anurag Bajpayee after MIT and I copied him a few years later in starting Sandymount. So, on the topic of inspiration, seeing people starting companies makes other people start companies.

In terms of inspiration beyond any one specific paper, I suppose the invention of polyamide RO membranes stands out. It was realizing the success of polyamide membranes in taking out thermal desalination that made me shift from thermal desalination for my masters to membrane desalination for my PhD. In some ways, polyamide membranes are so good that the growth of desalination has become public perception and permitting limited rather than technology or cost limited. Still, I suspect that someday we will see a radically different material replace polyamide - one allowing for improved size/ selection characteristics (perhaps more 45

Favorite Papers

useful for industrial separations than drinking water), reduced fouling rates and improved chemical resistance for cleanings. However, since the dominant

roadblock for desalination is not technology, I also suspect such a new material could be twenty years from dominating the market.

About the Nominator

Ronan McGovern is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur. He was co-founder and CEO of Sandymount Technologies, a 2016 spinout from Prof. John H. Lienhard's laboratory at MIT. Sandymount brought to market a multi-pass, ultra-high pressure reverse osmosis technology for beverage concentration that is known as Revos.

Sandymount was acquired by Alfa Laval in 2020 and Revos was integrated

46

into their Brewery Systems division.

Ronan was also co-founder of Covid Response LLC, a hand sanitizer production business established and run in early 2020, with profits going to local US charities supporting low-income communities. Ronan is now supporting the roll-out of Revos at Alfa Laval while also writing at www.ronanmcgovern.com .

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Favorite Papers

A Study of the Physical and Chemical Damage on Reverse Osmosis Membranes Detected

by Autopsies

By Nuria Peña Garcíaa, Fernando del Vigoa, Stephen Chestersb, Mattew Armstrongb, Rachel Wilsonb, Max Fazelb a) Genesys Membrane Products, C/ Londres 38, Oficina 204, Las Rozas, 28232, Madrid, Spain. b) Genesys International Ltd., 3ª Aston Way, Middlewich, CW 10 OHS, Cheshire, UK Presenter: Nuria Peña García. Laboratory Manager – Genesys Membrane Products S.L. – Spain npena@genesysro.es Nominated by: Mr. Guillaume Clairet

48

onestly, when Jim asked me to talk about my favorite paper, I simply didn’t know where to start since there are so many strong papers that have impressed me over the years. IDA and the broader water community is incredibly generous when it comes to sharing knowledge and I think this is one of the things I like the most about our industry. Since I started in this profession back in 2004, I have been privileged with the opportunity to participate in many conferences as audience but also serving on many Technical and/or Awards Committees and trying to remember a single paper/presentation that I consider my ‘’favorite’’ has been nearly impossible.

I simply could not decide based on usual criteria what paper I liked the most, so I started thinking about the paper that had the most special impact on my career and then it became quickly very clear which one I was going to talk about.

H

The IDA congress veterans will all agree that IDA has a special touch when it comes to organizing events and that they have created unforgettable memories

all over the world in some of the most incredible sites our planet has to offer.

However, they will also tell you that Tian Jin was an exception to the rule and that this one was not the best edition of the IDA World Congress. There are not enough words in this short article to explain the root cause of the shortcomings (which had nothing to do with IDA´s very capable staff by the way), but what is more important with the story at hand is to understand the depressed mindset of attendees at the end of the 4 days conference, so I must give you some background. The venue was too big and very far from all the hotels which meant all attendees were getting caught 1 to 2 hours in heavy traffic just to get in and out of the conference center making them late in the morning and exhausted at night. The local government entity failed to deliver on their financial and hospitality commitments and the meals and coffee breaks promised to delegates were either mediocre or inexistant. Something as simple as hauling a taxi back to your hotel was a 30 min ferocious challenge in the hot

49

Favorite Papers

and sweaty weather. All in all, it was not the best travel experience… yet, on the positive side, the quality of the technical papers presented by the IDA community was just as sharp as it had ever been.

And of all those top-quality papers presented, Nuria Peña’s paper was crowned as the best of all and rewarded with a 5000$ cash prize. I was serving on the Awards Committee that year, so I know how tight the race to the final selection was. I won’t tell you in detail why this paper was so good, go read it yourself! :) Nevertheless, I will tell you why it had such a special impact on my personal career and on H2O Innovationas a company.

Picture of the Genesys team at the time.

