1WDRC News | Summer 2015 wdrc.kaust.edu.sa

WDRC News

Summer 2015 | wdrc.kaust.edu.sa

It has been three years since the beginning of this newsletter. Our intention has been to share the latest news of our Center without overwhelming you with details. We have also aimed to create a simple document to strengthen our relationships with you. We hope we have been able to reach our goals. The WDRC newsletter team would like to thank all of our valuable readers and colleagues who have contributed articles, ideas, interviews, research summaries, event recaps and their time to make this newsletter a reality.

Over the past three years, we’ve created 12 newsletters with content relevant to both industry and academia. You will be pleased to know we have now reached over 1,000 people from many regions of the world and have received positive feedback regarding our efforts. To view archived issues of our newsletters, please visit: http://wdrc.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/Newsletter.aspx

In July 2015, the WDRC celebrated six years of existence. Through our newsletter, we want to keep sharing with you news of our progress to-date, and we would also like to hear from you about which sections you enjoy reading the most. If you have any topics on which you would like to hear more, please let us know. We are happy to have our newsletter grow and change from your input. Part of this process has included the addition of new sections like “Industry Corner,” the idea for which came from industry feedback. In this section, we have featured our industry partners for the past six issues. Similarly, other sections and topics will be added as we evolve. We hope you will continue to enjoy reading and contributing to our newsletters. Thank you.

WDRC Newsletter Team

NOTES FROM THE EDITORUPCOMINGEVENTS

DESALTECH 2015August 28-29, 2015

The National Water Research Institute (NWRI), the National Centre for Excellence in Desalination – Australia (NCEDA) and the KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) are co-organizing DesalTech 2015 as a co-event with the International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress in San Diego, California, USA.

6th Annual Center IndustryAffiliates Program (CIAP)MeetingNovember 2015

Delegates from the Center’s industry partners will meet withWDRC faculty and staff at theUniversity to share research andindustry updates.

Previous CIAP Meeting (2014)

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FACULTY Q & ADr. Ing. Noreddine Ghaffour is a Research Professor at the WDRC. He is the Research Theme Leader on

Desalination. He spent seven years as R&D and Capacity Building Manager at the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC). Dr. Noreddine has over 23 years of experience in the field of drinking water treatment technologies and has specialized in the area of membrane and thermal-based desalination processes and related fields. He obtained his Ph.D. from Montpellier University in 1995. He is the author of over 190 publications and has produced several patents and chapters in textbooks. He is a member of the main international desalination associations and is a frequent speaker, including making keynote addresses and acting as co-chair for various sessions at international conferences, seminars and workshops. He also

has experience in scaling-up innovative desalination processes and start-ups.Q: What was your motivation to join KAUST and WDRC?

A: When someone visits KAUST and the WDRC, he/she will immediately understand why I joined KAUST. In short, it is a dream for any researcher at any level to see the unbelievable latest technology

