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Eco-leisure
Crystal Clear
An industrial cooling solution
With seawater in the Arabian Gulf reaching highs of 40 degrees Celsius in summer, the last thing the marine environment needs is hot waste water adding to the mix. BGreen investigates the latest entrant in water cooling technologies, Crystal Lagoons, and its potential in saving marine life in the region.
March 2012
T
he Arabian Gulf is home to unique communities of coral and reef fish that have evolved to withstand extreme temperatures, but even these organisms have a threshold. A report released by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health at the end of 2011 urges coastal countries in the region to band together in order to alleviate the damage coastal developments and desalination have caused over the past decade, including the negative effects of channelling hot waste water back into the marine environment. Every year, roughly four trillion litres of seawater is used to cool down desalination plants, data centres, and power plants, absorbing the heat
generated by these high-powered systems before being flushed to sea. The UN report presented findings that set the region apart for having effectively lost 70 per cent of reef area due to massive construction and hot water waste. Many countries have banned this practice, due to its adverse effects on the environment. Additionally, the process also wastes a lot of energy, contributing to global warming and climate change. With this in mind, Crystal Lagoons Corporation revealed the potential to relieve the Arabian Gulf of hot water waste through its new patented cooling technology. Their closed circuit system allows for the entire cooling process to be conducted in a manmade crystalline lagoon, without withdrawing large
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