Last week the China Overseas Port Holding Company inaugurated a new desalination plant at PAKISTAN’s Gwadar port.[1] The desalination plant produces around 1150 cubic meters of clean drinking water per day.[2] The Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, expressed the hope that the desalination plant will resolve Gwadar’s ongoing water crisis and stated that there are plans for additional desalination plants.[3]
GHANA – The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has shut down the Teshie-Nungua desalination plant to allow for renegotiation with the plant’s management.[4] The operation of the desalination plant has come under scrutiny following claims by the water company that it is incurring losses as a result of the operation.[5] Meanwhile, GWCL insists the private firm contracted to operate the plant is raking in profit.[6]
While the plant is shutdown, the people of Teshie and its surroundings will receive water through alternative means. The NGO Water for Rural Africa (WRA) has expressed concern about this disruption to the water supply and has urged the GWCL to speed up the renegotiation process.[7]
A consortium of Spain’s FCC Aqualia and Aqualia Mexica has won the bidding for a desalination plant project in Sonora, MEXICO.[8] The plant will serve the municipalities of Epalme and Guaymas and will have a capacity of around 17,300 cubic meters per day.[9] Capital investment in the plant is reported to be $36.4 million with a monthly operational expense of $400,000.[10] After the contracts are signed next month, construction is set to begin in summer 2018 and conclude in late 2019.[11]
U.S.A. – Researchers at Penn State University discovered a new desalination technique known as battery electrode deionization (BDI) which utilizes less energy compared to previous desalination practices.[12] BDI improves upon the standard capacitive deionization (CDI) techniques by eliminating the regeneration stage and lowering the voltage required to complete the process.[13] In the BDI system there is a custom built flow cell which utilizes two channels instead of one, unlike typical CDI systems. The two channels are separated with the help of a membrane and two similar battery electrodes are located at the end of each channel.[14]
The scientists discovered that the BDI system desalinates water effectively while using an applied voltage of only 0.6 volts. In addition, the lower voltage requirement and the materials used help prevent unwanted side reactions and achieve greater desalination performance while consuming less energy than conventional CDI.[15]
[1] “Desalination plant opens at Gwadar port,” Tribune.com.pk, January 2, 2018, <https://tribune.com.pk/story/1598397/1-desalination-plant-opens-gwadar-port/> accessed January 7.
[2] “Desalination plant opens at Gwadar port,” Tribune.com.pk, January 2, 2018, <https://tribune.com.pk/story/1598397/1-desalination-plant-opens-gwadar-port/> accessed January 7.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Teshie desalination plant shut down for contract renegotiation,” citifmonline, January 4, 2018, <https://citifmonline.com/2018/01/04/teshie-desalination-plant-shut-down-for-contract-renegotiation/>, accessed January 7.
[5] “Water company shuts down Teshie Desalination Plant,” myjoyonline.com, January 3, 2018, <https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2018/january-3rd/water-company-shuts-down-teshie-desalination-plant.php >, accessed January 5.
[6] Ibid.
[7] “NGO not happy with shutdown of Teshi-Nungua Desalination Plant,” ghananewsagency.org, January 6, 2018, <http://www.ghananewsagency.org/science/ngo-not-happy-with-shutdown-of-teshi-nungua-desalination-plant--127158>, accessed January 6.
[8] “FCC Aqualia bid wins Sonora, Mexico, desalination project,” desalination.biz, January 3, 2018, <https://www.desalination.biz/news/0/FCC-Aqualia-bid-wins-Sonora-Mexico-desalination-project/8915/>, accessed January 5.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Kim et al, Low Energy Desalination Using Battery Electrode Deionization, Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2017, 4(10), http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.7b00392 , accessed January 7.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.