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

Purpose This PPT is intended to be used as an introduction to water scarcity, water resources, and how they are utilized, focusing on the United Arab Emirates. Analysis questions to enhance student understanding are included as live links attached to slides with video or articles.

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

The UAE is currently in 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Groundwater - UAE For every liter of rainfall, 25 liters are withdrawn from groundwater source Available groundwater will last 16-36 years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. Article- "Irrigation with Wastewater"

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 Video- Gates Kimmel interview "Poop Water" Janicki Omniprocessor

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

Desalination - Reverse Osmosis Video -Reverse Osmosis- How to Use Seawater for Drinking

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.

Environmental Impact of Desalination Desalination is making the Arabian Gulf a dead zone Jellyfish thrive in oxygen depleted areas of the ocean, dead zones Jellyfish ‘blooms’ clog desalination intake pipes.

Environmental Impact of Desalination Video- Jellyfish: Jellyfish clog intake pipes Israeli power plant. They do the same thing to desalination pipes.

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 only 450 feet

ABU DHABI - MASDAR Mission- To advance renewable energy and sustainable technologies through education, research and development, investment, commercialisation and adaptation.

Masdar- Ghantoot Desalination Project 4 Desalination Pilot Projects Launched in 2013 Two projects utilized advances in commercially proven methods; thermal and reverse membrane Two projects utilized novel concepts; solar powered and forward osmosis

RESULTS OF MASDAR DESALINATION PROJECTS Video- UAE Case Study International Water Summit 2017 Dr Alexander Ritschel, Director Technology Masdar Results from 18 month pilot projects at Ghantoot.

UAE Exploring Other Options Mobile Deep Water Bottling Floating platform would be moved into the Indian Ocean Advantages of Deep Water desalination More expensive

Innovations in Desalination Farid Benyahia developing 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

Innovative Solutions Explored “Dubai Firm Dreams of Harvesting Icebergs for Water” Article- "Icebergs for Dubai" Two thirds of the world’s freshwater is locked in ice. Form to Analyze News Articles

Harvesting Fresh Water Springs on the Ocean Floor Article- "Fresh Water From the Ocean Floor" Scientists have discovered massive reserves of fresh water under the deep ocean floor. Form to Analyze News Articles

Water from the Air Article - "Water from the Air" North Texas company develops technology to extract clean water from the air. Form to Analyze News Articles

Thinking Outside of the Box Welcome to Dubai 2050 Video- Dubai 2050 Can scientists develop technology to cross breed jellyfish and the roots of mangrove trees to create a new method of desalination?

Differing Perspectives “Dubai’s Crazy, Apocalyptic Vision for the Future” Zoe Hodgson Article -"Dubai's Vision" “ Vision for the Future.” Khaleej Times Article - "Dubai's Vision for the Future" Form for Analyzing Point of View in a News Article

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Al Maktoum Prime Minister UAE Quotations from PM of UAE- Challenges facing the UAE are water, food, and self-sufficient cities Analyze the quotations from Sheikh Mohammed. How have his attitudes impacted research and innovation in the UAE?

Bibliography Bibliography - UAE Project

TEKS World Geography World History Environmental Science TEKS - UAE PROJECT World Geography World History Environmental Science

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