If there was one great moment during the Tian Jin Congress, it was the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, this ceremony is always at the end and a lot of people are gone by then, but the ones who stayed for that last day were finally 50

able to enjoy a few laughs and a decent drink with their industry friends. More importantly, this is when Nuria received the Best Paper Award and just after the announcement there was simply magic in the air. The entire Genesys team went ecstatic; it seemed as if a volcano had erupted in the room as everyone shared their excitement and joy. The camaraderie you could sense among their team and the way in which they attracted the attention and healthy envy of industry peers was something rare and very special. It was very touching, it left nobody unaffected, surely not me…

At that very instant, I became aware that the business culture at Genesys was very special and similar like the one we were building at H2O Innovation. And this is when I started to envision how we could collaborate in the future even though at that time we already owned a subsidiary, PWT, which was a competitor to Genesys. One thing led to another, fast track 7 years and in 2019, H2O Innovation acquired Genesys which has since then merged with PWT creating one large family of talented people with an amazing business culture centered around Care, Communication and Celebration!

Realizing that this all started with one excellent paper is exciting, and the moral

of the story is just this: next time you write a paper for the Sydney World Congress, remember all the implications this may have down the road and the domino effect it can cause. Your hard work may impress a jury, which in turn could lead to an award and a celebration, which could get not only noticed, but also appreciated by others and could

ultimately finish in a super important marriage (I often say a merger is like a marriage!) Many great things can come out of well thought research, well written papers and well delivered presentations. Thank you Nuria and thank you to all your co-authors for having changed the destiny of H2O innovation in such a positive way!

About the Nominator

Guillaume Clairet holds a Physics Engineering degree from Laval University, an MBA from the University of San Diego, and is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Canada. In his early career, Mr. Clairet worked on projects involving groundwater remediation for the Canadian National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS). Since joining H2O Innovation in 2004, Guillaume has held multiple positions of increasing seniority in project management, sales, innovation & strategic business development. He has served in his current role as Chief Operating Officer of H2O

Innovation since 2015 and he remains active in many industry associations (IDA, AMTA, WEF and WateReuse). Mr. Clairet has previously served for 8 years on the Board of Directors of the International Desalination Association (IDA).

He is currently a mentor for the Imagine H2O water start-up accelerator and also serves on 2 advisory committees: for CentrEau (Quebec’s Water Research Center based out of Laval University) and for Osmoz (a Governement Program for financing water research & innovation).

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Favorite Papers

Transport in Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes

Lonsdale, H.; Riley, R.; Lyons, C.; Carosella, D., Transport in composite reverse osmosis membranes. In Membrane Processes in Industry and Biomedicine, Springer: 1971; pp 101122.

Nominated by: Mr. Chuyang Y. Tang

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his 1971 paper by Lonsdale et al.1 provides fundamental insights into transport behaviors in thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. TFC polyamide membranes feature high salt rejection, moderate water permeance, good pH tolerance, and excellent mechanical stability, which sets a golden standard for desalination and water reuse. However, these membranes face a strong tradeoff between water permeance and selectivity, commonly known as the “upper bound” in the membrane community.2 In this favorite paper, Lonsdale and co-workers revealed a new fundamental mechanism that limits the efficiency of water transport in TFC membranes – the “funnel effect”. According to these authors, for a thin polyamide film supported on a low-porosity substrate, water permeation through this thin film is largely dominated by the polyamide area directly above or near the substrate pores, forming funnel-like transport patterns. Since typical substrates used for TFC membranes have relatively low surface porosity of ~ or < 10%, the “funnel effect” could potentially reduce

T

the available water permeance by an order of magnitude compared to that of an ideal “freestanding” polyamide film. Lonsdale and co-workers1 further developed a model to show that the negative impact of the “funnel effect” is stronger for TFC membranes with thinner rejection layers and less porous substrates.

We found this 1971 paper recently when we were preparing a critical review on the role of substrates in TFC membranes. I am simply fascinated by its classical style and fundamental insights.

How much I wish that my student had shown this paper to me earlier! In the past few years, my research group has been working on interlayered thin-film nanocomposite (TFNi) membranes.3,4 We found that the inclusion of a highly permeable interlayer could effectively enhance the water permeance of a polyamide membrane by 6-7 times. It took us several years to find out the 1. Lonsdale, H.; Riley, R.; Lyons, C.; Carosella, D., Transport in composite reverse osmosis membranes. In Membrane Processes in Industry and Biomedicine, Springer: 1971; pp 101-122.

2. Yang, Z.; Guo, H.; Tang, C. Y., The upper bound of thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes for desalination.