and analytical and testing equipment and lab facilities at the WDRC. When you don’t find equipment you are looking for, you will find it at the KAUST Core Labs. In addition to this, we can manufacture modules we designed at a fantastic workshop facility (mechanical, electrical, electronics), which is very important for my research as a process engineer developing innovative processes. The other main motivation for me to join KAUST was the diversity of options to get research funds and the possibility of internal and external collaborations, among many other related benefits.Q: As part of your current research on membrane distillation (MD), what are some of the challenges and barriers MD must overcome to become a viable and widely acceptable desalination technology for this region and beyond?A: Yes, one of my main research activities at KAUST is the development of innovative desalination technologies, including hybrid systems and renewable energy-driven desalination technologies. MD is one of them. It is considered an attractive desalination technology that has many advantages. In my opinion, these will help its commercialization in the near future. In short, it combines the advantages of membrane-based and thermal-based desalination technologies. Also, it is very suitable to be driven by renewable energy, e.g. solar energy, low-enthalpy geothermal energy or low-grade waste heat, which are widely available in regions where generally water stress is a big issue, and it is also a low-cost technology. This is because the MD modules and all other components can be made of plastic-based materials because the process runs under low temperature and atmospheric pressure contrary to the current conventional desalination technologies (where either a very high feed temperature or feed pressure is required). However, although the MD process has been under investigation for several decades, it has still not been commercialized, even at small scale applications. Although MD is still under lab and small pilot studies, it has a great potential for scale-up, especially in niche applications where the conventional technologies face extreme operational challenges. However, this technology still runs at low flux, especially at large scale modules where the driving force across the membrane becomes relatively small regardless of the feed and coolant inlet temperatures. Our team is working in understanding the process limitations in order to address some of the main challenges of scaling-up the MD modules, mainly the development of proper membranes and modules with efficient heat recovery systems, stabilization of the driving force throughout the module, spacers and module manufacturing. Energy input is another limitation to scale up the MD process. Honestly, if there were not any kind of waste heat or renewable energy source available at low-cost, I don’t see how the technology could be commercialized due to the high energy requirement. We have already locally designed, fabricated and successfully tested several large scale modules based on different MD configurations. A fully automated one cubic meter per day pilot unit is currently under construction at our KAUST workshop. A larger pilot will be designed and constructed in the near future. Q: It took almost half a century for commercialization and acceptance of reverse osmosis (RO) as a key desalination technology throughout the world. In this same vein, what is your assessment for MD? A: Yes, getting a new technology in the market takes time. I can give you a small example of a very mature technology. Most of the RO membrane manufacturers presented their new 16” RO membrane offering so many advantages over the existing 8” membranes, and these seemed to be widely accepted by users, but it took over a decade to see that very few desalination plants had installed these membranes and the previsions are not optimistic. This is just replacing a membrane size, so think about introducing a new technology in the market! In my opinion the MD process will grow at a very small scale over the next 5-10 years (mostly industrial pilot testing in the range of 5 to 500 m3/d) at specific locations with specific applications, and if successfully tested, I hope larger scale plants (in the range of 500 to 1,000 m3/d) will be installed around the world after 10 years. With this development, I expect that MD membranes cost will also decrease and the technology will continuously improve, therefore leading to the installation of larger plants, as was the case for RO technology in its early stages of development. Q: What are some niches you think membrane distillation could provide in benefiting the desalination communities and industries? A: As discussed above, MD has a great potential for commercialization, especially in niche applications where the conventional technologies cannot be used or are very costly, such as treating desalination brines, produced water and highly concentrated desiccants, and where a low grade heat source is available. Another potential application is to treat hot springs or industrial wastewater. Also, I see that MD can play an important role if it is hybridized with the existing current technologies, e.g. RO or MSF/MED, or with other innovative technologies such as forward osmosis or adsorption desalination in integrated combined systems.Q: Is there any advice you’d like to share with young students and researchers in your field?A: Keep working hard and believe in your ideas and make sure your idea will work.

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Saudi Arabia aims to reuse over 65 percent of its water by 2020 and over 90 percent by 2040 by transforming its existing and planned wastewater treatment assets into source water suppliers across all sectors. Valued at over $4.3 billion by Global Water Intelligence, the Kingdom’s water reuse market is the third largest in the world. -THE SAUDI GAZETTE, February 19, 2015- http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150219234287“

“California is about to complete the largest water desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. …. But the plant is coming at a huge cost, both financially—at $1 billion, some have calculated it would cost less to simply import water—and environmentally. Desalination is highly energy intensive and carries a huge carbon footprint, though the plant’s operators say they will be buying carbon credits to offset releases. -FUSION ABC-NEWS NETWORK, June 10, 2015- http://fusion.net/video/148445/can-this-technology-end-californias-water-crisis/

Lack of water is a critical constraint to increasing food production, particularly as droughts and other consequences of climate change are making water scarcer. To help solve this enormous challenge, the agriculture and water communities are harnessing Big Data to ramp up food production with less pressure on our water resources. -GREEN BIZ, October 22, 2014- http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/10/22/8-ways-big-data-helps-improve-global-water-and-food-security“

Dr. Christopher Waldron studied chemistry at the University of Liverpool (U.K.), where he received his M.S. in 2010. He then spent one year working for Unilever R&D before moving to the University of Warwick (U.K.) to complete a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry under the supervision of Prof. David Haddleton, graduating in 2015. Chris joined KAUST in 2015 and is a post-doctoral fellow in Prof. Suzana Nunes’s research group, where he is investigating the use of controlled-radical polymerization techniques for the synthesis of novel membrane materials.

