At a water desalination plant on the sea near the northern Israeli town of Hadera, water pumped in from the Mediterranean is pushed through rows of multi-layered plastic membranes, and through a process called reverse osmosis, emerges after 90 minutes as tasty drinking water. Quique Kierszenbaum / Tribune News Service via Getty Images
A worker walks between giant transfer pipes at Britain's desalination plant, the Thames Gateway Water Treatment Works, in Beckton, England. Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
This picture taken on December 11, 2019 shows a view of Jubail Desalination Plant at the Jubail Industrial City, about 95 kilometres north of Dammam in Saudi Arabia's eastern province overlooking the Gulf. AFP
Concept art for the Solar Dome being planned for Saudi Arabia's new city at Neom. Solar Water PLC
A view of the AES Huntington Beach Power Station and the proposed site of the Poseidon Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach, California in February, 2021. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Carlsbad Desalination plant stands under construction in this aerial photograph taken over Carlsbad, California on August 2015. Patrick T Fallon / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Water desalination plant in Antofagasta, Chile. Oliver Llaneza Hesse / Getty Images
A view of the European Union and Unicef funded huge seawater desalination plant opening in Deir al Balah, Gaza on January 19, 2017. Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Saltwater flows into the pre-treatment hall at the Kurnell desalination plant, in Sydney, Australia. Bloomberg via Getty Images
In his 18th-century poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the English wordsmith Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote of a sailor stuck in equatorial waters where there was, “Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink”.
Coleridge might just as well have been writing about someone living in the Gulf region, which has abundant salty seawater but faces the combined challenges of very limited freshwater resources and rapid population growth.
The Riyadh-based utility made a bid to invest about $914 million in the project, which has a capacity to produce more than 180 million imperial gallons of desalinated water a day (818.2 million litres a day).
There’s no way that we can fulfil the water supply gap without desalination
Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Northumbria University
The UAE and its neighbours have come to depend on desalination, with the Middle East and North Africa accounting for about 48 per cent of the 95 million cubic metres of desalinated water produced each day worldwide.
There is an increasing reliance on desalination across the world because, if current trends continue, some estimates suggest that by 2030 there will be a 40 per cent gap between water supply and demand.
Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, a senior lecturer at Northumbria University in the UK, who has developed a patented desalination system, said other technologies, such as water recycling, would be able to deal with less than half of this gap. The remainder had to be covered by desalination.
“There’s no way that we can fulfil the water supply gap without desalination,” he said. "The only feasible and practical solution is seawater desalination.”
While desalination is being used ever more widely – there are more than 19,000 desalination plants around the world – it requires large amounts of energy. This typically translates into carbon emissions, with the vast desalination and power plant at Jebel Ali, for example, being largely gas powered.
Effects on on marine life
Desalination also produces about 1.5 to 1.7 litres of salty brine waste per litre of freshwater. When released back into the sea, this can increase the local salt concentration, potentially harming marine life, especially creatures found near the seabed.
Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, left, at the Solar Village in Saudi Arabia, where his desalination technology is being used. Photo: Muhammad Shahzad
The seawater inlets that supply desalination plants are another hazard, because creatures can be killed when they are pulled on to the inlet covers, particularly if water enters at a higher speed.
“You see the fish getting sucked on to the grating. It’s killing things,” Prof David Warsinger, who researches desalination technology at Purdue University in the US, said of some desalination plants in the Middle East.
But round the world, researchers are working on technologies to reduce these environmental effects.
Desalination typically involves a process called reverse osmosis, in which seawater is passed through a membrane at high pressure so that the salt and other substances can be removed.
This is energy intensive, but Prof Warsinger has developed a more efficient method that, instead of having a constant flow of water, involves water being delivered in batches.
“It’s a full batch process that take in a set volume of water, concentrates it and rejects the brine, and [brings in] a new volume of water,” he said.
The energy demand is cut by up to a quarter because the method keeps the water pressure at the optimal level for reverse osmosis.