Journal of Membrane Science 2019, 590, 117297.

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Favorite Papers

reason – the inclusion of an interlayer effectively shortens the lateral transport of water inside the polyamide film and thus minimizes the funnel effect. If we had learnt Lonsdale and coworkers’ paper earlier, we would have saved a huge amount of experimental time!

The funnel effect described by Lonsdale et al. is also applicable to other membrane applications, such as forward osmosis, gas separation, and pervaporation. For example, in the context of gas separation, overcoming this effect by the inclusion of a gutter layer can lead

54

to an order of magnitude enhancement in membrane permeance.5 I wish the membrane community could gain more fundamental insights from this classical work.

3. Yang, Z.; Zhou, Z. W.; Guo, H.; Yao, Z.; Ma, X. H.; Song, X.; Feng, S. P.; Tang, C. Y., Tannic Acid/Fe(3+) Nanoscaffold for Interfacial Polymerization: Toward Enhanced Nanofiltration Performance. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2018, 52, (16), 9341-9349.

4. Yang, Z.; Wang, F.; Guo, H.; Peng, L. E.; Ma, X.-H.; Song, X.; Wang, Z.; Tang, C. Y., Mechanistic insights into the role of polydopamine interlayer towards improved separation performance of polyamide nanofiltration membranes.

Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020, 54, (18), 11611-11621.

5. Kattula, M.; Ponnuru, K.; Zhu, L.; Jia, W.; Lin, H.; Furlani, E. P., Designing ultrathin film composite membranes: the impact of a gutter layer. Sci. Rep. 2015, 5, (1), 15016.

About the Nominator

Chuyang Y. Tang is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. He obtained his PhD degree from Stanford University and has approximately 20 years’ experience in membrane technology, water reuse, and desalination. Professor Tang has published more than 280 journal papers, with a total citation of 19,600 and H-index of 80 according to Web of Science. His series works on novel membrane fabrication, permeability-selectivity tradeoff (the “Upper Bound”) of RO and NF membranes, and formation/tailoring roughness

of RO membranes are well recognized by the membrane community.

His invention of aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes has resulted in the successful commercialization of Aquaporin Inside Membranes (AIMs®)

by Aquaporin Asia Singapore. Professor Tang’s R&D has been recognized by many prestigious awards, such as the inaugural RGC Senior Research Fellowship, the Singapore Ministry of National Development R&D Merit Award, and the International Desalination Association Fellowship.

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Favorite Papers

Trends In Desalination Technology

By W. T. Hanbury “Trends In Desalination Technology”, 2005, Porthan Ltd., U.K. Nominated by: Mr. Tariq Nada

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ecause since reading Hanbury’s paper back book in 2006 and through this moment, every time I read it, I can see, derive, and predict the technical and commercial logic for trends in Desalination industry.

On the first time of reading the paper, I had a sense of “there is much more here to understand” more particular on RO development.

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The paper has enabled the reader to digest (3) time zones. Past, present and future, all relevant to “now”.

The most pertinent part of this paper that makes me go back to it from time to time, is the how Hanbury defined Opportunities and Scopes for Improvements in Desalination Technology. As the time has gone on, all of these areas of development have been validated as he listed.

Every time I read his analysis about the future of SWRO, more particular its associated Power Consumption it is clear that further progress in this area is more likely to entail capital cost reductions and scale-up of the pressure exchange devices that have delivered these lower energy consumptions rather than further dramatic energy consumption reductions. Simplification of pretreatment, possibly by the use of membrane filtration, probably holds out the greatest prospect for improved SWRO reliability and extension of membrane lives. Membrane restoration and cleaning techniques are another area in which significant progress may be possible.

This condensed paragraph always helps me to dig deep and understand more on RO desalination development, after breaking it down into the following pieces:

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Favorite Papers

ʞ Scale - up of the pressure exchange devices ʞ Simplification of pretreatment ʞ Membrane restoration and cleaning techniques are another area in which significant progress may be possible.

today’s best-performing SWRO plants, there are ways to drastically reduce the amount of energy going into each cubic meter of water handled, as defined in Hanbury’s paper as well as with digitally-assisted optimization.

Each of the 3 elements remains having an area to develop further, which do reflect on RO development. While global desalination average of around 3 kWh/ m3 is close to the performance seen at

Saying the above, Hanbury’s paper back in 2005 remains my personal favorite paper as time develop in parallel to RO development.