Dr. Veerraghavulu Sapireddy graduated from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT; India) in 2011 with a Ph.D. in biological wastewater treatment. He joined Prof. Pascal Saikaly’s group as a postdoctoral researcher in early 2015. His main research focus is on understanding microbial ecology in the application of wastewater treatment and bioenergy generation using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs).

“Much of the Middle East and North Africa is set for acute water shortages and the region must do more to conserve water while expanding a series of pilot program including solar-powered water pumps, scientists and officials said on Tuesday…… In 2014 the Middle East suffered its driest winter in several decades, triggering drought across the limited arable areas in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Iraq. -REUTERS UK, June 9, 2015- http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/us-environment-water-mideast-idUKKBN0OP25U20150609

RECENT WATER HIGHLIGHTS

NEW PEOPLE

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INTERFACIAL LABORATORY: RESEARCH GROUP ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION Interfacial Lab (iLab) is a curiosity-driven interdisciplinary research group composed of chemists, physicists, engineers and theorists with a primary focus on solving grand challenges in water desalination and enhanced oil recovery. We investigate physical and chemical phenomena at ever-fluctuating interfaces of water with gases, solids and liquids. In particular, we are interested in quantifying intermolecular forces between surfaces of interest and applying those insights in (1) designing energy efficient membranes, (2) unraveling why low salinity water enhances oil recovery and (3) developing coatings to prevent biofouling and scaling. To do this, we combine tools and techniques from physics, chemistry and engineering, such as the surface forces apparatus, high-speed imaging, contact angle cells, optical coherence tomography, atomic force microscopy, zeta-potential cells and electrochemical cells, along with use of the KAUST clean room and KAUST’s supercomputing technology.

CHALLENGES

Water, salts, oils, and surfactants often appear together in confined geometries, such as in filtration membranes and porous rocks in oil reservoirs. Interestingly, as pore sizes reduce below millimeter length scale, characteristics of bulk liquids, such as inertia, become less important and interfacial properties, such as surface free energies, take over. Surfactants, which adsorb at oil-water and air-water interfaces, can further alter surface energies significantly (sometimes by orders of magnitude!). Thus, dominance of interfacial properties gives rise to new phenomena at the edge of water — both physical and chemical. A clear understanding of

intermolecular forces at these interfaces is essential to develop (1) energy-efficient desalination membranes, (2) strategies for “smartflooding” oil reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery and (3) coatings against biofouling and scaling. At the molecular scale, the known physical interactions at interfaces between solids, immiscible liquids (e.g. water and oil), surfactants and gases include hydrophobicity, electrostatics (ions, dipoles, pi-systems, Lewis acid-base interactions), van der Waals forces and steric interactions. However, it has remained difficult to obtain a quantitative measure of individual forces because (1) there is a dearth of direct methods to simultaneously measure surface forces and separation distances, (2) there are no widely accepted force-fields for hydrophobic and steric interactions (3) sizes and timescales of most systems of practical interest are out of reach for most of the existing computational resources. As a result, rational design of materials/processes involving interfacial phenomena has not reached its full potential. Our laboratory is pushing this frontier; some of the ongoing projects are described below:

1. MEASUREMENT OF INTERMOLECULAR AND SURFACE FORCES: sing a surface forces apparatus (SFA), we can simultaneously measure forces (normal and shear) and distances between two atomically flat mica surfaces separated by electrolytes (Figures 2A-D). Transparent mica films (2-5 μm thick) are

FIGURE 1. An overview of various interrelatedresearch activities in Interfacial Laboratory at WDRC.

iLab Team (from left to right) Kuang-Hui Li, Dr. Eddy Domingues, Dr. Andreia Farinha, Prof. Himanshu Mishra, Emilie Dauzon, Mohamed Ben Hsine, Hamad A. Al Mahmoud, and Sankara Narayana Moorthi.

