SALT - Sustainable Advanced Desalination and Brine Treatment

This Project will develop an integrated desalination and brine management platform tailored to the harsh seawater conditions of Qatar and the Arabian Gulf. Gulf seawater typically reaches around 45 g/L TDS, with salinity exceeding 55 g/L in coastal and semi-enclosed zones and approaching 60 g/L in the southern Gulf. Nearshore seawater temperatures can rise to around 39 °C in summer and drop to around 20 °C in winter. These conditions are amplified by the Gulf’s shallow bathymetry, with an average depth of about 40 m and only 5 to 12 m near Qatar’s coast, leading to high evaporation, elevated salinity, and rapid water-quality fluctuations. The project addresses this environment through six connected work packages covering intake and pretreatment, core desalination, brine concentration, mineral recovery, full system integration, and decentralized desalination and brine management solutions. The technical approach combines intake design, biological characterization, satellite-supported seawater assessment, NF-based scaling control, advanced disinfection, RO and thermal desalination, plasma-enhanced desalination, HPRO, OARO, ED, chemical precipitation, ion exchange, and brine polishing. The project has two integrated goals: maximize freshwater recovery under Gulf conditions and convert brine from a disposal burden into a recoverable mineral and industrial resource stream. The final outcome will be a pilot-ready, technically validated, and economically ranked integrated solution for desalination and brine management in Qatar and similar arid coastal regions.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)