About the Nominator

Mr. Tariq Nada is serving ACWA Power as Chief Technical Officer – Saudi Portfolio. Acting as center of expertise providing an in-depth technical knowledge/support and using that knowledge to design and implement engineering solutions to feed into various of the asset life cycle from bid to asset operations to provide ACWA 58

Power with the right guidance and steer from an engineering point of view.

Previously, he worked in the O&M phase at SWCC KSA and in R&D activities at Glasgow University.

In addition, he represents ACWA Power on multiple Board of Directors.

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IDA 2021 International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Pictures

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IDA 2021 International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Pictures

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IDA 2021 International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Pictures

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wrr.idadesal.org

making every drop count

IDA 2021 WATER REUSE AND CONSERVATION AWARDS ANNOUNCED The winners of the IDA prestigious Water Reuse and Conservation Awards went to three outstanding nominees who have demonstrated exceptional performance and contributions to the field.

The winners are:

PROFESSOR CHUYANG TANG University of Hong Kong Outstanding Professional in Water Reuse and Conservation Presented in recognition of exceptional contributions to the development and implementation of landmark water reuse projects; and the advancement of technology and applied science in water reuse and conservation.

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DUBAI MUNICIPALITY

DUPONT WATER SOLUTIONS

Exceptional Utility Leader in Water Reuse and Conservation Presented In recognition of outstanding performance of public and private utilities that have implemented successful leading-edge water reuse and conservation programs and projects.

Industry Technology and Innovation in Water Reuse and Conservation Presented to recognize the outstanding performance of technology and equipment providers that have achieved disruptive advances in water reuse and conservation technology allowing for significant reduction in energy use, carbon footprint, and costs of alternative water supplies.

making every drop count

wrr.idadesal.org

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Platinum Sponsor

Diamond Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Lunch Sponsor

Session Sponsor

Memo Book Sponsor

Strategic Partners

Media Partners

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Platinum Sponsor

Utilities Development Company W.L.L. (UDC) was established, in May 2001, by Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi & Sons Group (MAK) and Ionics Inc of the USA (now a part of GE), as a vehicle for executing the concession contract for the Sulaibiya Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Plant under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme. UDC is a special purpose company, the first SPC ever created in Kuwait.

The relationship between MAK and Ionics had begun in 1998 when the two companies entered into a strong alliance and together prequalified for the tender for the Sulaibiya Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Plant.

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On 7th May 2001, the concession contract was signed by the Government of the State of Kuwait, represented by the Ministry of Public Works, and Utilities Development Company.

The Sulaibiya WWT&RP project has proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, the important role the private sector can play in the national development process through the activation of local investments and the attraction of foreign investors.

Providing value to their customers is Toray’s main objective and it is the basis on which Toray continues to build their market leadership in the membrane water treatment sector.

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Water Solutions

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Diamond Sponsor

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As a global leader in sustainable separation and purification technologies, DuPont is helping customers across industries and countries make real progress in ways that not only improve productivity, efficiency,

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and profitability, but also reduce waste, energy consumption, and environmental impact.

DuPont Water Solutions brings a tremendous depth and breadth of resources to the table, and we invite you to join us. We are here to make your progress our promise, and are positioned to meet your needs in every region of the world.

For some, it’s water. For us, it’s possibility.

Possibility Flows With Us.

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IDA 2023 INTERNATIONAL WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING CONFERENCE IN SEVILLE, SPAIN OCTOBER 2023

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NEW DATES FOR IDA WORLD CONGRESS: OCTOBER 9 – 13, 2022 After close consultation with our Australian Government partners and based on the Governments vaccination and border reopening four-stage plan, we must postpone the 2022 IDA World Congress scheduled for May 29-June 2, 2022. The new date is October 9-13, 2022, to ensure an in-person event and protect our community’s health and safety. Accordingly, we have modified the extended abstract submission deadline to February 15, 2022. The Congress remains in the magnificent city of Sydney, Australia, at the International 74

Convention Center (ICC Sydney), a spectacular location and state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2016 at the world-famous Darling Harbour.

“We can’t wait to welcome the world’s leading minds on water desalination and reuse to Sydney next year, as borders reopen, and our international visitors once again return. Our water community is certainly looking forward to networking and collaborating on new water solutions face to face with their global peers”, said BESydney CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith.

