BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT: Omani researcher Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Saidi, an assistant professor at the College of Engineering and Technology at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, has successfully developed a new desalination technology in collaboration with Majis Industrial Services Company. This technology is based on thermal absorption, unlike current desalination methods that use pressure and filters to remove salt from water.
Al Saidi states that the idea for the project arose from the need to address the issue of wasted heat generated by industrial processes at Sohar Port. This innovative approach has evolved into a promising solution for converting seawater into fresh drinking water in an energy-efficient manner. The essence of this innovative method lies in its low energy consumption, making it significantly more efficient than current technologies such as reverse osmosis or thermal distillation, which are commonly used in large desalination plants.
He added that this technology uses absorbent materials to capture water, leaving salt and other impurities behind. The process relies on advanced compounds such as silica gel and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have a high capacity for selectively absorbing water vapor from saline solutions. Once the water is absorbed, the material releases purified water through thermal desorption at zero pressure, ready for use.
He explained that the new desalination technology consumes significantly less energy compared to traditional techniques, while also providing higher efficiency through its ability to remove impurities and improve water quality. Additionally, it features operational flexibility. This technology contributes to addressing the freshwater scarcity crisis and can operate at much lower temperatures, requiring substantially less energy than reverse osmosis systems. This makes it a cheaper and more effective alternative in exceptional conditions such as red tides. Moreover, it does not require chemical treatment of the water.
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