CONI IECTIONS W i nter 2018
Connecting People and Ideas to Water Solutions
Inside
Registration Now Open for 2018 IDA Water Reuse and Recycling Conference “Making Every Drop Count”
Making Every Drop Count................1
Registration is now open for IDA’s second International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference, “Making Every Drop Count,” to be held on June 24-27 in beautiful Valencia, Spain. IDA members and members of IDA’s affiliates are eligible for a special registration fee of just US$800, a discount from the non-member registration fee of US$925. To register now, use this link http://idadesal.org/water-reuse-conference-2018/ conference-registration/
Message from the Secretary General ...........................3
Message from the First Vice President .........................................7
Executive Insights.............................8
Advocating for Desalination in Texas .......................................................14
Technical Corner.............................16
Trendwatch.....................................18
Spotlight on Water Reuse..............20
Inside IDA.......................................24
Resource Connections ..................30
Afiliate Spotlight............................32
Young Leaders Program Spotlight.........................................35
IDA Connections............................36
We are pleased to announce that the conference will be conducted under the patronage of Mrs. Liana Ardiles, Director General for Water, of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food, and Environment. It will be presented in collaboration with our Spanish Affiliate AEDyR, and with support from our European Affiliate EDS. The two days of the conference will be packed with informative plenary, panel and technical sessions focusing on advanced technologies for water reuse and recycling
for both municipal and industrial users, regulatory frameworks, project finance and case studies. Presentations will address a number of topics including cutting-edge technologies, direct and indirect potable reuse, non-potable and agricultural reuse, water quality monitoring and control, and advanced technologies for joint desalination and water reuse as well as industrial water reuse and recycling. We have invited clients, potential partners, and public utilities from around the world, and
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I n t e r n a t i o n a l
D e s a l i n a t i o n
A s s o c i a t i o n
Making Every Drop Count
A Call for Abstracts for this prestigious event is poised to attract hundreds of delegates from all parts of the global water reuse industry, including end users (utilities and industries), researchers, consultants, members of academia, manufacturers, and suppliers of complete systems and components including chemicals and materials, as well as representatives from governmental, financial, development and multilateral agencies. The conference includes panels on regulations and financing, two timely and pressing topics.
Panel 1. The Big Debate: Water Reuse Regulations in Europe, USA and Asia Moderator: Mr. Carlos Cosín Fernández, CEO of Almar Water, IDA Director Panelists: Mrs. Conchita Marcuello, CEDEX engineer from Centro de Estudios Hidrográ cos at the Directorate General of Water, Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment, Mr. Mehul V. Patel, Director of Water Production, Orange County Water District, and a representative from the Singapore Public Utilities Board. This panel will discuss the big debate on water reuse regulations in Europe, USA and Asia. Panelists have been
directly involved in the development ofthese regulations offering an experienced viewpoint. These regulations define and cover the various uses, requirements and advantages in using water reuse technology to meet growing water needs for agriculture, industry and urban uses, as well as aquifer recharge, to offset water needs. The regulations represent a fundamental foundation for many countries and government regulatory bodies to establish their local directives and allow expansion of the reuse market.
Panel 2. Practical Financial Tools to Meet Necessary Financing Requirements to Adapt Wastewater Plants to the New Era of Reclaimed Wastewater Reuse Moderators: Mr. Gonzalo Delacámara, Senior Research Fellow and Coordinator of Water Economics at IMDEA Water Research Foundation, and Mr. Eduardo Orteu from the Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment Panelists: World Bank, FAO, UNESCO, CAF Development Bank for Latin America
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Panelists will discuss specific programs and tools they use to finance and develop water reuse infrastructure projects to meet irrigation and urban needs, and other water requirements. The discussion will focus on policy priorities by use and region. In addition, panelists will discuss international financial tools available to expand the necessary infrastructure to equip existing facilities to new demands and uses. The conference also features numerous networking and social opportunities starting with a Welcome Reception on Sunday, June 24 at the Meliá Valencia, our conference hotel, to An Evening at the Palace on Monday, June 25, a cocktail and epicurean event held at the Valencia Arts and Sciences Palace, one of Spain’s most iconic architectural sites. We are pleased to welcome Acciona Agua, Almar Water Solutions, Future Pipe Industries, ROPV, Valoriza Agua and Toray as sponsors for this exciting event. We invite you to view our sponsorship prospectus, which offers a multitude of opportunities to promote your company’s leadership and increase visibility among the wide range of stakeholders who are supporting this event. Conference Chairmen are Mr. Borja Blanco, Spain; Dr. Mike Dixon, Canada; and Dr. Domingo Zarzo, Spain. Technical Program Committee Members are:
• Mr. Leon Awerbuch, USA
• Mr. Antonio Casanas, Spain
• Mr. Guillaume Clairet, Canada
• Mr. Sylvain Donnaz, France
• Dr. Jörg Drewes, Germany
• Mr. Joan Galtes, Denmark
• Dr. Blanca Jiménez-Cisneros, France
• Prof. Maria Kennedy, Netherlands
• Mr. Ralf Krueger, Germany
• Ms. Melissa Meeker, USA
• Mr. Wade Miller, USA
• Mr. Mehul Patel, USA
• Mr. Rodrigo Segovia, Spain
• Mr. Troy Walker, USA
• Mr. Greg Wetterau, USA
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MESSAGE
from the Secretary General
Before I call attention to some of the projects aimed at ensuring sustainable water supplies, I would like to highlight IDA’s own focus on sustainability – and the exciting news that we received just prior to press time: The United States Internal Revenue Service has granted the IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation, Inc. (SWRF) Federal income tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3).
Water Sustainability, Innovation, and the Benefits of Advocacy By Shannon McCarthy According to the 30th Worldwide Desalting Inventory, published by GWI DesalData in association with IDA, the cumulative installed desalination capacity is now 92.5 million m3/d compared with 88.6 million m3/d in 2016, and the total number of desalination plants worldwide across all categories stood at 19,372 in 2017, up from 18,983 in 2016. There have been several announcements linked to desalination and water reuse technology to ensure water sustainability and the need thereof, in turn stimulating market growth and IDA’s ever important role as
This is an important step in helping to establish the integrity of the Foundation and secure the funding that will enable us to fulfill its mission of educating the general public and striving to improve the public interest regarding the advancement of global nonconventional water supply technologies and clean energy solutions to water needs. For more information, please have a look at the article entitled “IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation (SWRF) Receives 501(c)(3) Designation from United States Internal Revenue Service” on page 6. On the global front, in January at the International Water Summit (IWS), the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority announced it was seeking proposals for a significant RO desalination plant of 200 million gallons a day capacity, noted to be one of the world’s largest RO plants. The news was coupled with an announcement for a massive aquifer storage project as a strategy to further secure sustainable fresh water resources for Abu Dhabi.