How renewable energy can help
“We’re also working to hybridise with renewables – wind, wave and solar. We have several prototypes in the lab at Purdue,” he said.
Prototypes are small, but the hope is that funding can be secured to scale them up. Dr Shahzad has also developed a novel energy-efficient desalination method, much of the work on which was carried out at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. The technology has won five awards, including one at the 2020 round of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award.
The desalination system developed by Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad of Northumbria University in the UK at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. The system is almost twice as efficient as conventional desalination. Photo: Muhammad Shahzad
It uses solar energy and combines two processes, one of which is adsorption, the process by which molecules adhere to a surface (in this case, silica gel is used as the adsorbent). The other is multi-effect distillation and, combined, they create Dr Shahzad’s Medad system.
Compared with conventional desalination, the process is said to be almost twice as efficient, so energy use is halved per gallon of freshwater generated.
“We are in discussion with some companies in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world,” Dr Shahzad said of the technology, which has been used on a smaller scale in Solar Village in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is looking to use solar energy more widely to power its desalination plants, but technical hurdles stand in the way of the widespread adoption of renewables.
Because output fluctuates, renewable energy can be problematic, because desalination plants experience fouling if not run continuously.
“The problem with desalination plants is they like to run 24/7,” said Prof Bruce Logan, director of the Engineering, Energy and Environmental Institute and the Hydrogen Energy Centre at Penn State University in the US.
“You would have to turn the plant up during the day and run it down in the evening. Plants aren’t run that way. We don’t have electricity storage to make electricity during the day to keep the plant running at night.”
One potential solution, he said, was to use electrolysis to produce hydrogen during the day, and use this hydrogen to power the plant at night.
“Increasing hydrogen production from green sources, that could fulfil that role for desalination,” Prof Logan said.
Release of brine a contentious issue
The release of brine into the sea as a result of desalination is a major issue. One estimate from 2020 suggested that the amount discharged annually around the world, if spread over the US state of Florida, would be 30.5 centimetres deep.
But at Oregon State University in the US, researchers are scaling up a desalination method that generates only fresh water and solid mineral waste, some of which, magnesium chloride, could be sold to produce magnesium metal.
While discharging brine into the sea does increase the local salt concentration, Prof Warsinger said this effect could be mitigated.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority plans to use solar energy more widely to power its desalination plants. Leslie Pableo for The National
“You can discharge the brine over a very large area so it has negligible impact in the local [area],” he said.
A 2019 study found that the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, a $1 billion facility on the Californian coast, increased salinity levels from 3.32 per cent (by weight) to 3.59 per cent. The salt levels were increased to above those permitted by a local water plan but were smaller than natural ocean fluctuations, such as those caused by season, location or local rainfall.
Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz found no effects on the local marine fauna, such as brittlestars, which are similar to starfish.
“Our results indicated that to minimise environmental impacts discharge should target waters where a long history of anthropogenic activity has already compromised the natural setting,” they wrote.
“To ensure adequate mixing of the discharge, brine desalination plants should be constructed at high-energy sites with sandy substrates and discharge through diffuser systems.
”The potential impact of desalination plant inlets can be mitigated by installing them beneath sand. Any seawater that enters the plant is filtered through the sand, which reduces harm to marine organisms or their eggs.
“It’s minimal impact, but that’s expensive,” Prof Warsinger said.
In some instances desalination plants may offer some environmental improvements. For example, Poseidon Water Co, which wants to build a plant off California, has offered to fund work to prevent the build-up of sand that threatens wetlands, although their offer has generated controversy among environmentalists.
“Our current water practices are really deadly to the environment. Desalination in comparison is very mild,” Prof Warsinger said.
He said that other methods of securing freshwater – such as extracting it from rivers – already creates environmental problems more significant than those from desalination.
“The Colorado River doesn’t run to the sea,” he said. “It’s used up. It’s an environmental catastrophe.”
*A version of this story was first published in March 2022
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final When: July 1 Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based:Dubai
Founders:Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Cryopreservation: A timeline
Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
Ovarian tissue surgically removed
Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