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

LEARN MORE ON THE IDA 2022 WORLD CONGRESS AT: WC.IDADESAL.ORG The 2022 IDA World Congress and Exhibition will provide knowledge-sharing and discussion opportunities for participants on a plethora of technical and business topics related to desalination and water reuse solutions to ensure a secure water future. The Congress is endorsed by the Government of New South Wales, BeSydney, Tourism Australia, the University of Technology Sydney – Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, Australian Water Association, Sydney Water, Sydney Desalination Plant, UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology at the University of New

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

South Wales, and the Water Services Association of Australia.

Industry leaders and technical experts will converge and connect to develop business opportunities, exchange ideas, share knowledge about cutting-edge technologies, and progress towards a sustainable future. Participating in the program are public and private sector leaders, researchers, and academics in desalination, water reuse, energy, environment, and project finance.

The Congress will consist of panel discussions, an excellent technical program, an industry-driven exhibition, unparalleled networking opportunities, and specialized workshops.

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SUBMIT YOUR EXTENDED ABSTRACT

BY FEBRUARY 15, 2022 The Congress centerpiece is its robust Technical Program covering all aspects of desalination and water reuse solutions to ensure water sustainability.

With over 300 papers among ten technical topics and multiple sub-topics, the Technical Program will explore a broad range of desalination and water reuse technologies, practices, and experiences worldwide. The program’s knowledge-sharing aspect recognizes that resources and requirements vary based on need, location, climate conditions, and natural resources. The IDA Innovation Forum is new to the World Congress; a pitch-based competition limited to eight teams with a monetary award.

AUSTRALIA’S COMMITMENT WITH THE DESALINATION Australia significantly increased its desalination investment during its Millennium drought from 2006-2012, adding over $16 billion worth of infrastructure investment. As Australia enters yet another drought period in places reporting the lowest recorded rainfall levels, more significant investments in desalination and water reuse are required to keep up with additional water demand.

This latest investment will come with a continued sustainability focus, building on the track record of primarily wind-powered, renewable energy offset at many of Australia’s large-scale desalination plants.

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 in line with UN SDG #6. It is the ideal forum to advance goals that ensure clean water sources for future generations.

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IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Institutional Partners

Titanium Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Outback Discussion Theater Sponsor

YLP Sponsor

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

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THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITORS

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IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

BOOK YOUR EXHIBITION SPACE NOW The exhibition is the epicenter of the World Congress, offering easy access to four days of technical sessions, high-level plenary sessions, a Leaders Summit, business discussions, IDA Academy courses, and networking events. Book your exhibition space soon and take advantage of the early bird and IDA loyalty exhibitor rates!

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

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DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS FEBRUARY 1, 2022

IDA Innovation Forum 2022 AT WORLD CONGRESS: CHARTING RESILIENT WATER SOLUTIONS OCTOBER, 9 - 13 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 14:30-17:30

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Description: The IDA Innovation Forum, new to the World Congress, is specifically designed to introduce new and innovative solutions from Universities, Research Centers, Technology Developers, and start-up companies to major organizations in the water and energy sectors, venture capitalists and developers and private investor’s.

Who can submit? The Awards are open to all companies and organizations. The submission should have special emphasis on innovative energy reduction and environmental considerations; building a sustainable future with financial resilience, and innovation.

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

Selection process: The winners will be Forum Award Sponsorship offers the selected by an international, cross-sector unique opportunity to showcase your panel of judges. organization as a contributor to innovation in our industry. Your logo will be displayed Sponsorship: A grand prize will be on Innovation Forum branding, the Word awarded to the winning proposal The Congress website and in the Final Program.

IDA R&D Committee will try to raise the industrial sponsorship and presented at Innovation Forum Travel Support Sponsor the IDA World Congress Gala dinner on The Innovation Forum sponsorship offers Wednesday, June 1, 2022. a unique opportunity to support leading innovators in their need for travel support Become a Sponsor of the Innovation to attend and pitch their technology if they Forum! are one of the eight teams shortlisted.

Innovation Forum Award Sponsor Support innovation by sponsoring this impressive award! The Innovation

IDA WORLD CONGRESS 2022

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL TODAY, VISIT

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CALL FOR EXTENDED ABSTRACTS CLOSES ON DECEMBER 1, 2021 Submit your extended abstract for the International Specialty Conference on Innovation in Desalination, February 7 – 9, 2022, in the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The conference will be organized in morning and afternoon sessions with two parallel tracks.

The first and half of the second day of this Specialty Conference will include presentations by well-renowned international keynote speakers which will provide an overview of the latest developments in key desalination industry topic areas, of recent scientific and technology breakthroughs, and of new trends aiming at breaking the cost and energy barriers of desalination.

