Although all desalination techniques are very interesting in terms of their performance, this energy-intensive and pollutant-release method is not an option for sustainable development. Indeed, despite the constant decline in production costs, desalination requires large financial investments and is still quite expensive, which prevents it from meeting the freshwater needs of the poorest populations. In addition, the current techniques, generate a number of environmental problems, not insignificant that can in the long term lead to a warming of the seas and an increase of salinity of the seas which would be a true catastrophe for the ecosystem. The WWF report speaks of irreversible consequences for the environment and marine life. In addition, these techniques use a large number of chemicals. Finally, the water from desalination is sometimes so pure that it must be re-mineralized, which implies additional costs.

It is now up to us to use desalination with caution. That's why some desalination plants today use renewable resources to overcome energy obstacles. We therefore have several seawater desalination plants that aim to maximize the efficiency of their desalination systems, while integrating the use of renewable energies for plant feed. In this perspective, the Spanish company Abengoa, selected by Advanced Water Technology (AWT), is aiming to develop in Saudi Arabia the first large-scale desalination plant in the world powered by solar energy. The plant will produce 60,000 cubic meters of water a day to supply the city of Al Khafji in north-eastern Saudi Arabia, ensuring the permanent availability of water throughout the year. This innovative project includes a photovoltaic plant that will be able to provide the power required by the desalination process, which will significantly reduce operational costs. Abengoa and AWT will respond in a sustainable and reliable way to the water needs of the local population.

Regards

@ Afnan, desalination process called Reverse Osmosis-Pressure Retarded Osmosis (RO-PRO) is being developed in California researchers from Humboldt State University on southern California believe that their system could lower the cost of desalination and reduce its impact on the environment.

Desalination by using distillation by solar energy could be considered as environmentally green.