Carolyn Reitz UAE-Desalination Intro Activity https://tinyurl.com/y8gortpu y 8 g o r t p u

Water Facts Earth 97% saltwater 2% freshwater- locked in polar ice caps 1% freshwater- available 50% of fresh water is polluted

Types of Water Resources FRESHWATER Surface water fed by precipitation- rivers/lakes Ground water – renewable aquifers Fossil water- non-renewable aquifers.

“Water stress” Areas where water consumption is more than 10% of the renewable freshwater resources.

GEO- Global Environmental Outlook 33% of the world is currently classified as Moderate to High water stress

GEO predicts 50% of the world will be in Severe Water Stress by 2030. The UAE is currently in High Water Stress

Groundwater - UAE For every liter of rainfall, 25 liters are withdrawn from groundwater source Available groundwater will last 16-36 years

Water Needs WHO- Minimum to sustain life 1 gallon drinking water 1 gallon cooking/food prep Urban use 26.4 gallons/day/person

UAE Water Consumption 145 gallons per person/ per day!!!!

Treated Wastewater Recycled sewage water: water flushed down toilets or drains enters the sewage treatment plant and is processed to remove contaminants and disease causing microbes. When treated wastewater is used for irrigation, it saves potable water for other purposes. Irrigation with Wastewater

Water Utilization in the UAE Consumer Desalinated Groundwater Treated Wastewater Agriculture 83% 17% Municipalities 70% 15% Industry 2%

Geography of Arabian Gulf Also known as the Persian Gulf Depth ranges from 114 ft to 500 ft Fresh water from Tigris and Euphrates Rivers reduced by dams 25% more saline than other saltwater bodies

Drinking Water - UAE 100% Desalinated Water

DESALINATION A process that removes salt from ocean water to make it potable. It is prohibitively expense, for most countries, because of the amount of energy it uses.

Methods of Desalination Thermal- Boil saltwater using fossil fuels Most common method Cost prohibitive, unless you have oil

Methods of Desalination Reverse osmosis-- salt water is forced through a membrane which removes the salt Uses less energy, and is kinder to the environment

Problems with Desalination 3 liters of saltwater = 1 liter drinking water Brine produced is 50% more salty Hyper-saline brine is creating a ‘desert’ in the Arabian Gulf, killing plant and marine life. UAE has 70 Desalination plants UAE produces and uses 14% of Earth’s desalinated water

Peak Salt The more saline water is, the more expensive it becomes to extract the salt. Peak Salt- the point at which desalination becomes economically unfeasible.

Deep Water Desalination Used by Japan and Taiwan, water is extracted from 900 feet deep No organic matter, no bacteria, more nutrients Brine is distributed over a deeper, larger area Less impact on marine ecology

Deep Water Desalination - UAE Not an option in the Arabian Gulf- depth 450 feet UAE is exploring Mobile Deep Water Bottling Platform could be moved into Indian Ocean Advantages of Deep Water Desalination More expensive

Farid Benyahia New process to eliminate Brine completely Uses carbon dioxide (created by burning fossil fuels in desalination process) and ammonia to turn brine into baking soda and calcium chloride Sell the byproducts Baking soda: household products, regulate Ph in wastewater Calcium Chloride: preservative in canned goods, tanning leather

WASTEWATER In the UAE Sewage Treatment Urban 100% Rural 86% 60% of that treated wastewater is currently being reused for agricultural irrigation.

Wastewater Solutions for Drinking Water Gates Kimmel interview "Poop Water" Janicki Omniprocessor

Solutions for the UAE ? “The biggest challenge for the UAE is not finding different water sources, but decreasing demand for it.” Amir Dakkak, Ecomena-2015 *UAE uses 145 gallons of desalinated water per day/per person