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The afternoon of the second day of the conference will include a visit to SWCC desalination and technology demonstration facilities showcasing several innovative technologies of the DTRI of SWCC that were recently developed inhouse or created in partnership with key industry partners such as Hydranautics, FEDCO, Toyobo, Waterise, Fluid Technology Solutions, ERI, Pacifica Water Systems, and the University of California Los Angeles.

To submit your extended abstract visit here. *Accepted Technical papers may also be considered for the IDA 2022 World Congress Technical Program, in Sydney, Australia October 9-13, 2022

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IDA-SWCC DTRI International Specialty Conference on

Ocean Brine Mining March 21-23, 2022

Le Meridien Hotel, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

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IDA-SWCC DTRI International Specialty Conference on

Ocean Brine Mining

CALL FOR EXTENDED ABSTRACTS CLOSES ON DECEMBER 1, 2021 Focus on the Value of Brine form from Desalination Plants Brine from desalination plants contains valuable minerals and Desalination Brine mining has the potential to surpass earth mining as a source of rare-earth metals such as lithium, strontium, cesium, rubidium, barium and others. Desalination brine mining brings a new era of exploration of the vast water resources of the planet. This conference opens a venue for presenting and discussing the latest advanced technologies for extraction of minerals and rare metals from brine generated by desalination plants.

Program The main purpose of the 3-day Desalination Brine Mining Conference is to provide a forum for expert scientists, applied

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researchers, practitioners, and innovators in the field of desalination brine mining to share their latest technologies and experience of mineral and metal extraction.

Emphasis will be given to membrane-based ocean brine concentration and advanced extraction methods and technologies which combine low energy use and competitive production of rare metals and minerals.

The focus of the presentations will be technologies and systems that are advanced to the point of proof-of-concept and beyond, that have potential to yield minerals and rare metals at cost lower than that of earth mining and conventional methods of production. Presentations sharing case studies for demonstration or full-scale implementation of brine concentration and mineral extraction technologies are very welcome.

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IDA-SWCC DTRI International Specialty Conference on

Ocean Brine Mining

The presentations of the Ocean Brine Mining for Desalination will be divided into three days. Each day will have one morning and one afternoon session and each session will include six 25-minute presentations each followed by 10-minute discussions.

Call for Extended Abstracts Closes on December 1, 2021 Submit your extended abstract for the IDA-SWCC-DTRI Ocean Brine Mining for Desalination Specialty Conference, March 21-23, 2022, to be held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Deadline to submit is 1 December 2021.

Focus on the Value of Brine form from Desalination Plants Technical Program Topics include: ʞ State of the Art of Thermal Brine Concentration ʞ Advanced Technologies for Membrane Brine Concentration

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ʞ Non-thermal & Non-membrane Brine Concentration Technologies ʞ Brine Concentration for Harvesting of Minerals ʞ Brine Concentration for Harvesting of Rare Metals ʞ Brine Concentration for Zero Liquid Discharge ʞ Case Studies for Brine Concentration ʞ Case Studies for Zero Liquid Discharge ʞ Lowering Cost and Energy Use Barriers for Brine Concentration ʞ The Future of Brine Concentration – Next Generation Technologies *Accepted Technical papers may also be considered for the IDA 2022 World Congress Technical Program, in Sydney, Australia October 9-13, 2022.

Shortlisted authors will be notified by January 10, 2022, with full papers due by January 30, 2022. Final ppt presentations are due by February 10, 2022. For questions regarding the conference please contact papers@idadesal.org

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IDA TALKS

IDA presents in this IDA Global Connections new videos of our IDA Talks video series about essential topics in desalination, water reuse, recycling, and relevant energy solutions.

Professor Rong Wang

Nanyang Technological University of Singapore Aug 19, 2021 Topic: Latest Development on RO Membranes Watch the video

Professor Enrico Driolli

Institute on Membrane Technology, University of Calabria, Italy Aug 25, 2021 Topic: Trends in Desalination Membranes for the Next Decade Watch the video

Dr. Domingo Zarzo

Innovation and Strategic Project Manager, Sacyr Water and IDA Board Member Sept 17, 2021 Topic: Desalination for Agriculture Watch the video

Check out more videos, here.

We invite stakeholders from different sectors of our industry to talk about research and innovation, project development, finance, legal frameworks, operations and maintenance, incorporation of renewable energy, and many more topics through short recordings of up to 3-5 minutes.

