Water Desalination Research Platform

About the Platform

The Water Desalination Research Platform’s activities aim to influence the future of water science and technology by addressing global challenges and contributing meaningfully to the Vision 2030 agenda. In alignment with this mission, the Platform has defined three flagship research themes that guide our efforts:

Greener Desalination: Advancing technologies to make desalination more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable.
Water to Resource: Transforming the byproducts of desalination and wastewater treatment into valuable resources.
Water Security: Improving the sustainability and management of water resources.

Platform Infrastructure

The Water Desalination Research Platform forms a critical pillar of KAUST’s strategy and research capabilities. Its lab assets, together with KAUST's world-class Core Laboratories, empower faculty, researchers, postdocs, and students to push the boundaries in water desalination research and lay the foundation for future scientific discoveries. Specifically, the Platform’s state of the art laboratories and facilities include an analytical laboratory, a bench-scale laboratory, a field laboratory, and a piloting laboratory.

1- Analytical Laboratory:
The state-of-the-art analytical instruments in the Analytical Laboratory accelerate the pace of ongoing research projects in the Water Desalination Research Platform. The focus of the facility is to apply multiple methods of chemical and physical analysis to separate, identify, and quantify the chemical components of materials. Analytical testing and analysis are vital to understanding the quality and composition of drinking water, treated wastewater, and materials that are produced in the Platform’s labs. Specialist knowledge and expertise in applying the most relevant methodology are the keys to successful chemical testing and analysis. Advanced analytical instrumentation or a combination of techniques is necessary to solve problems or determine composition. The Analytical Lab is equipped with a wide range of techniques and instrumentation to meet any chemical and or physical analysis requirement and perform testing protocols according to standard methodologies. The staff has expertise in developing tailored analytical methods and performing method validation for specific applications.

2- Bench-Scale Laboratory
This laboratory is equipped with a full range of utilities and services to operate large- and small-scale experimental and pilot units for desalination and wastewater treatment research projects. The laboratory operates its desalination units using a fresh supply of seawater, pressurized air, nitrogen, and chilled water. A 480V and 240V electric service bus runs the entire length of the laboratory. A wide range of experimental setups and pilot units are currently in operation in the lab, including low-pressure prefiltration units, high-pressure desalination units, novel desalination technologies, and wastewater treatment units.

3- Field Laboratory
In the Field Laboratory, the team performs scaling, corrosion, and biofouling studies on industrial cooling tower processes. At several suitable wadi sites, the team performs field-based sampling using high-tech tools, such as a Meteo-Lysimeter, to measure the terrestrial hydrological cycle and study arid land hydrology. The Platform is developing and testing new and novel soil augmentation materials that reduce evaporative losses during irrigation and maximize subsurface water retention to achieve more crop-per-drop.

4- Piloting Laboratory
The pilot-scale research facilities allow the platform to scale up its research ideas and activities to study full-scale implementation and commercialization. In all, the platform plans to have six pilot-scale research facilities at the University, including seawater desalination, innovative desalination, solar adsorption desalination, industrial water treatment, natural water treatment and systems, and wastewater reuse. Among these, four facilities have been completed and are in operation.

Water Desalination Research Platform

Equipment

High-impact instruments supporting research

1. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES)

Manufacturer: Perkin Elmer

ICP-OES is capable of detecting trace metals in liquid samples. This is achieved by ionizing the sample to produce excited atoms and ions that emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths characteristic of a particular element. The intensity of this emission is indicative of the concentration of the element within the sample.

2. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS

Manufacturer: Sciex

LC-MS/MS instrument is a powerful analytical technique used to detect and quantify trace levels of organic compounds and contaminants in water, soil, and biological samples up to parts per trillion (ppt) levels. It offers high sensitivity, specificity, and the ability to analyze complex mixtures, making it ideal for detecting pesticides, pharmaceuticals, toxins, and heavy metals. LC-MS/MS is widely used in environmental monitoring, regulatory compliance, and research for precise identification of pollutants and assessing environmental risks.

3. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Manufacturer: Agilent

Agilent ICP-MS is essential in water and soil analysis for its high sensitivity and precision in detecting trace elements and heavy metals [up to part per billion (ppb) level]. It can measure multiple elements simultaneously, efficiently analyzing contaminants like lead, arsenic, and mercury. ICP-MS supports environmental monitoring and compliance by meeting regulatory standards and enables isotopic analysis for tracking pollution sources. Its low detection limits and accuracy make ICP-MS invaluable for assessing environmental risks and supporting remediation efforts, thus protecting ecosystems and public health.

4. Liquid Chromatography - Organic Carbon Detection - Organic Nitrogen Detection (LC-OCD-OND)

Manufacturer: Doc-labor

Two LC-OCD instruments one is dedicated to seawater and another to wastewater. This is a unique facility that WDRP has. LC-OCD is important for detailed analysis of organic matter in water and soil. It allows the separation and quantification of organic compounds based on carbon and nitrogen content, providing insights into the composition of natural and treated water. This technique is crucial for understanding organic pollution, identifying dissolved organic matter (DOM), and evaluating water quality and treatment processes. It is especially useful for monitoring complex organic pollutants and assessing the impact of wastewater and industrial effluents.

5. Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOC)

Manufacturer: Shimadzu

The TOC-L analyzer measures Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in water and soil, providing insights into organic contamination and ecosystem health. It monitors water quality by detecting organic pollutants in various water types, such as drinking water and wastewater. It helps assess organic carbon content, soil fertility, and carbon sequestration in soil. The TOC-L ensures regulatory compliance by accurately measuring TOC levels for wastewater discharge and environmental standards. With a wide measurement range and options for TC, IC, NPOC, and TN, it’s widely used in environmental labs and water treatment plants for reliable monitoring.

6. Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)

Manufacturer: Dionex

SPE is crucial in water and soil analysis for isolating and concentrating specific contaminants, improving detection limits, and enhancing analysis accuracy. SPE purifies complex samples by removing interferences, allowing for sensitive detection of pollutants at trace levels, which is essential for environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance. Additionally, SPE is versatile, adaptable to various sample types, and efficient, making it ideal for high-throughput testing in environmental labs.

7. Ion Chromatography IC-CD-ECD

Manufacturer: Thermo Fisher Scientific

Customized Three Channels Ion Chromatograph (IC-6000) equipped with conductivity detector (CD) and Electrochemical detector (ECD).
- Channel one: Separation and Quantification of 7 anions, F-, Cl-, Br-, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate phosphate in various water matrices
- Channel Two: Separation and quantification of Volatile fatty Acids, VFA, in various water matrices
- Channel Three: Separation and quantification of sugars in various water matrices

8. Gallery Discrete Analyzer

Manufacturer: Thermo Fisher Scientific

The gallery is effective for a) analyzing matrices such as clean water, wastewater, soil/sludge digests, effluents, and saline; b) determination of nutrients (i.e., silica (dissolved as SiO2)), phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia), chloride, bromide, sulfates, and total hardness. Sample - drinking, treated, waste, seawater, and brine water samples with a minimum quantity of 50 mL. Nitrate and nitrite must be stored in a -20 deg.C freezer. Ammonia should be analyzed immediately. Samples for silica, phosphate, chloride, sulfates, bromide, alkalinity, and total hardness analyses have to be stored in a 2-8 deg.C fridge. Samples for silica analysis should not be submitted in glass containers.

9. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Manufacturer: Agilent

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is an analytical technique that combines the features of gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry to separate and analyze (i.e. identification & quantification) volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

10. UHPLC-DAD-Fluorescence-RI

Manufacturer: Thermo Fisher Scientific

Ultra-high performance Liquid Chromatograph (UHPLC) equipped with Inline Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and two-column switching capabilities for method development.

The UHPLC has three different detectors: Diode array detector (DAD), Fluorescence, and Refractive Index (RI), which are excellent for the analysis of environmental contaminants, pharmaceuticals in water matrices, and sugars.