Seawater, Solar, Desalination, Desalination, Alabama, Arizona
Related content
Arizona RO plant opens solar-energy system
A 459 kW photovoltaic (PV) solar power system has been completed at the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility for the Town of Gila Bend, Arizona, by Solon Corporation, the company announced on 13 February 2013.
Arizona RO plant gets solar energy boost
The Arizona town of Gila Bend is to build a 460 kW photovoltaic solar‑energy system to power its 1 MGD (3,785 m³/d) reverse‑osmosis (RO) water treatment system.
Arizona wants DPR/seawater desalination plan to start now
An immediate start on work to prepare for direct potable water reuse and seawater desalination is proposed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) in a report recently published by the US state's government.
Samoa first to draw from Japanese solar/desalination fund
Samoa on 17 June 2011 became the first country to access a Japanese fund set up for solar power generation and seawater desalination or a combination of both.
IBM joins in Saudi solar desalination initiative
Saudi Arabia's solar powered desalination initiative, announced in January, is now to involve the ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic (UHCPV) and nanomembrane desalination technologies being jointly developed by IBM and the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST).
RFP to follow UAE renewable-energy desalination launch
A pilot program to test and develop advanced energy-efficient seawater desalination technologies that could be powered by renewable energy sources was launched on 17 January 2013 by Masdar, the UAE renewable energy company.
Australia and NZ ferry RO units to Tuvalu
Australia and New Zealand are leading an urgent response to the drought currently afflicting the South Pacific islands of Tuvalu and Tokelau by transporting reverse-osmosis (RO) units to provide a water supply.
Jack August to give AWWA/AMTA keynote speech
Dr Jack L August Jr, historian and executive director of the Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest and visiting scholar in legal history at Snell & Wilmer LLP will be keynote speaker at the AWWA/AMTA Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition, which opens in Pheonix, Arizona, next week.

Yuma salinity/desalination conference - abstract deadline nears
Abstracts for the Salinity & Desalination in the Southwest conference in Yuma, Arizona, USA, on 26-27 April 2011 must be in by the end of February.
Yuma desalination plant restarted for pilot run
Representatives from the US Department of the Interior and three municipal water agencies gathered on 28 April 2010 to launch a one-year pilot run of the Bureau of Reclamation's Yuma Desalting Plant.