an international advocate for sustainable Additionally, Saudi Arabia has a technical solutions to offset water pipeline of an estimated US$4 billion scarcity threats. in desalination projects and just
issued an RFP for the Rabigh 3 IWP project for 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water using RO. Egypt and Oman follow, with reports stating each has over US$1 billion in new project portfolios being announced to secure fresh water resources. But securing water resources is not done only by large-scale desalination. Many projects are underway around the globe to meet off-grid needs for remote villages, and increase the use of water reuse and recycling. In California, utilities are starting to use Tesla batteries to store and provide power for wastewater recycling and distribution systems, thus reducing the use and costs of power from the grid and providing cost savings to end users. Another innovative example of private business addressing sustainability and urban resilience is a circular water system using membrane-based micro and ultra-filtration processes. This innovation is being installed in the Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco, and is designed to recycle black water for non-potable use in the building, which in turn reduces the use of freshwater by 30,000 gallons a day. Soon we will see initiatives from our members offering to the market desalination plants associated directly or indirectly to renewable energy sources to supply desalinated water neutral of CO2 emissions at very competitive prices. There are new project awards in Western Africa showing the region advancing to secure water resources. continues on page 5
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MESSAGE
from the Secretary General continued from page 4
On another note, we hear about extreme drought levels that are challenging the sustainability and fresh water security of one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Cape Town, South Africa. According to the BBC, water security threatens 11 other major cities: São Paolo, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Istanbul, Mexico City, London, Tokyo and Miami. At IDA, our team, which includes the collaboration of our affiliates, AEDyR and EDS, is working on the 2018 IDA International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Valencia, Spain. This conference – our biennial international conference devoted to water reuse – will bring together users and clients from both industry and public utilities and executives from regulatory agencies to meet with providers of technical solutions, sources of finance, and development experts to discuss the implementation of water reuse and recycling in achieving water sustainability. The conference objective will be to make progress toward the goal of obtaining maximum benefit from every drop of water used and we will deliberate these matters through dynamic panels and technical sessions. IDA is pleased and honored to announce that the conference is under the patronage of the Government of Spain, and particularly the commitment of Mrs. Lidia Ardiles, Director General for Water, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain. In partnership with Mrs. Ardiles and her team, our President Miguel Angel Sanz and former IDA President Emilio Gabbrielli will dialogue about the conference with Latin American officials during the upcoming global gathering of the World Water Council this March in Brasilia. Please mark your calendars for the 2018 IDA International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Valencia, Spain, on June 24-27. We hope to see you there. As an organization with a mission of advocacy for water sustainability and desalination and water reuse, IDA benefits from alliances with governments and international organizations which also support at least some of its goals. Governments and the World Bank can be sources of financing for desalination and water reuse projects. UN organizations and other international organizations can be advocates and sometimes sources of finance for such projects. IDA is a recognized NGO with United Nations
consultative status. This status allows IDA to participate at the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and all bodies open to NGOs. Beyond the prestige, the direct benefit this status offers our members is the ability to influence the decision-makers at the highest international level by participating in negotiations, delivering statements, and holding events at the UN. We intend to increase our advocacy efforts at this level and further our promotion of water sustainability through appropriate desalination and water reuse techniques, particularly with renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions. A few weeks ago, the IDA became a partner of the WASAG program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO Rome). WASAG is the Global Framework initiative on Water Scarcity in Agriculture and includes participation from FAO member states and international organizations. Our partnership with FAO deepens our relationship with UN Agencies and extends our reach into programs that can ultimately make a great difference in the future of the world. It is another step forward in establishing relationships with leading organizations around the world that, like IDA, are concerned with using water reuse and recycling precious water resources to ensure water sustainability. In closing, I encourage everyone to save the week of October 20-24, 2019 for the IDA World Congress in Dubai. The 2019 IDA World Congress is being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, and with full support of HE Sayyad Al Tayer, Minister for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) and his team. We hope to see you in Valencia this June and at upcoming IDA affiliate events: AMTA, CaribDA, INDA, and EDS. Until the next issue of IDA Connections, please follow our updates on the IDA LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Shannon McCarthy is Secretary General of IDA. She can be reached at smccarthy@idadesal.org.
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IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation (SWRF)
IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation (SWRF) Receives 501(c)(3) Designation from United States Internal Revenue Service IDA is pleased to announce that the United States Internal Revenue Service has granted the IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation, Inc. (SWRF) Federal income tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). This means that donors can deduct contributions they make to IDA SWRF under IRC Section 170. IDA SWRF is also authorized to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers and gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522. Organizations exempt under the IRS Section 501(c)(3) are further classified as either public charities or private foundations. The IRS determined that IDA SWRF is a public charity under IRS Section 509(a)(2).
IDA SWRF Mission The IDA SWRF is organized and shall operate exclusively for educational and charitable purposes, as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. SWRF shall specifically educate the general public and strive to improve the public interest regarding the advancement of global non-conventional water supply
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technologies and clean energy solutions to water needs. SWRF considers "non-conventional water" to be water that becomes usable for agriculture, industrial and/ or human use through desalination or the advanced treatment of wastewater. SWRF considers "clean energy" to be sources of energy that do not contribute to the pollution of the Earth's atmosphere, land and oceans. SWRF will advocate for and educate the general public regarding the use of non-conventional water and promote professional education and development in the fields of non-conventional water and clean energy by awarding scholarships and/or grants for professional training and study in such fields at the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate level, and by arranging and providing for fellowships and internships in such fields. In doing so, SWRF may act jointly with other corporations that operate for educational, scientific, or charitable purposes, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, government agencies, and/or for-profit organizations. SWRF will sponsor research and development activities and projects relating to the production and use of non-conventional water. The Foundation may sponsor technical assistance and training programs related to non-conventional water and clean energy for developing nations.
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the water community to act. Some experts declare that around 25% of the population today does not have proper access to potable water near their home or on a continuous basis, leading to the question, “Is it normal in the twenty-first century?” The same experts are expecting this number to increase to 30 or 40% in the coming decades due to population growth. I am still optimistic and believe there is a solution because there is a will to create one. We, as members of the water community and IDA, in particular, have a duty, responsibility and obligation to Serving Noble Causes do more and do it faster to address this water scarcity problem. IDA, as a wellBy Rachid Ghamraoui, IDA established organization, and under the First Vice President new leadership of our president Miguel Angel Sanz, the very prominent Board Serving noble causes, in particular of Directors, our talented members with water, requires engagement, and the newly appointed and very commitment and dedication. active Secretary General, Shannon The real question is, "Are we serving this McCarthy, have committed to fulfill our cause in an effective way, fast enough responsibility about water scarcity and and with a long-term vision?” to minimize the impact of this growing problem with action. Fast enough, the answer is probably no: the world is changing rapidly, and it’s well known that natural water resources and water production are not following the same pace. Population growth – particularly in the megacities, the change of lifestyle and the lack of proper water management are creating
IDA’s new and robust resolution is to focus its efforts on conducting relevant technical events and on drawing up suitable strategies, alliances and solutions to come up with ways to meet future demand.
The point is that we need to act significant water scarcity in many regions now and collectively to change our of the world. fundamental relationship with water. Nowadays – and despite the connected Climate change and the ongoing world and high-speed communication drought in California, South Africa and network – information and technology many other regions contribute to this are still not adequately shared. water scarcity and put pressure on
I invite my fellow IDA directors, IDA members and the water community at large to use those communications tools and the power of social media to share the knowledge. Three years ago, IDA actively incorporated water reuse in its strategic vision and mission by first advancing awareness of this valuable low-cost water source and motivating all stakeholders, public authorities, technology providers and developers to enhance their existing plants and implement water reuse technology in their future projects. With its new vision of “making every drop count,” IDA has put water reuse as one of its top priorities. I take this opportunity to invite all of you to attend the 2018 IDA International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference organized in collaboration with our Spanish Affiliate AEDyR, with the support of our European Affiliate EDS, to be held June 24-27 in the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain. We are "connecting people and ideas to water solutions" to build stronger collaboration and alliances with international finance and development organizations like the World Bank, IADB, FAO and other UN agencies. The help of IDA sponsors, IDA’s Board of Directors and members will undoubtedly be the required added value that will make the difference in achieving the targeted goal to “improve water availability.”
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Executive Insights
Dialogue with His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chairman of Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) currently pays only around 1/3 of the true cost – reducing the subsidy is obviously vital for the long-term sustainability of the sector. Oman has been very receptive to membrane desalination technologies and this includes forward osmosis. What benefits has this brought to the country?
IDA wishes to thank H.E. Mohammed Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water in Oman, for sharing his insights into trends in desalination in Oman and beyond. IDA: What do you see as the latest trends in the water desalination industry and how do these affect development of public sector policies? H.E. Al Mahrouqi: We have seen significant cost reduction in desalination over recent years and we see it as a continuing trend. That means that we expect that the average cost of water we supply is likely to fall in the medium term which will place downward pressure on the subsidy we require. Over half of the water we currently supply goes to the domestic sector which
Indeed, we have found membrane technology to be a reliable source of water and it is highly competitive with other desalination technologies – we have seen our average costs of production fall steadily as membrane technologies become more important. Equally important is the flexibility that membrane technology brings – it can be installed in much more sensitive locations, the most recently commissioned plant here is in the center of the city. Membrane technology also has much smaller economies of scale than thermal technologies and so it also brings the possibility that more flexible plant options could be deployed rather than relying so heavily on large scale centralized production. Please tell us about the importance of independent water projects (IWPs) in meeting current and future demand for water in Oman. I am sure you know that Oman was the pioneer in the region with IWPP and we have continued to build on that – more than 80% of our water now comes from IWPP or IWP. Our future plans see continued reliance
on IWP for most new sources of water in the future. We are also extending the IWP concept to the provision of small desalination plants that serve remote areas that are not linked to our main transmission networks – we have piloted this approach with great success and in future we expect that instead of building these small plants ourselves we will rely on the private sector using the BOO model supported by long term water purchase contracts. How extensive is desalination for industrial use in Oman? PAEW’s duties really focus on “drinking water” – by that I mean water that is primarily for domestic uses – drinking, cooking, washing, laundry, etc. We do provide water to industrial users but this is generally for ancillary use and not for process water. How does water reuse enter into the country’s water resource management strategies? Very significant volumes of treated effluent are already used as “industrial water” for irrigating public spaces, construction works, etc., but there is clearly more that can be done and we are moving to a much more integrated water resource planning system, which will ensure that all the options – including reuse – are properly considered. The price of water to non-domestic users has already increased substantially, and we continues on page 9
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Executive Insights continued from page 8
expect this trend to continue towards full cost recovery and the elimination of subsidy in these sectors; in itself this will encourage water customers to consider increasing efficiency and reuse. How much interest in renewables for desalination is there in Oman? Renewables are really about electricity production and not desalination and the Omani Government has recently adopted an ambitious target for electricity production from renewables. We have a well-developed electricity transmission system here, which
means that we can separate generation of electricity from desalination and the best way to deploy renewables is generally in the best sites for electricity production. These tend to be well away from the coast where we can build desalination plants, but we can get the benefit of the renewable energy by taking it from the grid. In remote locations away from the electricity network obviously renewables are more competitive and the electricity regulator is already requiring the electricity companies to examine this option for all new facilities, and our BOO strategy for new small desalination will encourage the use
of renewable energy where this is competitive. Longer term, there is considerable interest here in Oman in the use of solar energy to displace gas for steam raising in the oil fields (the steam is used for enhanced oil recovery) and, depending on how this progresses, there may also be the potential for the use of solar energy directly for desalination on a large scale, and in the future, desalination could play an important role in demand smoothing, which will be increasingly important once we get significant renewable penetration on the electricity grid.
