Improving And Developing Innovative Processes To Increase Desalinated Water Extraction

The Institute for Water Technology Innovation and Advanced Research published a scientific paper entitled “Theoretical and experimental analysis of a technology for reverse osmosis enhanced with osmosis (OARO) to increase the extraction of desalinated water from salt slurry,” which aims to increase the extraction of desalinated water from salt slurry. The study presented a mathematical model that was developed and tested on an experimental unit to analyze operational data. The results showed the ability of this technology to increase the extraction of pure water from salt waste, and thus increase production and exploitation of operational assets.

The study showed that the process of reverse osmosis enhanced by osmosis is a promising process that can be used to treat the brine resulting from the usual reverse osmosis processes. The project team worked on developing a mathematical model to explain the membrane process. This model is based on mass balance equations and material transfer equations. The model can also be used to simulate a system consisting of one stage of reverse osmosis, in addition to several stages of the osmosis-enhanced reverse osmosis process. The research team conducted multiple laboratory experiments aimed at verifying the theoretical model and evaluating the performance of the process, using an artificial solution similar to the brine resulting from reverse osmosis processes.

It is worth noting that the study concluded that “reverse osmosis enhanced by osmosis” is a promising technology to increase the extraction of desalinated water from salty sources. A mathematical model was developed to analyze the process and experimental experiments were conducted confirming the ability of this technology to increase the extraction of pure water and reduce liquid discharge, in addition to the possibility Using technology to increase the efficiency of operational assets to increase production and reduce costs in line with the axis of optimal uses, one of the axes of the “Waterra” strategy that is compatible with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

​​About ​​The Saline Water Conversion Corporation
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation is a Saudi governmental institution concerned with desalinating seawater and delivering produced desalinated water to various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by Royal Decree No. M/49 on 8/20/1394 AH corresponding to 9/7/1974 AD as an independent governmental institution.