Clarifier brings quality increase to UF treatment plant
Alabama is not a US state that immediately springs to mind in connection with membrane water treatment, which is why a poster paper at the recent AWWA/AMTA conference in Arizona caught the eye of D&WR. Opened in January 2011, the High Point Water Treatment Plant has used a solids contact clarifier and ultrafiltration to improve its overall water quality by reducing turbidity, removing pathogens, and meeting secondary standards.This article first appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.
CDA/EDS seeking Qingdao desalination abstracts by 15 March
Abstracts for the 2011 Qingdao International Desalination Conference in China (20-23 June 2011) must received by 15 March 2011 with final papers by 10 May 2011.
Bidding for largest solar desalination plant opens soon
Tenders for the world's largest solar-powered seawater desalination plant in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, will be invited next month by utility company Utico Middle East.
Cambria desalination will bring environmental benefit
The US Army Corps of Engineers announced on 28 April 2009 that it will receive US$ 2.5 million in funding through the new American Recovery & Reinvestment Act to develop the Cambria desalination project north-west of San Luis Obispo in California.
Renewables advocate takes chair in desalination at Murdoch University
Murdoch University's School of Engineering and IT has appointed Professor Wendell Ela as the inaugural chair of desalination and water treatment. He is an advocate of the use of renewable energy for desalination and has developed small solar desalination systems for remote Navajo communities in USA.
Saudi solar desalination push nears end of Phase 1
The first of three phases of the King Abdullah Initiative for Solar Water Desalination is expected to be operational by the end of this year, according to reports from Saudi Arabia.
EDS lists desalination courses for 2013
The European Desalination Society (EDS) has released a complete list of its courses for 2013. EDS has been giving training certificates since 2003 to over 400 participants from all over the world.
Arizona centre opens to address water scarcity
The University of Arizona's Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Centre has opened with a brief to "help enable researchers, public officials, and industry leaders to work together in developing new technologies and more energy sustainable solutions to address water scarcity," according to founding member and sponsor, Dow Water and Process Solutions.
French and Kuwaitis sign solar desalination agreement
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah have signed a memo of understanding for implementing a project for water desalination using solar energy.
EDS publishes desalination courses line-up for 2013
Five courses for the first half of 2013 have been announced by the European Desalination Society (EDS). All except one will be staged in Genoa, Italy.
FO pilot plant could follow HTI Dubai link-up
Forward-osmosis (FO) system manufacturer Hydration Technology Innovations LLC (HTI) has signed an international distribution, services and cooperation agreement for FO technology with Future Technologies LLC of Dubai. Future Technologies will distribute HTI's FO OsMem membrane technology for industrial applications.
July abstract deadline for joint AWWA/AMTA conference
A deadline of 22 July 2011 has been set for abstracts for the joint Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition being held in Arizona, USA, next year by the American Water Works Association and the Membrane Technology Association.
AMTA lists tech transfer and AWWA events
The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) has fixed dates for technology-transfer workshops this year including a joint event with the South West Membrane Operators Association (SWMOA),
Iran pilots solar desalination
Iran has begun pilot testing on a solar-powered desalination plant in an arid region in the south of the country.
Giant solar desalination project plans US$ 10 million public offering
Shares in what would be California's first commercial-scale solar desalination plant issued by WaterFX will this year form a US$ 10 million state-registered direct public offering (DPO) in the state.
IX system improves Alabama MF plant's performance
The City of Oneonta in Alabama, USA, commissioned a 3 MGD (10,500 m³/d) MIEX® ion-exchange system in August 2012 to provide dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal prior to coagulation and microfiltration of Oneonta Utilities' Little Warrior river water source.
Solar/MED design aims to desalinate CSG water
A three-way partnership in Australia has entered a solar-powered desalination system for the coal‑seam gas (CSG) industry into the Australian Innovation Challenge being run by Shell and The Australian newspaper.
EDS unveils course on desalination and renewable energy
The European Desalination Society (EDA) has announced a four‑day intensive course on Wind and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Powered Desalination Systems (Reverse Osmosis and Electrodialysis Reversal) to be held in the Canary Islands.
MEDRC announces solar desalination course
The Middle East Desalination Research Center is to hold a course on Solar Desalination in October 2013 at its Muscat, Oman, training facility.

Chilean solar desalination demo precurses pilot project
A demonstration solar-powered desalination plant was installed in mid‑March 2013 in Arica, Chile, by Fundación Chile, in advance of a pilot project for irrigation purposes.
Australian island rigs up solar powered desalination
Rottnest Island, off the Western Australian coast, is constructing a solar power source for the island's population including its desalination plant.

Hybrid solar energy for Navajo Nation membrane distillation project
The University of Arizona and the US government's Bureau of Reclamation are developing a project combining advanced water treatment in the form of membrane distillation with hybrid solar energy to provide water supplies for the Native-American area, Navajo Nation, in the south-west USA. Installation is currently under way and the system will be tested for a year from March 2013. This article first appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.
Solar still v RO comparison for S Australia desalination
A full solar distillation plant was compared with reverse osmosis (RO) for a small groundwater desalination project in South Australia and RO was chosen as the preferred option.
Solar desalination champion teams with university
Louisiana, engineer and solar powered desalination entrepreneur, Hill Kemp, has teamed up with University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) to market the technology to industrial customers.
Santa Cruz desalination EIR delayed until fall
The environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed 2.5 MGD (9,500 m³/d) desalination plant (scwd²) for Santa Cruz, California, will not now be published until fall 2012.
EDS adds SDI Workshop to Barcelona events
The European Desalination Society has added a workshop on the Silt Density Index to the satellite events around its upcoming Barcelona conference, the society confirmed in an announcement on 12 March 2012.
Almogordo trial for commercial-size solar desalination still
Indiana-based Suns River is nearing completion of a commercial-sized solar still at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Almogordo, New Mexico, USA, following the issue of a patent on its process (US #8,088,257) on 3 January 2012.
Egyptian solar desalination
The Egyptian Gazette reported on 22 September 2011 that Egypt's scientists have developed a solar-power based technology to reduce the cost of water desalination from LE 10 (US$ 1.67) to LE 4 ($0 67) per cubic metre.