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What do you consider PAEW's major achievements? In the last 10 years since PAEW was established, we have made major strides – for example our customer numbers receiving piped supplies have almost trebled – in 2007 we had just over 169,000 customers and last year we had about 450,000! We invested about 800 million OMR in our networks in that period, which is equivalent to over 2 billion US dollars. The quality of the water that we supply to customers has also improved significantly throughout our service areas, and recently we have taken over responsibility for billing our customers, which should mean both more accurate bills and improved revenue collections. We clearly still have a long way to go, but I hope that the structures and foundations we now have in place give us a strong base to build from. PAEW has developed an ambitious strategy of supplying potable water to 98 per cent of the population by 2040. Can you tell us about the strategy? It is a stretching target and obviously as we get closer, it becomes harder to progress as the remaining areas to connect become more and more remote – Oman is a big country with a relatively small population. Recently, the financial climate has meant that we have had to refocus our investments to prioritize the connection of new desalination to our networks – so that water production from large scale plants can be used effectively – and reduce the expenditure on extending our networks. Nevertheless, we do have
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an ambitious strategy to extend our coverage and are actively looking at a range of different options to finance our capital program without having to rely so heavily on the Government in the future. What advice would you give to other countries who are contemplating the privatization of their water and electricity sectors? That is a huge question! What I can say is that Oman has been very successful in attracting private sector investment into the electricity and water sectors by providing a stable investment climate with strong support from the Government and a strong, independent, regulator. We were the first in the region to make these changes, and I am sure that that has increased the efficiency of the two sectors significantly.
H.E. Mohammed Abdullah Al Mahrouqi has served as the Chairman of the Authority since its establishment in September 2007. Before his appointment, he held several positions, which included the post of Chief Executive Officer of Electricity Holding Company and Chief Executive Officer of Oman Power and Water Procurement Company. Prior to that, he worked in various departments of the Ministry of National Economy. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Business Administration from the University of Bristol, U.K. During his professional career, he participated in a number of economic fields and projects such as restructuring, regulation and privatization of the electricity and related water sector, privatization of the airports and regulation, and privatization of the telecommunication sector where he was deputized as a member of the interim Committee of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
Looking globally, what is your perspective on the growth of the desalination industry? As I said earlier, the economics of membrane desalination have improved very significantly so I expect this to be the dominant technology going forward and increasingly competitive with other sources. Longer term, climate change and other factors may well mean that we need to place increased reliance on desalination in areas where traditionally it has not been an important source.
The Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) is the regulator for the water sector in Oman and also provides policy overview in the electricity sector. In addition, PAEW is a direct water service provider, responsible for supplying potable water to all homes and businesses in Oman except in Sohar city and in the Dhofar governorate. In total, PAEW serves a population of more than 2.4 million people, transporting on average more than 650,000 cubic meters of water per day.
Executive Insights
IDA Talks with Mutaz Ghandour, Chairman and CEO of Metito Mutaz Ghandour, Chairman and CEO of Metito, the longest serving CEO in the global water industry and former IDA Director, talks about his 51 years of experience at Metito and shares his views about IDA.
IDA: The beginning: how did it all happen for Metito?
Mutaz Ghandour is widely recognized for his pioneering vision for water as well as his role in Metito’s leadership and success in the global water treatment industry. Click here to read more about his career in The CEO Magazine.
Mr. Ghandour: My brother Farouk established Metito in 1958 as the first and foremost company specialized in water treatment in the Middle East. I joined him in 1965. In 1970, Metito was the first company outside the USA to design and build reverse osmosis desalination systems for potable use and to export them to the MENA. In 1976, we left everything behind and moved our headquarters to London while establishing a new factory in Houston. This was a turning point – the world became our new horizon.
we continue innovating, evolving and introducing solutions and technologies. Also, our people are our most valuable asset. We have a strong, competent and progressive management team, and their different specialties and blend of culture and experience add tremendous value.
Can you tell us about the award of your first PPP project in Rwanda? The Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project is the first competitively tendered Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Water Concession in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Metito’s vision is to be the provider of choice for total, intelligent water management solutions in the emerging markets. The company commits to a sustainable environment through providing effective water management and treatment systems that can reconcile the ever-growing demand for water and its dwindling natural resources.
What are the lessons that transformed Metito into a global success? How has Metito conducted so many “industry firsts”?
The landmark project was awarded
Vigilance and proactivity. Being one step ahead is in our DNA – we aren’t afraid to take calculated risks and to explore new territories. We paved a league of our own where
Rwanda’s progressive vision to build
to Metito through an international and competitive tender process, and the completion of its financing marks a historic moment and a milestone in an economic, prosperous and first class developed country. Also, it will pave way to other capital-intensive projects in Africa. continues on page 12
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Executive Insights continued from page 11
What do you see as the main challenges of the PPP scheme? • PPPs are considered new for many governments in the emerging markets. There is still skepticism and an educational process that needs time. In some countries, there is lack of strategy, and frameworks still need to be developed. • Political risks – it’s a heavily politicized sector. • Currency risks. How has working with international finance institutions enriched Metito’s success?
IDA is an excellent platform to exchange ideas and come up with new ones.
We surely gained additional credibility, especially when exploring new markets. We have a robust and reputable shareholder base and an excellent management team. This
What do you see as the leading trends in the desalination and water reuse industry?
combination allowed us to become a global player to be reckoned with.
The trend is to get desalination to be more eco-friendly and less costly.
• Solar power generated desalinated plants – for example, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the King Abdullah Economic City signed a contract with Metito for the design and construction of a seawater desalination plant powered by solar energy and valued at approximately SAR220M. • Low Temperature Thermal Desalination method of producing fresh water from seawater consists of flash evaporator, main condenser, fresh water and warm water pump and a vacuum pumping system Regarding water reuse: • In-pipe Biological Water Treatment – This revolutionary new technology is the only system in the world that can recycle wastewater without creating any waste by-products, making the water completely safe continues on page 13
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Executive Insights continued from page 12
for use in organic farming, irrigation, underground aquifer injection, discharging into lakes, rivers, or alternatively it stored in water tanks for later usage. • Root Enhanced Bioreactor Hubs – This is a technological breakthrough, a unique combination of water technology, biotechnology and IT, focusing on smart city urban metabolism solutions that combine water treatment/reuse with energy and resource recovery and biological manufacturing. What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs and professionals in this industry? No one can make it alone, and if you believe in something, persevere and don’t give up before you achieve it. What does IDA mean to you and how would you like to see the association develop? IDA is an excellent platform to exchange ideas and come up with new ones. However, IDA needs to continue evolving. It needs to revamp and become more integrated with other organizations to widen the exposure of the issues the organization deals with. Water scarcity is not an industry issue, it’s an issue of general and global importance. Please tell us about your new role as a UN Goodwill Ambassador concerned with the fight against malnutrition. The eradication of malnutrition necessitates the provision of a healthy food intake, which primarily consists of water. This makes the cause a very relevant one to Metito. So far, we expanded a free spirulina feeding program in Kenya to currently be feeding over 200 people a day, so far producing and distributing over 811,235 doses of spirulina.
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Advocating for Desalination in Texas
Advocating for Desalination in Texas By Paul Choules Paul Choules, CEO of Water Cycle and President of TexasDesal, offers some insights into the state of desalination in one of the USA’s largest states.
Paul Choules is CEO of Water Cycle, which provides regional and global representation, consulting services and project development in the water market throughout all industrial and municipal sectors. He is also President of TexasDesal. He can be reached at pchoules@water-cycle.co
Five hundred people move to Texas every day, making it one of the fastest-growing states in the United States. The population of Texas is currently at 27 million (which is only 10 million less than Canada) and growing. Texas has a landmass almost twice the size of Germany and has a coast that is 3,360 miles (5,400 kilometers) long. The industrial base continues to invest billions of dollars each year in new or refurbished infrastructure, so when it comes to desalination, opportunities abound. Combining the increase in population with a large industrial base and ever-changing weather patterns means that desal will continue to grow across all sectors of the market in Texas. TexasDesal was established in 2011 in response to the effect of a multi-year drought on municipal, agricultural and industrial water supplies, including those needed for oil and gas production. The recordbreaking heat and fire and drought conditions made it clear that surface water is not sufficient to meet Texas’ growing needs. The state’s historic dependence on that limited supply has become a liability for public safety and economic prosperity. Texas must create new water supplies, and the obvious source is below our feet and in the Gulf.
While desalination and recycling are not new to Texas, they have lacked unified vision and representation. Since 2011, the members of TexasDesal have been involved at the state level educating decision-makers about the need to incorporate desalination and recycling into long-term water supply planning. Streamlining state agency permitting processes as it pertains to desalination and recycling water has been a TexasDesal priority. Outreach efforts are part of TexasDesal’s mission. TexasDesal hosts an annual conference that attracts about 300 participants from federal, state and local government agencies, state legislators, state regulators from multiple agencies, the public, academia and desal industry experts and suppliers. Additionally, monthly Capitol Seminars (from February – June 2018) are held where desal experts will present various topics to legislative staff at the state Capitol. TexasDesal also funds a scholarship program for university students in Texas. According to DesalData, there are approximately 180 desalination plants in Texas (both municipal and industrial) with installed capacity of 310 million gallons per day (1.177 million m3/d). The Texas Water Development Board reports more than 100 desalination plants (predominately municipal) are installed in Texas. There are three large municipal facilities in-state: The Kay Bailey continues on page 15
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Advocating for Desalination in Texas continued from page 14
Hutchinson plant in El Paso, which can produce up to 27.5 million gallons (104,000 m3/d) of fresh water daily, the Southmost Regional Water Authority Desalination Plant, which produces 7.5 million gallons (28,400 m3/d) a day for south Texas and a new brackish water desal plant in San Antonio. Phase 1 of the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) desalination plant produces 10 million gallons of fresh water daily. By the time Phase 3 is completed in 2026, the system will produce 25 million gallons (94,600 m3/D) of fresh water each day.
has 29 operating refineries (some of these facilities use as much as 10 million gallons a day of potable water [37,850 m3/d]) processing approximately 5.8 million barrels of crude oil per day. Houston, soon to be the third largest city in the US, accounts for over 40 percent of the nation's base petrochemical capacity on its own. Plants in Freeport, Beaumont, Corpus Christi and other Texas cities and towns make Texas the largest petrochemical market in the US, and these numbers rival many global markets and locations.
The feed water sources for virtually all desalination facilities in Texas are brackish ground water, river water or wastewater. There are no seawater plants in operation in Texas as of February 2018, although there is an 8 million gallon per day (30,280 m3/d) seawater reverse osmosis plant installed at a petrochemical plant in Corpus Christi that is approximately 90% complete.
The interest level continues to be high among our elected officials including Texas Governor Greg Abbott. He and other politicians have traveled to Israel to visit desalination and reuse facilities and witness the positive effects of desalination and reuse in Israel.
To truly understand the desal opportunities in Texas, one must understand what impact the upstream and downstream oil and gas sector has on demand. Texas
Texas needs desalination and TexasDesal is here to help the public, industrial, agricultural, military, academic, regulatory and legislative sectors interact and be educated on the positive impact of desalination.
Winter 2018 | 15
Technical Corner
High Recovery Operation of RO Systems Treating Brackish and Municipal Wastewater Effluents By Mark Wilf, Ph.D. Operation of RO units at high rate of permeate recovery is becoming increasingly important in treatment of brackish water and in wastewater reclamation projects. The driver for high recovery operation is increasing cost of developing of feed water and high cost of concentrate disposal. In RO applications, the recovery rate is limited by the scaling potential of sparingly soluble salts, which are present in the water source to be treated. Dr. Mark Wilf is recognized as a global expert in membrane applications. His area of expertise includes reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration technologies applied in seawater and brackish water desalination, potable water treatment, and industrial and municipal wastewater reclamation. He has been involved in process development, system design, project execution, plant operation and maintenance of large, commercial desalination plants in US, Europe and the Middle East since 1977, and has also been involved in the development of new desalination processes and optimization membrane technologies. In addition to his consulting work, Dr. Wilf is a member of the IDA Desalination Academy faculty. He can be reached at mark.wilf@ROtechnology.net
Scale Forming Salts
Relevant Applications
Calcium carbonate
Brackish RO and wastewater RO
Calcium sulfate
Brackish RO
Barium sulfate
Brackish RO
Silica
Brackish RO and wastewater RO
Calcium phosphate
Wastewater RO
Table 1. Scale forming salts in RO applications
Seawater RO is not listed in Table 1, as in seawater RO applications the recovery rate is limited by osmotic pressure of the feed water and not by scaling potential of the concentrate stream. Over the years, a number of methods have been developed to enable operation of RO units at high recovery rate, above the saturation limits of scale forming salts. The methods are based on use of scale inhibitors (sequestering chemicals), operation at pH range that increase solubility of carbonates or silica, reduction of concentration of scale forming ions in the feed water and disruption of scale formation conditions by periodically flushing the RO unit. Table 2 provides a listing of processes applied to enable operation of RO units at high recovery rates.
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Technical Section Corner continued continuedfrom frompage page<?> 16
Process
Effectiveness
Acidification of RO feed
Effective only in prevention of formation of carbonate and phosphate scale
Addition of scale inhibitor to RO feed water
Effective at various rate to prevent formation of scale in RO elements. Effectiveness is different for different sparingly soluble salts. Usually allows operation of RO units at recovery rate up to 85% - 90% range.
Increase pH of RO feed (the HERO process)
Effective only in prevention of silica scale. Application require complete removal of calcium and magnesium from feed water prior to pH increase
Lime precipitation process
Mainly effective in reduction of concentration of calcium and silica in the feed water. Creates significant amount of sludge that requires costly disposal
Periodic disruption of high concentration conditions in the RO unit (DESALITECH process)
Effective in achieving recovery rate above 95 - 98%. Semi batch operation. RO unit cost higher than in conventional process, due to need for an additional equipment. Higher energy efficiency that the conventional RO process.
Table 2. Summary of processes applied to achieve high recovery rate in RO process
Today the majority of RO systems still utilize only acidification and the addition of scale inhibitor to prevent scale formation. However, utilization of special processes to enable higher recovery rate is increasing.
Feed water to the RO unit requires filtration to remove particulate matter. In RO systems treating brackish well water, the pretreatment is usually limited to cartridge filtration. In other applications, the feed water is filtrated, mainly utilizing membrane filtration (ultrafiltration or micro filtration). The membrane filtration step generates a backwash stream that adds to the flow rate of the RO concentrate, reducing the recovery rate and increasing the volume of water for disposal. For example, in a RO unit operating at recovery rate of 85% and utilizing a membrane filtration step operating at 90%, the effective recovery rate will be only 76.5%. The volume of backwash of the membrane filtration step depends on configuration of the membrane filtration modules. The membrane filtration modules operating in outside in flow pattern usually require less water for backwash than the modules operating in inside out flow pattern. The volume of membrane filtration backwash water for disposal can be reduced by utilization of a secondary membrane filtration unit that will treat the backwash of the primary membrane filtration unit. By selection of a suitable RO process and configuring the feed water filtration equipment for high recovery operation, the RO systems can operate at recovery rate well above 90%.
Winter 2018 | 17
Trendwatch
Digital Transformation in the Water Industry Part Four: Digitization of Decentralized Water By Gigi Karmous-Edwards Amane Advisors continues its report on factors influencing the state of digital transformation in the water industry. Over the last decade, the water sector has experienced some disruption to its centralized water treatment utility model. Similar to the energy industry, where the rise of renewables is resulting in the decentralization of power production, we are now seeing a similar trend in the water sector.