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IDA 2022 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 88

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APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE IDA 2022 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM SPONSORED BY HARBIN ROPV INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD AND HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA The International Desalination Association announces the 2022 IDA Fellowship application process is now open, and applicants may send in their submission until January 2, 2022. The University of Alberta in Canada will host the 2022 IDA-ROPV Fellowship, and IDA and the University of Alberta will jointly select the Fellow. Successful applicants will possess 6-10 years of work experience in the water industry and have a distinguished career of accomplishments and professional achievements. Applicants must propose a project to complete for the duration of their Fellowship, which will benefit the water industry at large. Please note that all applicants must be members of IDA. Inaugurated in 2008, the IDA Fellowship is a recognized and prestigious program of our community, supported by a monetary subsidy of up to USD 10,000. The Fellowship will run for six weeks, from May 1 to June 15, 2022. The core consortium member for the Fellowship is the Advanced Controls Lab led

by Dr. Qing Zhao, a part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta. The Laboratory, equipped with state-of-the-art computing facilities, aims to facilitate fundamental and applied research in the general area of systems and control. “Recognizing the essential role water treatment solutions

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play in providing clean water for all, technical innovation is key. IDA is pleased to partner with the University of Alberta for this unique educational opportunity.

We are thankful to Harbin ROPV Industrial Co., LTD for their generous support of a key IDA educational program. This is a great example of corporate social responsibility, and we hope more companies will support the annual IDA Scholarship and Fellowship Programs,” said Shannon K. McCarthy, IDA Secretary-General.

Each host agency is a high-profile public utility or research organization known for its desalination and water reuse leadership.

In addition to the University of Alberta in Canada, IDA has partnered in the past with the University of Arizona West in the USA; PUB in Singapore; the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia; Water Corporation and Murdoch University in Western Australia; the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the USA; the Ministry of Electricity & Water in Kuwait; and the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), in Oman.

For further details about the IDA Fellowship Program and application guidelines, please visit www.idadesal.org or email info@idadesal. org

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AMERICAN-MADE CHALLENGES SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE TEAMING WORKSHOP Thursday, October 28, 2021, 12 Noon EST By the U.S. Department of Energy On Thursday, October 28, 2021, 12 Noon EST the IDA will host the virtual teaming workshop and network event that brings together desal prize competitors, companies, test sites, and skillsets in order to build cross-function teams that can take the preliminary concept into a fully operational prototype. To

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do this, IDA will work with NREL to plan the virtual REMO meeting, engage with the teams regarding their presentation submissions and conduct a rehearsal with them prior to the event. IDA will coordinate the logistics and serve as master of ceremony for the workshop.

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IDA BOARD ELECTIONS TO TAKE PLACE IN THE FIRST QUARTER 2022 Nominations for 2022-2024 Board of Directors (Term 20) Now Being Accepted Schedule Nomination start date

Jan 6, 2022

Nomination close date

Feb 26, 2022

2022-2024 IDA Board of Directors Election Voting Opens

March 9, 2022

2022-2024 IDA Board of Directors Election Voting Closes

April 27, 2022

Results Announced and Posted

May 1, 2022

Board Transition

Oct 2022-IDA World Congress,

Nominations The nomination period for candidates for IDA's Board of Directors for the 2022-2024 term (Term 20) will open on January 6, 2022.

All persons who have been continuous active members in the IDA since June 2020 are eligible to stand for election. One of the significant criteria in considering candidates is their ability to provide leadership and make significant positive contributions to IDA. Candidates should be knowledgeable about IDA's mission and policies. In addition, 92

Sydney, Australia

candidates should be prepared to dedicate a considerable amount of time to their duties should they be elected. Directors are expected to prepare for and attend two board meetings per year, actively participate in IDA's programs, events, and committees, undertake special assignments, and respond promptly to Committee Chairpersons and IDA Headquarters communications.

All nominations should be sent to the IDA office to the attention of IDA Secretary General, Ms. Shannon McCarthy, at smccarthy@idadesal.org.

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Candidate Eligibility To be placed on the ballot, candidates must have been: (1) selected by the Membership and Elections (M&E) Committee; (2) proposed by letter or petition by at least five Class I and Class II members or their designated representatives from the same region; or (3) submit a written request to the M&E Committee to be considered for election and be sponsored by at least five Class I and Class II members or their designated representatives.

Candidates must be prepared to serve the desalination and water reuse community rather than espouse the particular interest of any single entity. They must maintain confidentiality on the business of the Board and avoid prejudiced judgments on specific issues. The candidate should also have standing within the desalination and water reuse industry.