Solar panels commissioned at UK desalination plant
Thames Water in the UK at the end of July commissioned a 450 kW array of solar panels at its 150,000 m³/d Beckton brackish-water desalination plant as part of a bid to become Britain's biggest on-site solar power producer and industrial user.
Gujarat state to go for solar desalination
The Indian state of Gujarat is to develop solar-based desalination along its coasts on a large scale and in a cost-effective manner, the state's chief minister Shri Narendra Modi announced on 22 March 2011.
IDA releases more detail of Portofino conference
Abstracts of four "notable" papers for the the International Desalination Association's (IDA) Desalination Industry Action For Good conference in Portofino, Italy, in May were sent out by the association on 18 February 2011.

URS to assist El Paso desalination solar project
The Public Services Board in El Paso, Texas, on 10 November 2010 voted to hire URS Corporation as a consultant to assist with the choice of a solar energy system to power part of the Kay Bailey Hutchison desalination plant.
EDS promotes learning on desalination and renewable energy
The European Desalination Society is promoting two sets of courses looking at desalination using renewable energies.
IDA issues call for papers for Portofino conference
The International Desalination Association is seeking presentations from industry and related NGOs on how the organization and the desalination community, as a whole, can be more responsive to human needs for clean and affordable potable water.

India's BARC develops small solar RO and UF units
Domestic and community-level reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination units have been developed for producing safe drinking water by Saly T Panicker at the Desalination Division of India's Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Low-temperature distillation technology licensed to Sterling Water
The low-temperature distillation method of desalination developed by the New Mexico State University (NMSU) in the USA has been licensed to Sterling Water LLC of Qatar.
El Paso to explore solar power for desalination plant
The City of El Paso Public Service Board voted on 10 February 2010 to explore the possibility of using solar power at the Kay Bailey Hutchison desalination plant in Texas, USA.
Dubai utility accepts bids for solar desalination project
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has accepted seven bids to develop a pilot solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination project.
Dubai invites bids for turnkey solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination project
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has issued a tender inviting bids for the design, installation and testing and commissioning of a pilot photovoltaic-powered pumping and reverse osmosis water desalination system.
Morocco's first solar-powered desalination starts up
Morocco's first solar-powered desalination plant has started operations near Marrakech.
Gulf should look to solar to power desalination expert says
The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency has called on Arab Gulf states to shift their focus to solar and other renewable energy when considering power for desalination.
Grenada builds solar powered pair of desalination plants
Grenada is constructing solar power arrays to generate electricity for a pair of planned reverse osmosis desalination plants on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
EDS publishes June solar desalination course program
The European Desalination Society (EDS) has published the program for its three-day intensive course on Desalination With Solar Energy to be held in Almeria, Spain, on 11‑13 June 2014.
Solar mobile desalination plant inaugurated in Egypt
The Egyptian State Information Service reported that a mobile water desalination plant powered by solar energy was inaugurated in Marsa Matrouh governorate on 18 April 2014.
Sanz and Awerbuch to lead IDA WEX sessions
The International Desalination Association (IDA) has released details of the two desalination sessions it is organizing as a Support Partner for WEX Global - the Water and Energy Exchange in Madrid.
Solar power installed soon for Nauru desalination plant
Singapore's Hitachi-Aquatech has awarded a contract to two New Zealand companies for a 131 kWp solar system to power a desalination plant for the Pacific island of Nauru.
Puretec acquires Layne Christensen's DI assets
California-based Puretec Industrial Water announced at the end of March 2013 that it had acquired the assets of Layne Christensen's Arizona-based deionization water purification and water system maintenance services as from 1 April 2013.