Gigi Karmous-Edwards is Digital Business Lead for Amane Advisors, an advisory firm specialized in the water sector. She can be reached at gigi@amaneadvisors.com
A decentralized water treatment paradigm is being adopted by cities such as San Francisco, Tokyo, and Sydney with the incorporation of smaller point-of-use water treatment in buildings. A few technology suppliers such as Fluence, Lentech, Suez, Ampac, ACWA Power and Epiphany offer mobile containerized water desalination treatment systems, which are more economical and sustainable. These systems require less capital, fewer pipelines, and reduce operational costs when combined with the proper digital technology. They also provide an ideal solution to severe and temporary water shortages, emergencies, and remote locations not readily accessible to clean water supplies. Remote monitoring is key to the success of decentralized water treatment systems. For this model to scale, technology suppliers and utilities deploying the systems need to utilize remote real-time data analytics and cloud-based resources in order to achieve efficient operations and performance. Remote operations and maintenance require both reliable sensor technology and software-based optimization. It is not practical to have around the clock operators present at some of the smaller installations, and therefore, some level of automation is required. Intelligent Systems and Control Treatment plants typically collect and rely on real-time sensor data to help manage their operation. A vital part of most treatment plants is the use of membranes. Proper membrane operation relies on real-time sensor data to help support operators' decisions on cleaning, optimization, fouling management and more. A few companies provide intelligent control systems for optimized operation and performance of the membranes, including Water Planet's IntelliFlux, H2OInnovationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Intelogx, or MASAR Technologiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SMART silent-alarm software for early detection and effective management of fouling and optimization of performance. These software solutions provide process automation around the membranes by using real-time sensor data with an array of predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. Holistic remote monitoring and operation requires the integration of the various data and systems (i.e., SCADA system, intelligent membrane systems) continues on page 19
18 | Winter 2018
Trendwatch continued from page 18
New Business Models
across the plant including geospatial information, which can be challenging to accomplish. Amane Advisors, an advisory firm specialized in the water sector, recently conducted original research on the adoption of digital technologies in water utilities and found that data and system integration is one of the most prominent challenges facing utilities (see fig 1). Proper performance and optimization analysis requires analytics on data from various applications to be effective. Managing a large number of remote operational plants can potentially become unruly without the use of sophisticated digital technology.
The opportunity for new business models arises with deployment of proper digital technologies for the remote operations and management of mobile treatment plants. Many software providers have converted their on-premise licensed software to a managed cloud-based Software As A Service (SAAS), such as Microsoft Office 365. Many other services fall under this category such as Platform As A Service (PAAS), Infrastructure As A Service (IAAS), and we may in the near future see Water Treatment As A Service (WTAAS) providing vendors with a new business model to help grow their business.
What should technology providers do better
%
Rank 1
Integrate solutions better with legacy and other systems Improve ease of use for operational staff
11
16 17
Offer lower price
9
Develop a more flexible business model and share risk/reward
9
Be more cyber secure
19 5
11 6
6
7
9
9
9
1
Implement solutions in a faster timeline
7
5
6
Provide references from similar utilities
6
7
4
4
10
14
9
5
12 11
9
Show stronger ROI and robust business case
Access market channels through partnerships
Rank 3
19
10
Provide more complete end-to-end solution
Provide more training & support
Rank 2
9
5
Source: Amane Digital survey with n=81 utilities In-depth interviews with n=21 utilities
Winter 2018 | 19
Spotlight on Water Reuse
An Inside Look at IDA’s Second International Conference on Water Reuse and Recycling - Technical Program Co-Chairs Mike Dixon and Borja Blanco Discuss What Makes This Conference a Must-Attend Event
Dr. Mike Dixon and Mr. Borja Blanco IDA Technical Program Co-Chairs
On June 24-27, 2018, IDA will convene its Second Biennial International Conference on Water Reuse and Recycling, “Making Every Drop Count.” The conference takes place at the Meliá Valencia Hotel in Valencia, Spain under the patronage of Mrs. Liana Ardiles, Director General for Water, of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food, and Environment, and will be presented in collaboration with IDA’s Spanish Affiliate AEDyR, and with support from IDA’s European Affiliate EDS. IDA interviewed Technical Program Co-Chairs Dr. Mike Dixon and Mr. Borja Blanco to gain insights into this highly anticipated event and how it fits into IDA’s expanded mission that includes water reuse.
IDA: Please tell us about the support of Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment and our affiliates AEDyR and EDS to this conference. (Mike Dixon and Borja Blanco) The patronage of Mrs. Ardiles recognizes the importance of this event. In fact, she will promote the conference in the Spanish pavilion at the World Water Council event in Brasilia, expanding its visibility before an important audience. Collaboration with AEDyR and the support of EDS are very important to the conference’s success. In fact, Dr. Domingo Zarzo, AEDyR President and IDA Director, is a Conference Co-chair and he has already made significant contributions to the event. It should be noted that AEDyR has held a successful event in Valencia, and that experience is invaluable. And EDS, of course, is our European affiliate and a very well-respected voice in the industry.
Why Valencia as the location for the conference? There are so many reasons for choosing Valencia! It is Spain’s third largest city. It has a beautiful and a historic center, filled with cultural attractions including the Valencia Arts and Sciences Museum, an iconic site where we will be holding our centerpiece social and networking event, An Evening at the Palace. Valencia’s location on the coast and its fabulous climate are additional reasons why it is one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. And did we mention the cuisine? Spain’s iconic paella was born in Valencia! From a business standpoint, Spain is quite advanced in water reuse, especially on the industrial side. It recycles and reuses most of its industrial wastewater. The city is continues on page 21
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Spotlight on Water Reuse continued from page 20
home to the University of Valencia, which offers a Masters degree in water resources management; we hope they will participate in the conference. There are also nearby facilities that we can tour as part of the conference experience. How do you see water reuse fitting into IDA’s mission? (Borja Blanco) In Spain, we often say that reuse is a form of desalination, but while desalination is the only way to produce additional fresh water, water reuse can satisfy most water demands. Reuse reflects a typical water cycle in nature – we’re imitating nature. The technologies we use accelerate the natural process. We anticipate the growth rate of reuse will be double the growth rate of desalination. There are also places in the world where desalination is not physically or fiscally possible. Where desalination is used, reuse introduces a way to expand the amount of water that desalination produces, so it makes sense to recycle it. When we talk about the growth in reuse, we should recognize that there are different ways to treat and reuse water, from simple to very sophisticated. It’s the sophisticated techniques that are experiencing double digit growth. We think that the use of water reuse for potable water will grow, too, especially in the face of droughts and other similar strains on water supplies. (Mike Dixon) We look forward to the prospect that this conference will grow in importance over the years.
How different is this conference from others that cover reuse? (Mike Dixon) Our conference is technical and policy focused. We emphasize the treatment technologies and processes, regulatory needs and financing/legal frameworks needed to expand the adoption of reuse and recycling. (Borja Blanco) If you ask “why should I attend this conference,” I would say one reason is that it’s being held in the epicenter of water reuse. Our local affiliate is highly involved. Clients from around the world including academics and leading influencers have expressed interest in coming to hear about Spain’s experiences and how Spain does things.
This conference is good for business and good for learning (Mike Dixon) IDA is also about facilitating business opportunities. This event does that. I would also encourage companies to consider sponsorship opportunities. We
have put together a sponsorship prospectus that addresses a wide range of corporate goals and budgets.
What other trends will the conference cover. In particular, what about renewables? (Mike Dixon) Renewables are a leading-edge solution. The US Department of Energy is starting to focus on it, and as solar panels become more efficient, they can be used to power water reuse technology. (Borja Blanco) Desalination has a larger energy demand than reuse, but the industry is very conscious of the environment in everything we do. That includes the use of solar energy. Spain uses both solar and wind as renewable energy sources. (Mike Dixon) Several desalination plants are using wind power including Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia. (Borja Blanco) Barcelona has a wind turbine, too. Abroad, Chile and of course Saudi Arabia are focusing on renewables.
Final question – why should one attend IDA’s Second International Conference on Water Reuse and Recycling? This conference is good for business and good for learning.