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coated with silver (≈ 30 nm) on one side and glued on to transparent silica discs of diameter ≈ 1 cm (Figure 2). This configuration of apposing mirrors is known as an interferometer, wherein the incident white light interferes with its reflected front, giving rise to fringe patterns that can track the separation between the mirrors to an accuracy of ≈ 1 nm (Figures 2A, 2B, 2E). Further, mica substrates can be modified via physisorption or covalent grafting to test a variety of materials, such as polymers, minerals, metals and biomaterials. (Figure 2E) Other phenomena that we are investigating via the SFA include hydrophobic interactions (Figure 2E), corrosion, entanglement and self-healing in polymers, adhesion, cohesion and capillary condensation.

2. OIL-ASPHALTENE-BRINE-MINERAL SYSTEMS: We are interested in understanding key molecular interactions at complex interfaces of crude oils with asphaltenes, brines and mineral surfaces that result in the displacement of oil by low-salinity water (also known as “smartwater”). Despite its importance, this area of research has remained fraught with ambiguities. We are beginning to investigate the roles of (1) thin films of brine trapped between oil and rocks, (2) changes in wettability of minerals induced by “smartwater” and (3) specific-ion effects in smart-flooding. (Figure 3)

3. DESIGNER COATINGS: We are designing robust coatings to prevent (or promote) wetting for prevention of biofouling and scaling. We are also evaluating the long-term stability and robustness of the wetting behavior.

FIGURE 3. A schematic representing low salinity water intruding in a porous rock with crude oil and a thin layer of brine trapped between the oil and the mineral surface (shown in the inset). Interfacial tensions between solid-water, water-oil, and oil-solid are indicated by γSW, γSO, and γOW respectively and non-equilibrium wetting states are shown by contact angles, θr. The possibility of viscous fingering is also depicted.

FIGURE 4. (A) A textured polymer coating, and (B) wetting behavior of 20% water-ethanol mixture on it.

FIGURE 2. Schematics of (A) a five-layered white light interferometer to estimate the distance between the mirrors, (B) fringe pattern for cylindrically curved mirrors, (C) back-silvered mica films glued on to cylindrically curved SiO2 discs, and (D) SiO2 discs mounted in the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA)—one on a piezoelectric mount and other on a cantilever, (E) force-distance curves for perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane functionalized mica surfaces in 1mM NaCl solution (shown in red) and isopropyl alcohol (IPA, shown in green) elucidating the role of hydrogen bonding in mediating hydrophobic interactions.

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The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) was founded in 1974 to meet a long standing water shortage in the Kingdom. SWCC is the world’s largest producer of desalinated water. This capacity was necessitated by higwh population growth rate, rapid urbanization and rapid development in the Kingdom. With the rapid expansion and the complex nature of the desalination industry, SWCC decided to establish its own R&D programs to ensure a sustainable and cost effective supply of potable water. In 1987, SWCC established a Research & Development Center in Al Jubail. This move was recognition of both the complex nature of desalination and the exponential increases in the capacity of this industry in the Kingdom. In the year 2006, the Research & Development Center

was renamed as Desalination Technologies Research Institute (DTRI). DTRI owns a great desalination research infrastructure including sophisticated labs & pilot plants. The total number of staff is about 100, out of which 30% are research staff. Vision ° Excellence and leadership in research, innovation, and solution for desalination technologies.Mission ° Research: To ensure scientific excellence in the application of R&D to enhance desalination technologies. ° Innovation: To serve as the foremost contributor to desalination technology innovation in the Kingdom. ° Solutions: To identify cost-effective and efficient practical solutions to public and private enterprises through desalination technology to produce water of desired quality.Strategic ° Strengthen internal operating mechanisms and work flow processes to build institutional and staff Objectives capacity for a distinguished research work environment. ° Strengthen the knowhow to build institutional and staff capacity for distinguished research in desalination. ° Promote scientific and technical expertise and problem solving services to an international audience to support the research, development and application of desalination technologies for industry use. ° Build internal capacities for research & development, intellectual property management and technology commercialization for enhanced revenue generation.