Regional Representation To assure proper regional representation, directorships are allocated in proportion to the number of Class I and Class II members in good standing in each region. Twenty-one directors may be elected to the Board of Directors, and each region may have at least one and no more than seven. Based on the membership numbers, the regional allocation of Directors for the 2022 election is as follows:

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Europe

5

Latin America, Caribbean

1

Middle East, Africa

7

North America

4

Pacific Asia

4

Grand Total

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Elections Directors are elected by a direct vote of IDA’s Class I and Class II members. The Membership and Elections Committee asks that each candidate provide a high-resolution photo, short biography, and brief description of what he or she intends to contribute to the Association. Ballots will be posted on the website on March 9, 2022, and voting will begin. IDA members will be able to log in and vote electronically. Voting will close on April 27, 2022. Results will be posted on the IDA website (www.idaedeal.org) by May 1, 2022, and members will be notified of the results by email. Transition of the Board will take place at the IDA World Congress in Sydney, October 2022.

For more information about the Director elections, please contact Shannon McCarthy at smccarthy@idadesal.org

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IDA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

IDA EVENTS/PARTNER EVENTS

AMERICAN-MADE CHALLENGES SOLAR DESALINATION PRIZE TEAMING WORKSHOP

INTERNATIONAL SPECIALTY CONFERENCE ON DESALINATION BRINE MINING

INTERNATIONAL SPECIALTY CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION IN DESALINATION

AWA OZWATER´22

October 28, 2021 Online Event

February 7-9, 2022 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

WSTA 14TH GULF WATER CONFERENCE February 13-15, 2022 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

AMTA / AWWA MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION February 21-25, 2022 Las Vegas, NV, USA

March 21-23, 2022 Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

May 10-12, 2022 Brisbane, Australia

IDA 2022 WORLD CONGRESS Oct 9-13, 2022 Sydney, Australia

IDA 2023 INTERNATIONAL WATER REUSE AND RECYCLING CONFERENCE October 2023 Seville, Spain

EUROPEAN DESALINATION SOCIETY DESALINATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: CLEAN WATER AND ENERGY March 7-10, 2022 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Check IDA Events here

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Become an

IDA Member Today!

As the world is faced with a rapidly increasing demand for fresh water, our sector stands on the threshold of unprecedented growth, poised between the reality of future climate change and the immediate need for sustainable water solutions. More than ever before is a network of global connections needed, so stakeholders are ready to fight water scarcity with sustainable water solutions.

Membership Benefits: • Voting privileges for IDA Board of Directors election and constitutional changes each term • Ability to run for IDA Board of Directors after one year of membership • Participation in Board Committees and activities • If under 35, you are eligible to apply for IDA’s YLP Program, IDA Fellowship Program, and the Channabasappa Scholarship • Discounted registration to all IDA events and various partner events • Free registration to all IDA Webinars • Discounted registration to all IDA Academy Training events (note: does not include events where IDA Academy is a supporting partner) • Access to the IDA Directory of Manuscripts • Access to IDA Membership Database and social networking portal • Subscription to IDA Global Connections quarterly publication • Complimentary Copy of IDA Water Security Handbook. Produced with GWI

Established in 1973, IDA is a non-profit 501 (c) (6) organization, bringing together people, ideas, and knowledge to advance sustainable water solutions. We are a UN recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) and partner of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization WASAG – Global Framework on water scarcity in agriculture. For more information on membership, please contact membership@idadesal.org or view www.idadesal.org.

In 2019, the IDA established the IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation, a US non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that promotes creative solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. SWRF supports innovation by advocating clean energy solutions, organizing educational programs and projects concerning the nexus of water, energy, food, and the environment. To learn more, visit www.idaswrf.org.

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IDA Global Connections offers companies an outstanding opportunity to show their support for the IDA and advanced water treatment industry that we serve, while reaching approximately 10,000 industry professionals around the world.

IDA offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities. For details, please visit www.idadesal.org or contact sponsorships@idadesal.org.

DOWNLOAD DE THE MEDIA KIT HERE!

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Ms. Shannon McCarthy Secretary General

Karen A. Zilinek Deputy Secretary General

Alessandra Michelangeli Project Coordinator

Cristina Mauleón Social Media and Marketing

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Connecting People and Ideas to Water Solutions

Address P.O. Box 387 Topsfield, MA 01983 USA Phone +1-978-774-0959