The European Desalination Society has issued a call for papers for its next conference in the Desalination For The Environment which it is holding in Barcelona on 23-26 April 2012 in association with Asociación Española de Desalación y Reutilización.

The conference will be devoted to advances towards providing fresh water for all at affordable cost and with economic energy requirements. It will overview the most recent technical developments in desalination technology, its cost and extent of application, including socioeconomic and environmental issues.

The place of industry research and government decision-making will be addressed, as will the reasons for desalination to be integrated into national or regional water management plans.

While, Barcelona is an important cultural centre, the € 230 million El Prat de Llobregat desalination plant, which will supply Barcelona with 200,000 m³/d of potable water was opened in July 2009, will be another attraction. The seawater reverse-osmosis plant, constructed by Degremont and Drace Medioambiente, will produce nearly a quarter of the water consumed by the city’s population.

Registration for the conference will be available via the EDS website www.edsoc.com. Abstracts will be accepted until 15 December 2011.