IDA publishes program for Gulf desalination and environment seminar

The International Desalination Association has published details of program sessions and topics for its seminar on Desalination and the Gulf: The Relationship between the Environment and Meeting the Region’s Water Needs, which will take place in Bahrain on 6-7 December 2010.

Over the past few months, a distinguished task force of desalination and environmental experts has been meeting to review and discuss the most pressing issues in preparation for this symposium, which is being organized under the patronage of Eng Fahmi Bin Ali Aljowder, minister of works and minister in charge of the Electricity & Water Authority.

The program sessions and topics for discussion will be:

Introductions

General overview of the Gulf environment and highlight of users and their relative impacts

Comparing and contrasting membrane and thermal desalination plant impacts

General status of regulation and environmental assessment regarding desalination in the Gulf and globally

Marine Impacts – Intakes

Baseline of intake structures used in the Gulf and their relative design/operation relative to impingement/entrainment and chlorine use

Methods to improve the design of greenfield plants and operation or mitigation of brownfield intakes relative to impingement/entrainment and chlorine usage

Marine Impacts – Chemical Discharges

Classes of chemicals used in desalination (short versus long life), usage levels and relative priority and impact

Bahrain case study of actual discharges from both thermal and membrane facilities

Estimates of waste and chemical discharges into the Arabian Gulf from desalination plants

Chlorination options, state-of-the-art and Gulf utilities strategies

Corrosion control/mitigation options

Marine Impacts – Salinity and Thermal Discharges

Differences in salinity and thermal discharges between membrane and thermal plants

Modeling impacts of salinity and thermal desalination plants including a case study

Mitigation approaches to address impacts of salinity discharges

Air Quality Impacts

Fuels used throughout the Gulf and the impact of their quality on greenhouse-gas emissions

Bahrain Electricity & Water Authority’s quest to reduce fuel gas emissions

Energy efficiency and carbon mitigation – what are the available options and financial incentives?

Status of renewable energy program in Saudi Arabia

IRENA report on renewable energy in the Gulf

Environmental Assessment And Monitoring

Overview and Case Study

Mitigation Discussions In Round Table Formats By Topic Area

Summaries and Conclusions: Blue Paper Outline

Registration can be made online at www.idadesal.org.