Winter 2018 | 21
Spotlight on Water Reuse
A Heyday for Water Reuse? Companies Turn to Water Reuse to Manage Risk, Secure Long-Term Supplies By Erin Bonney Casey, Research Director, Bluefield Research In this era of water scarcity, reclaiming wastewater for reuse may hold the key to long-term water supply. Climate volatility, such as recent hurricanes and droughts, are forcing municipal utilities and industrial companies to focus on resiliency, and seek alternative strategies to de-risk existing water supplies. Water reuse has become a key solution in their contingency plans. Types of Planned Water Reuse Projects
Erin Bonney Casey is Research Director for Bluefield Research, an independent insight firm focused exclusively on water markets. She can be reached at ebonney@bluefieldresearch. com Bluefield tracks more than 600 existing reuse projects and over 775 planned reuse projects, including 40 municipal reuse projects in in the pipeline for industrial off-takers. Learn more at www.bluefieldresearch.com
Distribution Network
Undefined
Total Projects: 775 Other Storage Treatment + Distribution + Storage Distribution + Storage
Treatment Treatment + Distribution
From craft brewers to upstream oil & gas, more companies are exploring reuse applications to mitigate supply risk, reduce costs, and comply with regulations. Highlighting its growing acceptance as a strategy, Salesforce just announced the installation of a new water reuse system for its new San Francisco headquarters, representing the largest on-site water recycling system in a commercial high-rise building in the United States. New capacity addition investment in the U.S. municipal water sector are forecasted to surpass US$21.5 billion from 2017 to 2027, according to Bluefield’s latest reuse report. At the epicenter of U.S. reuse activity are three states – California, Texas and Florida – which represent 80 percent of planned capacity additions.
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Spotlight on Water Reuse continued from page 22
Geographic Distribution of Planned Reuse Projects Arizona 0% Arizona 1%
Washington 1%
Capital Expenditures
Nevada 1%
New Mexico 1%
bioreactor systems, among others. As a result, companies like IDE Technologies, Trojan UV, Calgon Carbon, GE, and Xylem are poised for growth.
Other 2%
Hawaii 1% Colorado 8%
Other California 47%
Texas 16%
Engineering & Design
Total Projects: 775
Pipes
US$21.5 Billion
Treatment
Capacity Additions Florida 22%
Other States Texas
Even after the rains arrived last year, California utilities demonstrated a paradigm shift by proceeding to move forward with more than 6.0 million m3/d of new reuse supplies, including systems for potable application. Bluefield forecasts 2.2 million m3/d of potable capacity additions over the next decade across the U.S., mainly in urban centers. Forecasted Wastewater Reuse CAPEX Pipes
Treatment
EngineeringO
1.500
1.000
500
27 20
26 20
25 20
24 20
23 20
22 20
21 20
20 20
19 20
18 20
17
0 20
Florida
Potable vs. Non-Potable Potable
Non Potable
6.7 Million m3/d
ther
2.000
US$ (Millions)
California
6.7 Million m3/d
Competition is high, as the potential for growth and more advanced systems has attracted a host of foreign and domestic players. Market growth, coupled with demand for potable water solutions, benefits those firms supplying reverse osmosis, ultraviolet, and membrane
While much focus is centered on municipal utilities, industrial companies are also expanding their role in water reuse adoption as an off-taker for treated wastewater to supplement their ongoing water needs. Bluefield has identified electric power plants, oil refineries, and upstream oil & gas players as the biggest opportunities for reclaimed wastewater. In fact, industrial applications for water reuse are expected to grow 72 percent by 2027. Historically, irrigation for agriculture, urban green spaces, and golf courses have been the primary applications. But we are now also seeing craft breweries and data centers using recycled wastewater, as well as an increasing interest in onsite or decentralized reuse systems in commercial facilities for toilets, cooling, and landscaping. Winter 2018 | 23
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IDA has become a partner of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its WASAG –The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture – initiative. “For many years, IDA has been an NGO of the United Nations. Our partnership with FAO deepens our relationship and extends our reach into programs that can ultimately make a great difference in the future of the world. It also is another step forward in establishing relationships with leading organizations around the world that, like IDA, are concerned with solving water scarcity problems,” says Shannon McCarthy, IDA Secretary General. FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The WASAG Framework – launched by FAO and partners at the climate meeting in Marrakech in late 2016 – is designed to bring together key players across the globe and across sectors to tackle the collective challenge of using water better in agriculture to ensure food security for all. It is an initiative for partners from all fields and backgrounds to collaborate in supporting countries and stakeholders in their commitments and plans related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement (including implementing nationally determined contributions) and other plans and programs related to agriculture and water. 24 | Winter 2018
Agriculture is the world’s largest user of water. According to FAO, water use expanded at over double the rate of population growth in the 20th century. By 2050, the world’s population is predicted to grow further by 2 billion to 9.3 billion. Combined with changing diets, says FAO, this means that the world will need to produce almost 50 per cent more food to meet demand. This will place greater stress on available water resources, which are expected to be further impacted by climate change. IDA sees desalination and water reuse as key tools to address this problem. Desalination provides the only sustainable new source of fresh water for the world’s growing population. It is now practiced in 150 countries, and IDA estimates that more than 300 million people around the world rely on desalinated water for some or all their daily needs. With water reuse programs, precious water resources can be recycled for drinking water, agriculture or industrial purposes, thus augmenting water supplies from other sources and conserving water resources. With over 194 member states now part of the United Nations, FAO works in more than 130 countries worldwide. Including IDA’s participation, FAO has established partnerships with 48 organizations globally. For more information, visit http://www.fao.org
Section Inside IDA continued from page <?>
Dates and Venue for 2019 IDA World Congress Announced The 2019 IDA World Congress on Desalination will take place October 20-24 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), recognized globally as a sustainable, innovative world-class utility, will host the Congress, which is widely regarded as the preeminent event for the global desalination and water reuse industry. With a theme of “Crossroads to Water Sustainability,” the 2019 IDA World Congress is expected to attract over 1200 delegates from the public and private sector – world leaders in all aspects of desalination– representing as many as 60 countries. It will be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA with full support of HE Sayyad Al Tayer, Minister for DEWA and his team. Dubai was the site of IDA’s 2009 World Congress, one of the most successful Congresses in IDA’s history. The location, with its interest in desalination, and the support of HH Sheikh Mohammed and of DEWA, one of the world’s most prominent utilities, point to a great success for the 2019 World Congress as well. The World Congress website will be live soon featuring an Exhibitor Prospectus and interactive exhibition floor plan and a Sponsorship Prospectus, and IDA will issue a Call for Papers for the World Congress within a few weeks. Ongoing updates will be posted to the website, so please check back frequently.
Winter 2018 | 25
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IDA – The Value of Membership A non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations, IDA is widely recognized as the point of connection for members of the world’s desalination and water reuse industry, public sector and academic institutions. Knowledge-sharing, exchanging ideas, expanding educational opportunities, providing solutions and always advocating for advancement of desalination, desalination technologies, and water recycling and reuse are important aspects of our mission. Our work will soon be amplified by the establishment of the IDA Sustainable Water Resources Foundation. Another key goal is to facilitate business- and careerbuilding opportunities for our members. We’re expanding our reach to engage stakeholders beyond our traditional membership base, establishing relationships with international organizations and institutions that are involved in vital aspects of our industry including finance, legal, advocacy and policy. And we are striving to increase engagement with and among our members through a variety of channels including a greatly expanded presence on social media and by establishing a dialogue about the benefits of membership in IDA. To that end, we will soon field an online survey inviting your input about our current member benefits as well as ways to enhance our value. IDA is your association, so we encourage you to participate in this initiative and let us know how we can best serve you. We welcome all ideas as part of this process. In short, we are aiming to offer our members the greatest value possible, and we invite you to be part of the process that will explore ways to enhace our association benefits. 26 | Winter 2018
The range of membership benefits includes: • Reduced conference registration fee at the IDA World Congress and other Association activities including conferences, seminars and workshops • Reduced fees on exhibition stands at IDA exhibitions and ability to reserve premium exhibition stands at the IDA World Congress • 37.5% price reduction for additional employees of corporations (45 USD value each) • Eligibility to apply for the IDA Channabasappa Scholarship, Fellowship Program and membership in the IDA Young Leaders Program (age limits apply) • Complimentary conference proceedings (full technical papers), available on IDA website • Complimentary subscription to Water.desalination + reuse quarterly magazine • Complimentary copy of the IDA Desalination Yearbook • Complimentary online Membership Directory (plus 200-world company description in the Directory for Corporate members) • Complimentary subscription to IDA Connections, IDA’s newsletter • Complimentary copy of Desalination at a Glance (the latest edition of IDA’s ABCs of Desalting)
To join IDA or renew your Corporate Membership online, click here. For Individual Membership, click here.
Section Inside IDA
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IDA Members Well Represented in Shortlist for 2018 Global Water Awards– Voting Opens March 1 IDA congratulates the companies and projects that have been shortlisted for the prestigious Global Water Awards. We are proud that several shortlisted companies are IDA members, and IDA members also supplied products, systems or services to many of the projects that made the final list. These companies are noted with an asterisk (*). (Please note that other companies were involved in these projects; this summary spotlights IDA members only.)
Voting runs from March 1 through March 31. The winners will be announced on April 16 at the Global Water Awards ceremony and Gala Dinner at the Pavillon d’Armenonville, Paris, during the Global Water Summit. For information about the voting process, please visit https://globalwaterawards.com/the-process/#short To learn more about the Global Water Awards, visit https://globalwaterawards.com/
2018 Global Water Awards Shortlist
Click here for the full 2018 Awards Shortlist
Water Company of the Year
Water / Wastewater Project of the Year
• Aqualia
• Bishui wastewater treatment plant, China
• Evoqua Water Technologies • Orascom Construction • Sabesp Desalination Company of the Year • *Abengoa • *ACWA Power
• * El Paso zero discharge plant, Texas – membranes supplied by * Suez and * Hydranautics • * Northern Treatment Plant, Colorado – * CH2M carried out the design, construction and start-up of the facility for the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. * Suez was among the treatment equipment suppliers.
• *Metito • *Suez Smart Water Company of the Year
• * Ulu Pandan wastewater treatment pilot, Singapore - A joint venture of * Black & Veatch and * AECOM designed the facility. As the lead contractor Mitsubishi Corporation
• Aquatic Informatics • Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) • Endress+Hauser • Schneider Electric continues on page 28
Winter 2018 | 27
Inside IDA continued from page 27
2018 Global Water Awards Shortlist
Click here for the full 2018 Awards Shortlist
Industrial Water Project of the Year
Industrial Desalination Plant of the Year
• * ABF Ovaltine Effluent Treatment Plant, Thailand – * Veolia completed the turnkey project on behalf of owner ABF Thailand.
• * Dahej Refinery BWRO, India - The plant was designed, installed and commissioned by * VA Tech Wabag, and membranes were supplied by * inge (UF) and * Hydranautics (RO).
• Arla Foods Milky Water Reuse, Denmark • HAOR Wastewater Treatment Plant, Azerbaijan • Paju Treated Sewage Effluent Reuse, Korea
• * Jazan IGCC desalination plant, Saudi Arabia – The plant was delivered on a turnkey basis by * AES Arabia, and RO membranes were supplied by * Hydranautics.
Breakthrough Water Technology Company of the Year • Claroty • Drylet • Moleaer
• * Kemapco desalination plant, Jordan – UF and RO membranes were supplied by * Hydranautics, alongside * FEDCO high-pressure pumps, * Grundfos low-pressure pumps, and energy recovery devices from * ERI.
• * Voltea Municipal Desalination Plant of the Year • * H2Oaks Center BWRO plant, Texas – A joint venture of Zachry and * Parsons acted as construction manager at risk, with design work led by * Black & Veatch. •* Mirfa IWPP, Abu Dhabi – The plant is owned by a consortium of Engie (20%) and the * Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (80%). Design of the water plant was led by * Suez, which will also operate the membrane facilities for seven years following commissioning. • * Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant, California – A consortium including * IDE Technologies reconstructed the plant on behalf of the City of Santa Barbara, and IDE will operate the facility going forward. * Energy Recovery Inc. supplied its PX-Q300 pressure exchanger devices and AquaBold high-pressure pumps, while * Dow supplied its Filmtec RO membranes. •* Umm Al Houl IWPP, Qatar – The desalination plant was delivered by lead EPC contractor * Hitachi Zosen, with * Acciona Agua as the main subcontractor for the membrane desalination portion of the desalination plant. UF and RO membranes were supplied by * Pentair and * Toray, respectively, with * Fluytec cartridge filters and energy recovery devices from * ERI. 28 | Winter 2018
• * Sarlux desalination plant, Italy - The plant was designed and built by * Acciona Agua, which will also operate the facility for a minimum of six years, and features an array of technologies including EDI-310 electrodeionization modules supplied by * Dow.
Water Deal of the Year • Hamilton biosolids financing, Canada •* Kigali Bulk Water Supply project financing, Rwanda – The facility is being built, owned and operated by project developer * Metito. • * Shoaiba 3 Expansion 2 financing, Saudi Arabia – The expansion is 100% owned by * ACWA Power. • Umbulan Spring Water Project, Indonesia
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Inside IDA continued from page 28
2018 Global Water Awards Shortlist
Click here for the full 2018 Awards Shortlist
Water Technology Company of the Year
Water Leaders Award
• * Fluence Corporation
• Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos SA, Argentina
• * LG Corp.
• Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, India
• Royal HaskoningDHV
• Kaduna State Water Corporation, Nigeria
• Xylem
• Lagos Water Corporation, Nigeria
Smart Water Project of the Year • Christchurch Pressurized Sewer Project, New Zealand • Llanelli Water Project, Wales
• * Mecca Smart Operations Project, Saudi Arabia – * National Water Company is the owner of the project. Partners included automated solutions provider * ABB. • * Oum Mazza Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Morocco – * Acciona Agua was responsible for the design, construction and commissioning processes.
IDA Is Gold Sponsor for the 2018 WEX Global Summit: Circular Economy Strategies for Water and Energy The Water and Energy Exchange Global Summit (WEX Global), to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, March 13-14, 2018, can be described as “an action-oriented summit which places business meetings at its heart. A program of pre-selected mutually agreed one-to-one meetings is combined with an outstanding conference of internationally renowned expert speakers and numerous other networking opportunities. As done in past years, in collaboration with WEX, IDA will co-organize the desalination session, this year entitled “7x New Ideas for Desal” to include: • Solar-powered desal • Graphene’s potential impact on desal • Nano “water chip” technology for desal • Natural desalination for agriculture • Future of energy recovery in desal
• Small modular reactors powering desal • Biotechnology in desal The collaboration between IDA and WEX offers IDA members a discounted registration fee. IDA President Miguel Angel Sanz and former IDA Presidents Leon Awerbuch, Ghassan Ejjeh and Corrado Sommariva as well as IDA Director Borja Blanco are confirmed speakers in the program. For more information about WEX Global, please visit http://wex-global.com/. To take advantage of the IDA member discount, please contact conferences@idadesal. org.
Winter 2018 | 29
Resource Connection
In the spirit of ongoing learning, IDA will periodically call attention to new books, research reports, videos and other assets that help broaden knowledge. In this issue, we highlight two new books for your consideration.
Sustainability – A Way to Abundance, by Dr. Corrado Sommariva
This new book describes mechanisms whereby the Earth naturally thrives towards energy and resources abundance, and how unsustainable industrial practices alter this trend. Chapters include discussions of energy and sustainability, resources and sustainability, technology affluence and the environment, creation of an economy of abundance, and water: the path to sustainability and abundance.
Sustainability – A Way to Abundance is published by CRC Press, a premier global publisher of science, technology, and medical resources and a member of Taylor & Francis Group. Click here to learn more and to order a copy.
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The author is Dr. Corrado Sommariva, Managing Director of ILF Consulting Engineers Middle East and the head of the company’s worldwide desalination practice. He has served in various roles in all the major desalination developments in the Middle East. Prior to joining ILF, Dr. Sommariva worked for nine years with Mott MacDonald where led the desalination and water treatment group as Director of Generation Middle East. In his early career, he worked in Ansaldo Energia and Italimpianti in various roles.
Dr. Sommariva has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Genoa University and a Diploma in Management from Leicester University. He is an honorary Professor at Genoa and L’Aquila Universities where he holds regular courses on desalination and economics. He has published over 50 papers on desalination research and economics and published two books on desalination management and economics. He also co-authored the book Water, Energy & Food Sustainability in the Middle East: The Sustainability Triangle. Dr. Sommariva was IDA President for the 2011-2013 term, and served as Co-Chairman of the Technical Program for the 2009 IDA World Congress in Dubai and Chairman of IDA’s conference, "Desalination Industry Action for Good," a landmark event that focused on water and social responsibility. He currently serves as Editor for IDA.
Resource Connection
A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Desalination, Alireza Bazargan (Editor)
This book draws upon the expertise of a team of international authors to provide a simple, encompassing, and "multidisciplinary" introduction to desalination. River Publishers offers this description:
Effectively, A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Desalination aims to be a holistic go-tocompendium for anyone seeking a balanced understanding of the various facets of desalination. Click here to order this book from River Publishers.
Although more than 70% of the globe is covered with water, only a small portion is suitable for direct human use, making the scarcity of freshwater one of our plant's most serious challenges. In this context "desalination", defined as "the removal of salt from water", is one of the possible solutions for overcoming our planet's municipal and industrial thirst. The forte of this publication is that it does not overtly focus on a particular sub-topic of desalination, but rather addresses the topic as a whole. In other words, the unique assortment of reader-friendly chapters is designed to strike a delicate balance between the technical and non-technical. The book is divided into five general sections: • The first section presents an overview of water scarcity, followed by a review of integrated water management and the alternatives to desalination. The fundamentals of desalination are provided, including simple water chemistry.
• The second section covers the conventional technologies of today, including thermal and membrane desalination processes. The topics of pre- and post-treatment are given due credit, as no desalination plant can operate without them. • The third section reviews the history of how desalination technologies originated, including a review of today's R&D activities and cutting-edge research. The processes and engineering applied for membrane manufacturing are also presented. • Section four is concerned with energy and environmental issues, including the application of renewable and nuclear energy, minimization of energy usage and the water-energy-nexus, brine management and environmental impacts. • Finally, section five covers the social and commercial issues, ranging from rural desalination, to the politics of desalination. Desalination costs and feasibility are presented, as well as issues in business development and the future market prospects.
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Affiliate Spotlight
Water for Gwadar: Desalination Plant Inaugurated Reported By Fayyaz Mubeen, President of PakDA A desalination plant installed at the Gwadar port in Pakistan by China Oversees Port Holding Company was inaugurated on December 31, 2017 by Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo. The plant will supply drinking water to the city of Gwadar and its deep-water seaport. The newly-installed desalination plant with the capacity of producing 254,000 gallons per day of clean drinking water was completed by the firm in record time. Mr. Bizenjo said the functioning of the desalination plant would, to some extent, reduce the shortage of drinking water in the city. People of Gwadar had been facing a water shortage for the last several months and now they would get clean drinking water, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The desalination plant is a true reflection of CPEC and Pakistan-China friendship and a gift for the people,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Bizenjo said, adding that it was the result of the visionary thinking of the Gwadar Port Authority and China Overseas Port Holding Company chairmen.
Gwadar Desalination Plant
He expressed the hope that the water crisis in Gwadar would be resolved this year and said that the water supply from the Gwadar port would be cheaper than a supply from the Mirani dam in Turbat. The minister later took a round of the plant where Chinese officials briefed him on the capacity of the plant.
About the Pakistan Desalination Association (PakDA) An Association Affiliate of IDA, the Pakistan Desalination Association (PakDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, promotion and appropriate use of desalination technology in Pakistan. The PakDA was established in 1994 by Fayyaz Muddassir Mubeen, a desalination expert and a mechanical engineer by profession who is also the current president of the association. For more information, visit http://pakda.bitballoon.com/
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Affiliate Spotlight
2018 Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition Features Technical Sessions, Reception for Students and Young Professionals The 2018 Membrane Technology Conference & Exposition (MTC18) is the largest membrane technology conference in North America with a significant number of international papers. This year AWWA and AMTA, IDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North American Affiliate, have partnered with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and WateReuse Association to highlight the use of membranes in all aspects of water treatment. From the submitted abstracts, the conference features over 105 technical talks in four concurrent sessions. The exposition will have at least 80 companies present focused on membrane usage and support. There will be five preconference workshops available along with three facilities tours that will go to two membrane facilities each.
IDA is a co-sponsor of the Student and Young Professionals reception at the MTC18 and IDA, to be held on Wednesday, March 15 from 6:30-8:00 PM. Please check the conference program for location details. The meeting will take place in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16, 2018. Palm Beach County offers many things to do in a subtropical climate including golf, swimming, spring training baseball, museums and much more. For more details on the MTC18, click here. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is an international, nonprofit, scientific and educational society dedicated to providing total water solutions assuring the effective management of water. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit association that provides technical education and training for thousands of water quality professionals who clean water and return it safely to the environment. WateReuse Association is internationally-recognized as a thought-leader on alternative water supply development.
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Affiliate Spotlight
Online Registration and Call for Papers Now Open for InDACON-2018 Jointly organized by the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli and Indian Desalination Association (InDA), InDACON-2018: Clean India Technologies, Role of Desalination and Swachh Bharat Mission takes place April 20-21, 2018 at NIT-Tiruchirappalli, India. This event aims to bring together all stakeholders including leading academic scientists, industrialists, government officials and researchers to exchange and share their experiences and research results. It also provides the premier interdisciplinary forum for
researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, concerns and practical challenges encountered, and the solutions adopted, in the field of desalination and membrane technology. The Call for Papers is now open. The deadline to submit abstracts is March 25, 2018, and notification of abstract acceptance takes place March 30. Topic suggestions and further information is available at http://indacon18.com/ papers.html Online registration for the event is also open. For more information about InDACON-2018, please visit http://indacon18.com/index.html The Indian Desalination Association is an Association Affiliate Member of IDA.
CaribDA 2018 Biennial Conference & Exposition Set to Take Place in Curaçao CaribDA 2018, “New Initiatives in Integrated Water Resource Management,” takes place May 29 – June 1 at the Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort in Curaçao. The event celebrates both 90 years of desalination in Curaçao as well as CaribDA’s 10th Anniversary. Registration is now open and reservations for exhibitors are also being accepted. For more information visit https://www.caribda.com/calendar A Regional Affiliate member of IDA, the Caribbean Desalination Association (CaribDA) is a non-profit organization and represents members/sponsors from the Caribbean desalination and water reuse communities, utilities, industries, academia and government as well as individuals interested in water supply improvement in the Caribbean, specifically by means of desalination or water reuse.
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Young Leaders Program Spotlight
Meet the 2017-19 YLP Committee IDA is pleased to announce the 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2019 IDA YLP Committee. The committee is tasked with promoting desalination and water reuse as a career to young professionals through activities such as networking events, technical workshops, seminars, mentorship programs, internship and other avenues. For more about the Young Leaders Program, please visit http://idaylp.org/.
Monica Boodhan Co-lead, LAC Regional Coordinator and Website Coordinator
Naomi Jones Co-lead, NA Regional Coordinator and Website Coordinator
Holly Churman Communications Coordinator (Bulletins)
Michael Warady Mentorship Coordinator
Eduard Gasia Bruch
Mohamed Atta Alhaj
EU Regional Coordinator
Membership Coordinator
Magda Armendariz
Kamakshi Sharma
LAC Regional Coordinator
Mentorship Coordinator
Muhammad Wakil Shahzad MEA Regional Coordinator
Rahul Hampaul Communications Coordinator (Social Media)
Nicholas Nelson EU Regional Coordinator and Webinar Coordinator
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IDA Connections
IDA Connections Now Accepting Member News IDA Connections is now accepting news items from our members for publication. Please feel free to send news about company developments, products/services, research findings and people. The deadline is the 20th of the month prior to publication: January 20, March 20, May 20, July 20, September 20 and November 20. Member news will be published space permitting and pending the review of IDA Connections’ editorial staff. Submissions must be sent as Word documents to editor Ann Seamonds at seamonds@seamonds.com. Images must be sent as separate attachments and must be high resolution jpeg files (at least 300 dpi at 4” x 6”). If you would like to contribute a more expansive article, please contact Ann Seamonds about your story idea.
Marketing Opportunities with IDA IDA will soon offer marketing opportunities in IDA Connections, on its websites and bulletins, creating new avenues to promote your company’s brand, products and services, and leadership in the global desalination and water reuse community. IDA Connections now has expanded circulation to more than 10,000 advanced water treatment professionals around the world and strategic partnerships, and our events, advocacy and outreach programs can enhance your profile around the world. In addition, we are offering sponsorship opportunities not only for our 2018 International Water Reuse and Recycling Conference in Valencia, Spain, and our eagerly anticipated 2019 IDA World Congress in Dubai, but also for our Young Leaders Program, mentor program, and educational programs such as the IDA Academy, Channabasappa Memorial Scholarship and IDA Fellowship Program. We will be sending a link to our media kit shortly with opportunities in IDA Connections, our website and e-alerts. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@idadesal.org
International Desalination Association PO Box 387, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA Website: www.idadesal.org Email: info@idadesal.org
IDA Connections is available on the IDA website, www.idadesal.org. The views expressed in articles contributed to IDA Connections are not necessarily the views of the International Desalination Association. IDA assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and/or artwork.
Editorial Director Shannon McCarthy Editor Ann Seamonds Editorial Offices International Desalination Association P.O. Box 387 Topsfield, MA 01983 USA Tel: +1-978-887-0410 Editorial Inquiries +1-978-764-5528 info@idadesal.org Please visit the IDA website (www.idadesal.org) for a listing of industry events and updates on all IDA activities. https://www.linkedin.com/company/ international-desalination-association-ida-/
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