Water Desalination
Water desalination processes separate dissolved salts and other minerals from water. Feedwater sources may include brackish, seawater, wells, surface (rivers and streams), wastewater, and industrial feed and process waters. Membrane separation requires driving forces including pressure (applied and vapor), electric potential, and concentration to overcome natural osmotic pressures and effectively force water through membrane processes.
Water Desalination plants will play a vital role in the future for mankind. Seawater desalination has the potential to reliably produce enough potable water to support large populations located near coastal cities worldwide.
Worldwide, there are already an estimated 15,000–20,000 desalination plants producing more than 20,000 cubic meters of water per day. Countries such as Aruba, Chile and Algeria all use desalination. Israel currently supplies 40 percent of its drinking water from desalination and the number is projected to increase to 70 percent by the year 2050.
Some forward-thinking companies are also working on solar-powered desalination plants applying off-grid, rooftop solar panels atop such desalination plants. Developers in Saudi Arabia are currently building the world’s first utility scale, solar-powered desalination plant, which is projected to be online by early 2017 with Qatar following suit with their own plants coming online.
There are many factors that affect a countries growth and economy such as trade, communication, transportation, food and water. The global community is already witnessing water problems brought on by climate change. Water resource infrastructure is the priority for all nations and will continue to be the challenge as we approach 2050.
NAEG Investco’s technology and investment focuses in this sub-sector are in the following: