The Al Khafji Solar Saline Water Reverse Osmosis (Solar SWRO) Desalination Plant near the Kuwait border in Saudi Arabia, due to be completed in 2017, is set to be the world’s largest facility of its kind.
The plant will be capable of treating 30,000 cubic meters of water every day, which can supply over 100,000 people with desalinated seawater every day and the best is that it will leave no carbon trace. It produces a surplus of energy during the day which it can then use at night – this means that the plant produces zero carbon emissions, making it the first zero carbon emission desalination plant globally.
The plant is part of an initiative in the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and can be upgraded to handle a maximum of 60,000 cubic meters and serve 150,000 people on a daily basis. The plant will make use of the new Solar Saline Water Reverse Osmosis (Solar SWRO) desalination method and use ultra-filtration (UF) in the pre-treatment process.
The seawater in the region has high salinity and high levels of oils and greases, which make filtration complex. This is further complicated by seasonal red tides, sea shallowness and an abundance of jellyfish. Due to all of this, the membranes used will be highly resistant to accumulation of bacteria in the RO membrane, salt blockage and chlorine, and the pre-treatment phase will reduce the high levels of salinity, oils and fats in the water.
The idea of building a solar-powered plant is that the plant will be able to continue functioning even if trade lines become blocked or fuel supplies run out. The plant will be able to provide a regular supply of water throughout the year. The plant’s system to optimise power consumption will ensure that the water production will be increased during peak power supply from the photovoltaic plant and the tracking technology will further maximise the availability of solar power.
This plant will be a boon to those in the region, providing clean drinking water to those who are without and who need it most.
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