Q: What is your role in your company?A: To carryout research studies to develop and enhance the techno-economic viability of desalination technologies and provide technical and consultation services.Q: As a major desalinator for the world, what types of challenges do you foresee in meeting the growing desalination needs of Saudi Arabia?A: The main challenge is to reduce the energy consumption of desalination processes, enhance the reliability and reduce the unit production cost. Q: What types of technologies do you think will be necessary to meet the Kingdom’s current and future desalination needs?A: Membrane and thermal development processes and hybrid system integrating membrane and thermal at the same side. Q: For the types of technology improvement you think are necessary, where could SWCC (DTRI) and WDRC play a role?A: Address the barriers inherited in existing desalination processes and work together for the development of new and non-traditional desalination processes that are more cost-effective. Q: How do you foresee the integration of renewable energies, such as solar, geothermal, wind, etc., playing an important role in desalination? What steps are you taking towards such integration?A: Integration of renewable energy with desalination processes will greatly help in reduction of energy cost. DTRI is currently conducting a number of research projects to explore the prospect of utilizing solar energy for thermal desalination processes. Q: What was your main motivation in having WDRC join you as your strategic partner nearly four years ago in 2011?A: Collaboration with WDRC will yield maximum utilization of research facilities available in both institutions and will motivate successful partnership for the development of desalination industries.Q: How is your engagement with the center serving your company? What steps do you think are necessary in strengthening our relationships?A: One of DTRI research staff is currently enrolled in WDRC research post graduate program. Technical meetings are frequently held between the two institutions.Q: What is your company’s ultimate vision to best serve KSA?A: DTRI’s ultimate vision is to develop and utilize desalination technologies and enhance their cost effectiveness.

Company Profile

INDUSTRY CORNER

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Tisan

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WDRC HIGHLIGHTSWDRC’s Ph.D. student, Ryan Lefers, received an award at the European Desalination Society’s EuroMed Conference during the best poster competition. His poster, which was entitled “Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification and Regeneration Process to Meet Cooling and Fresh Water Needs of Desert Greenhouses,” was co-authored by Srivatsa Bettahalli, Prof. TorOve Leiknes and Prof. Suzana P. Nunes. The poster and research work behind it focuses on agriculture, the production of food to feed the planet, which accounts for ~70% of freshwater consumption worldwide.

A book entitled “Intakes and Outfalls for Seawater Reverse-Osmosis Desalination Facilities” was published in May 2015. The book’s author is former WDRC Visiting Professor Thomas Missimer, and it was co-authored with KAUST Professor Burton Jones of the Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) and Dr. Robert G. Maliva. The book consists of contributed articles presented at the “Desalination Intakes and Outfalls” workshop held at KAUST in October 2013. Researchers, professionals in the general fields of environmental engineering and sustainable development, WDRC students and other members participated in and contributed to this book. The book assembles the latest research on new design techniques in water supplies using desalinated seawater and examine the diverse issues related to the intakes and outfalls, and clarifies how and why these key components of the facilities impact the cost of operation and subsequently the cost of water supplied to the consumers. These issues are presented and discussed in the book.

Water Desalination and Reuse CenterKing Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

Contact: Dr. Shahnawaz Sinha shahnawaz.sinha@kaust.edu.sa +966 (0) 12 808 4905

WDRC Members represented the center at the following international conferences related to the Center’s research topics:.

• EMN Meeting on Droplets, Energy Materials Nanotechnology. May 2015. Phuket, Thailand. • EDS EuroMed 2015, Desalination for Clean Water and Energy. May 2015. Palermo, Italy.• North American Membrane Society (NAMS). May 2015. Boston, U.S.A.• 4th International Symposium Frontiers in Polymer Science. May 2015. Riva del Garda, Italy.• 12th IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies. June 2015. Hong Kong, China.• 13th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (BAGECO). June 2015. Milan, Italy.• The 5th Oxford Water & Membranes Research Event: Water, Food & Energy Nexus. June 2015. Oxford, U.K.• 5th International Colloids Conference. June 2015. Amsterdam, the Netherland• 2nd International Workshop on Membrane Distillation and Innovating Membrane Operations in Desalination and Water

Reuse. July, 2015. Ravello, Italy.

REPRESENTING THE WDRC

Research Scientist Dr. Lijo Francis was selected for the “Young Academics Award” for the year 2015 for his contributions in the membrane science and technology field during the MD workshop organized by the Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNT; Italy), in collaboration with European Membrane Society (EMS).