WATER QUALITY OF SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANTS IN QATAR: FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF VARIOUS DESALINATION TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

ABSTRACT Seawater desalination is the primary source of potable water in Qatar; however, the influence of desalination technology and treatment‑train configuration on produced‑water quality and biological stability remains incompletely understood. This study presents a comparative, process‑level evaluation of two major Qatari desalination facilities: Umm Al Houl Power (UHP), a hybrid system integrating seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) and multi‑stage flash distillation (MSF), and Ras Girtas Power Company (RGPC), employing multi‑effect distillation with thermal vapor compression (MED‑TVC). Monthly sampling from August to December 2025, captured water quality from intake through pretreatment, desalination, post‑treatment, and storage. Key indicators included total organic carbon (TOC), assimilable organic carbon (AOC), intact cell concentration (ICC, flow cytometry), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and bacterial regrowth potential (BRP), supported by physicochemical parameters. Intake seawater reflected Arabian Gulf boundary conditions, with temperatures of 24–35 °C, electrical conductivity of ~61,000–63,600 µS/cm, TOC of 1.5–3.0 mg/L, and ATP of ~570–3570 ng/L. Despite this variability, both thermal and membrane‑based desalination achieved near‑complete salinity removal and strong reductions in organic and microbial indicators. MSF and MED produced the lowest TOC (0.1–0.4 mg/L) with distillate conductivity of 9–29 µS/cm, confirming effective rejection of non‑volatile organics. Optimized SWRO achieved permeate turbidity

Date of Award	2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering