1. Carolyn Reitz UAE-Desalination
Intro Activity
y 8 g o r t p u

2. 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.

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

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

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

6. GEO- Global Environmental Outlook
33% of the world is currently classified as Moderate to High Water Stress

7. 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

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For every liter of rainfall, 25 liters are withdrawn from groundwater source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

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

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

11. 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"

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

13. Wastewater Solutions for Drinking Water
Video- Gates Kimmel interview "Poop Water"
Janicki Omniprocessor

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

15. 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

16. Drinking Water - UAE
100% Desalinated Water

17. 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.

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

19. 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

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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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.

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

25. 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

26. Deep Water Desalination - UAE
Not an option in the Arabian Gulf-
depth only 450 feet

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

28. 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

29. 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.

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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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?

36. 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

37. 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?

38. Bibliography
Bibliography - UAE Project

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

40. 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