Large RO membranes at heart of Scottsdale expansion
The 7.1 MGD (26,900 m³/d) expansion of the City of Scottsdale's Water Campus Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) plant in Arizona, USA, is now fully operational creating a total of 20 MGD (75,700 m³/d) of reused wastewater.
Tri-Tech planning forward-osmosis pilot plants
Chinese water and wastewater treatment company Tri-Tech Holdings announced on 13 May 2011 that its current plans include constructing and operating one or more forward-osmosis (FO) pilot units using technology licensed from Arizona-based Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI).
Arizona panel makes water-reuse recommendations
More than 60 recommendations including many on wastewater reuse have been forwarded to the governor of the US state of Arizona by a "Blue Ribbon" panel formed by the governor, Jan Brewer, in 2009.
Siemens to supply 88,000m³/d UF pretreatment for Scottsdale
Siemens Water Technologies announced on 14 December 2010 a US$ 7 million contract to supply 11 Memcor CP membrane filtration systems for the City of Scottsdale Water Campus Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) Facility expansion in Arizona, USA.
Energy Recovery wins Saudi solar deal
Industrial fluid pressure technology specialist, Energy Recovery, has won a US$ 1.4 million deal to supply its PX pressure exchanger technology for the world's first large-scale solar-powered desalination plant.
UF units from Innovative bound for Arizona and Haiti
Eight ultrafiltration (UF) drinking water treatment plants are to be provided by Innovative Water Technologies Inc (IWT) for the Central Arizona Project in remote locations throughout Arizona, USA. Units are also being sent urgently to Haiti.
EDS publishes dates for 2013 courses
The European Desalination Society has published dates for two courses in the first half of 2013.
Pure Aqua builds solar-powered desalination for Cameroon
US-based Pure Aqua has designed and manufactured six solar-powered reverse osmosis water purifiers for river water in the African state of Cameroon.
Japanese fund three desalination plants for Tuvalu
A 100 m³/d desalination plant and two 10 m³/d plants are to be included in a US$ 4 million project for the drought-stricken islands of Tuvalu approved by the Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund on 7 October 2011.
Japan funds desalination relief for South Pacific islands
The construction of a 30 m³/d desalination plant has relieved freshwater problems for around 200 inhabitants of Vanuavatu, one of the islands in the southern Lau Group in the South Pacific.
Abengoa to build SWRO plant in Agadir, Morocco
Spanish contractor Abengoa has been chosen by Morocco's Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE) to construct a new desalination plant in Agadir, Morocco.
Australian SWRO firm signs MoU for Saudi pilot
Australian desalination start-up Water Resources Group (WRG) announced on 4 December 2012 that its subsidiary Water Resources International (WRI) had signed a memorandum of understanding with Knowledge Industry Company (KIC) of Saudi Arabia.
CCC to rule on Cambria desalination plant studies
California Coastal Commission (CCC) staff have advised the commission at its meeting this week to agree to a US Army Corps of Engineers proposal to test a beach in the Cambria region, near San Luis Obispo, for use as beach wells for a desalination plant.

Canadian low-energy desalination gets government boost
Saltworks Techologies Inc's low-energy desalination project is to receive up to Can$ 580,000 (US$ 577,000) from the Canadian government via Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).
Nine water purification projects bag US$ 1.49 million in funding
The US Bureau of Reclamation has selected nine projects to receive US$ 1.49 million under its Desalination and Water Purification Research programme.
Wave energy for Perth southern desalination plant?
Australian wave-energy developer Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd (CWE) announced on 5 July 2012 that it had been advised by West Australia's Water Corporation that it wished to move forward on discussions for up to 2MW of renewable energy supply for the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant on an exclusive basis.
UK seawater desalination may become necessary, says IMechE report
Seawater desalination may become necessary in the United Kingdom if precipitation does not provide sufficient water, according to a report Climate change: adapting to the inevitable published in February 2009 by the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Papers invited for 2013 AWWA/AMTA event
With the 2012 AWWA/AMTA Membrane Technology Conference under way this week in Phoenix, Arizona, a call for papers has been issued for next year's event in Texas.

Giant solar-cell factory to have HERO water purification
The largest silicon solar manufacturing factory in the world is to use a high-efficiency reverse- osmosis (HERO) ultra-pure water treatment system supplied by GE. SunPower Corp selected GE to supply the new SunPower-AUO joint-venture solar-cell fabrication plant in Malaysia.

AMTA unveils annual gongs for membrane experts
The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) has conferred its annual roster of awards for membrane specialists, include its Lifetime Service Award, Hall of Fame Awards, and Operator of the Year Award.
Oman funds renewable desalination research
Oman has approved funding for research into harnessing renewable energy sources for water desalination in the sultanate.

