Special to WorldTribune.com

Researchers from Egypt’s University of Alexandria say they have successfully developed a simpler, cleaner and more cost-effective desalination process which has the potential to be a “game-changer” for areas in the Middle East and North Africa where access to clean water is a major issue.

University of Alexandria researchers Mona Naim, Mahmoud Elewa, Ahmed El-Shafei and Abeer Moneer wrote in a paper published last month in Water Science & Technology that they have developed a new method to desalinate sea water using materials that are easily obtainable and won’t break the bank for most countries. The researchers added that the process they developed does not rely on electricity.

Some skeptics, however, say the researchers have yet to prove the commercial viability of their process. That would be the “game-changer,” they say as it would be a welcomed alternative for countries where water and electricity is a scarce resource.

Desalination plants have become the only viable way for Egypt and many other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to deliver fresh water to their ever-growing populations.

The researchers wrote that their process relies on pervaporation, in which salt water is first filtered though a membrane to remove larger particles. These filters contain cellulose acetate powder that, along with other components, will bind the salt particles as they pass through the membrane. The filters are affordable and can easily be produced in a laboratory setting, the researchers said.

Once filtered, the water is vaporized under heat in a second purification step. The vapor, containing pure water, is then condensed and collected for drinking. The researchers say the process works with sea water, even the water of the Red Sea which has high salt content.

“Using pervaporation eliminates the need for electricity that is used in classic desalination processes, thus cutting costs significantly,” said Ahmed El-Shafei, an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering in Alexandria University.

Experts say most of the current desalination plants in the region use an expensive multi-step process based on reverse osmosis, which requires a large amount of electricity and also releases large quantities of highly concentrated salt water and other pollutants back into the seas and oceans.

  Egypt said to develop ‘game-changing’ desalination technique, pervaporation, reverse osmosis, University of Alexandria, WorldTribune.com