Water. desalination + reuse

COMMENT G E N E S Y S I N T E R N A T I O N A L Harnessing the power of microbubbles Genesys - Developing Technology to Improve your Operation YEARS YEARS Our revolutionary approach to RO membrane cleaning, for more information please contact marmstrong@genesysro.com or www.genesysro.com/genairclean.php Genesys International | Tel: +44 (0)1606 837 605 | www.genesysro.com NEW EDITORS often open their first leader by introducing themselves. But let's hold off on that awhile. Allow me to find out about you, the readers. First up: what do you want from D&WR? It has provided years of solid coverage of the business of desalination. Mine is a new hand on the tiller and steady as she goes is a good option. But I want to know of other areas you might like to see covered in the pages of D&WR and maybe some ports you would prefer it didn't land in. A to-the- point message from each and any of you to me at desalination@fav-house.com with as little as a single line describing the change you most would like to see would be very welcome. Meanwhile, the desalination and water reuse industries grow in importance as – courtesy of climate change – clean water supplies wane even among the world's leading economies. At the same time climate change places a need on all industries to curb their carbon emissions by using less energy or using more renewable sources of it. Meeting growing demand while putting a lid on emissions is a tough call. But the desalination industry is rising to the challenge. Research abounds in reducing desalination energy use and in cutting its carbon emissions. Refinements in membrane technologies are reducing costs and renewable technologies too show promise as a way to shave the energy bill as well as emissions. A recent webinar hosted by D&WR highlighted examples of this in solar and wave power. We report here a bunch of potentially emission reducing research findings. We report also the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency calling on Gulf states to up their game on renewable powered desalination. But the urgency of demand is bringing on ever-bigger plant using today's best technologies. In the USA, drought is driving desalination proposals. But the cost is the chief concern for consumers. However, subsidies in the western USA for conventional sources are being undermined as the sources dry up. This exposure of the real cost of conventional water supply could make desalination look competitive on cost. So California is planning a dozen or more plants with the massive Carlsbad project leading the charge. Carlsbad's energy industry-like water procurement agreement will be an economics test case. But cities in California, Texas and elsewhere face resistance from householders who don't want to stomach the costs of desalination (or drinking treated wastewater). There is, however, nothing like a crisis to stimulate action - as seen in Australia's mid- 2000s US$ 20 billion desalination and water reuse programme in response to its worst drought on record. Now there is water security when the next drought strikes. Nevertheless cost still draws criticism. So while research is vital, and action is essential, a valuable research exercise for the desalination sector to invest in has to be how to win public trust and confidence. Let's get everyone on board. Dr Trevor Loveday All aboard? editor'scorner

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