The KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) opened last month and was heralded by industry collaborators and government leaders for its strong potential to impact water quality and supply worldwide.

Guests at the WRDC inauguration (left to rght): Dr. Adil Bushnak, President, Bushnak Academy; Dr. Mazen Bin Abdulrazaq Balilah, Member, Saudi Majlis Ash-Shura (Financial Affairs); Dr. Bakr Bin Hamza Khoshaim, Member, Saudi Majlis Ash-Shura (Security Affairs); Dr. Mohamed Al-Saud, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Water and Electricity. Sitting: The WDRC team surround Center Director, Professor Gary Amy.

Global climate change, rising population and increased demands from the agricultural sector are escalating the crisis for clean water worldwide. The World Health Organization has reported that as many as five million people die each year from water-borne diseases and lack of water – more lives than those claimed by war.

Considering that 97.5% of water on earth is found in our oceans – sea water is the ultimate renewable resource. However, first generation desalination technologies consumed huge amounts of energy, destroy marine life and foul the sea with waste products.

In industrialized countries, 60% of all water is consumed for industrial purposes. Therefore new and more efficient wastewater reuse technologies – which tackle water filtration and treating – are needed to counter the insatiability for clean water in manufacturing, food production, power plants, and more.

Scientists in the WDRC are working on solutions to tackle these challenges. They are developing greener desalination technologies that reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and chemical utilization; thereby decreasing the impact upon our fragile environment.

They are moving the desalination industry from energy-intensive thermal processes to membrane-based processes (for example – seawater reverse osmosis, forward osmosis and membrane distillation). They are also expanding wastewater reuse and moving from non-potable to indirect, potable reuse.

In his opening of the presentation session prior to ribbon-cutting, KAUST Vice President for Research, Professor Jean Fréchét, noted that the synergism between WDRC and other research centers at KAUST (especially the Advanced Membrane and Porous Materials and Red Sea Research Centers) will be a critical component in its success.

Just as important are the Center's industry partners (members of the Center Industrial Affiliates Program), in Kingdom government and academic partners, as well as Global Research Collaboration partners in universities around the world.

These partners, coupled with a team of almost 40 faculty, scientists, staff and students create a robust and powerful alliance to tackle the challenges facing the industry in Saudi Arabia and around the world.

Further Information

• KAUST Water and Desalination and Reuse Center
• Professor Jean Fréchét
• Center Industry Affiliates Program
• Red Sea Research Center
• Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center