The Long Read: Do we have the technology for potable water reuse?
Water reuse for drinking purposes is racing up the agenda in the US and elsewhere. Work to draw up new rules for potable reuse is advancing in states including California and Arizona, as well as in Canada and the European Union. Technologies are being piloted, and plants permitted.
Brackish desalination studied for Oklahoma aquifer
The Central Oklahoma Water Resources Authority (COWRA) in the USA is currently working with local company Guernsey Engineering and California's Separation Processes Inc to do a feasibility study and pilot project to use brackish water from the Garber Wellington aquifer which underlies 3,000 sq miles (7,700 km²) of central Oklahoma.
Oil company invests US$ 2.5 million in Saltworks desalination
Canadian oil company Cenovus Energy Inc is investing Can$ 2.5 million (US$ 2.56 million) in Vancouver-based desalination startup company Saltworks Technologies Inc.
AWWA launches Desalination Community web page
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) announced on 27 February 2012 that it had launched a Desalination Community, a page on its website for networking and exchanging ideas.
AMTA receives US$ 150,000 from ADC dissolution
The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) revealed on 28 February 2012 how it was going to use the US$ 151,000 donated to it by the Affordable Desalination Consortium (ADC) on its dissolution.
Abengoa wins contract for Morocco desalination plant
Morocco's National Power and Drinking Water Office (ONEE) has contracted Spanish desalination company, Abengoa, to construct a 100,000 m³/d plant, some 45 km from the city of Agadir.
IDA finalises Huntington Beach desalination energy conference topics
The International Desalination Association (IDA) has finalised the speakers and topics for its new-style conference Desalination: An Energy Solution, which is being held on 2-3 November 2010 in Huntington Beach, California, the city likely to host the USA's next large desalination plant after Carlsbad.
Desalitech building demo plant with Layne Christensen
The originator of the Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) technology, Desalitech Ltd, announced on 30 June 2011 that it will work with mineral and water drilling and treatment company Layne Christensen to design and build an innovative desalination system.

Yuma desalination plant pilot run concluded successfully
The year-long pilot run of the revamped Yuma desalination plant on the Colorado river in the USA has ended in success, the Bureau of Reclamation announced on 1 April 2011.
Israel aids Pacific island with mobile desalinator
Israel's ministry of foreign affairs is supplying a truck-mounted desalination facility to the Marshall islands in the Pacific ocean to help tackle the islands' severe water shortage.
International projects to feature in NCEDA workshop
Reports from major international projects will form the basis of a Desalination Workshop to be held in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2013 by the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA).
Mississippi researchers win funding for low-temperature desalination
Mississippi State University (MSU), is to use US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to work on a low-cost desalination process.
Abengoa signs world first large renewable desalination plant deal
Saudi-based water treatment specialist, Advanced Water Technologies (AWT) has appointed Spanish conglomerate, Abengoa, as its partner in the development of the world's first, large-scale desalination plant to be powered by solar energy.
Masdar city, Masdar Institute, Laborelec, and Degrémont to collaborate in renewable-powered desalination project
Abu Dhabi university, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, has unveiled recently its research collaboration with three leading energy and clean technology corporations in a research project supporting the development of a full-scale, completely solar-powered, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Food for thought for delegates at EDS conference
The continuously queuing water tankers in the road servicing the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre and its four adjacent hotels leave visitors in no doubt that Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world.
Fifth project enters the Masdar trial
An ongoing energy efficiency trial, in Abu Dhabi, of four new desalination plant designs is to get a fifth participant.
Nine desalination studies bag US$ 1.4 million funding
Nine research projects and pilot studies will share US$1.4 million in funding under a desalination and water purification research programme set up by the US Bureau of Reclamation.
New Texas desalination plant could reuse fracking water
A new desalination test facility in Loving County, Texas could be deployed in treating water used in hydraulic fracturing - tracking- for shale gas for reuse in the oil industry.
EDS desalination course dates for 2012 published
The European Desalination Society (EDS) has published dates for its series of courses for 2012, which will take place in February, April and June.
New CEO appointed at ERI as 'GG' retires
Almost the last recognizable face of the original team at Energy Recovery Inc (ERI), provider of energy-recovery devices for desalination, will now disappear with the retirement of its CEO, GG Pique.

Interview: IDE Technologies CEO Avshalom Felber
Above all, IDE is a solutions provider. So says chief executive Avshalom Felber, the former financial whizz turned water industry leader, as he outlines the company's unique mix of thermal and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies, operational expertise, and contractual nous.

Almar Water Solutions signs MoU with ENAPAC project, Chile
Almar Water Solutions has become an equity investor in ENAPAC, a proposed solar-powered desalination project in Atacama, Chile.