Oman Wires It's all about Oman
As per a statement, the agreement was signed by Dr Hilal al Hinai, secretary basic of The Research Council and MEDRC director, Ciarán Ó Cuinn.
Under the agreement MEDRC will lead a two-year water analysis project to investigate the prospective of reusing discarded reverse osmosis desalination membranes for treating wastewater for industrial or agricultural use. During the procedure of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, salt water is forced via a membrane that permits water molecules to pass, but blocks salt and other minerals. However, these membranes are expensive, prone to fouling, have a restricted life cycle and generally finish up in landfill when they no longer meet efficiency specifications. With the surge in demand for desalination anticipated to continue, a sustainable waste management framework for discarded membranes is needed to aid boost the industry’s environmental effect.
The analysis project will provide an in-depth evaluation of membrane use in Oman, which includes an assessment of the life cycle of RO membranes and the annual mass getting consigned to landfill. The project will examine the technical feasibility of removing the outer layer of the membrane and modifying the unit to successfully treat wastewater for agricultural and industrial use. Located in Muscat, MEDRC conducts, facilitates and promotes scientific analysis that focuses on applying the newest technological advances to reduce operational expenses, power specifications and the environmental effect of desalination.
Cuinn mentioned, “As we move towards sustainable desalination, technological innovations need to be green and cost effective. Recovering discarded membranes and applying novel chemical and mechanical approaches to enable them to be reused would create considerable financial and environmental benefits. Initiatives such as these underpin MEDRC’s mandate to provide solutions to fresh water scarcity. We are proud to be working with The Research Council.”
As element of the project, a testing unit will be constructed to carry out trials on the recovered membranes at MEDRC’s water analysis and instruction facility in Al Hail. The on-web site water testing laboratory will be employed to conduct all evaluation. MEDRC will leverage its in depth analysis network to bring in international knowledge from renowned water analysis entities IMDEA Agua (Spain) and Valoriza Aqua (Spain) and hyperlink them with national professionals from the Sultan Qaboos University, Majis Industrial Services and Haya Water.
MEDRC has issued a contact for applications from young water researchers in Oman to kind element of the project investigation team. Three positions will be awarded to higher performing aspiring candidates who are enrolled in a master’s degree programme and are interested in pursuing a profession in water. Further specifics are obtainable on www.medrc.org/analysis or alhinaai@medrc.org
Information Source: Muscat Daily
