DESAL RESEARCH GROUP

Sustainable technologies for a water-secure future

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KEY VALUES

Committed to excellence

We aim to be at the forefront of global efforts to contribute to a water-secure future. We envision a world where sustainable desalination technologies and water treatment solutions are pivotal in providing clean and safe water to communities and fostering economic growth. Through continuous innovation and collaboration, we aspire to set new standards for excellence in the field, leaving a long-lasting effect on the well-being of societies and the health of our planet.

About
DESAL team at the lab
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

Driven by innovation, recognized by impact

The DESAL Research Group pioneers advancements in desalination and wastewater treatment, prioritizing excellence, innovation, and sustainability. Our focus on cutting-edge research and efficiency aims to address global water challenges and support sustainable development goals.

NEWS & UPDATES 

Discover the latest breakthroughs from our team

15 February, 2026

DESAL summer intern Imran Alturkistani wins national awards at Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair

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02 February, 2026

New DESAL research published in Nature Communications advances energy-efficient desalination

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28 January, 2026

DESAL and ACWA Power advance AI-based research for early membrane fouling detection

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ADVANCING SCIENCE

Scientific Contributions

Through research papers, patents, and PhD dissertations, we push the boundaries of knowledge, driving innovation in desalination and water treatment.

Pre-pilot forward osmosis – Membrane distillation hybrid system for sustainable produced water treatment and reducing volume of hazardous waste in oil and gas industry

by Hyuk Soo Son, Alla Alpatova, Muhammad Saqib Nawaz, Sofiane Soukane, Sandra C. Medina, Veerabhadraiah Gudideni, Ali Al-Qahtani, Dalaver H. Anjum, Noreddine Ghaffour
Year: 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.106628

Abstract

This study introduces pre-pilot scale hybrid forward osmosis - membrane distillation (FO-MD) module, designed for the simultaneous treatment of different challenging produced water (PW) streams from Oil &Gas Industry. In this module, hot draw solution simultaneously serves as MD feed solution. The performance of this module was assessed with synthetic and real PW streams for extended operating times. The MD permeate production was doubled and comprised 0.4 L/h for 7:1 MD/FO area ratio (0.105 m2 and 0.015 m2, respectively) compared to permeate production that was observed with equal MD and FO membrane area (0.015 m2 each). The conductivity of the final product water was 364.9 ± 2.7 μS/cm, comparable to the typical potable water conductivity, implying its potential for reuse applications and minimizing volume of hazardous waste. Analysis of MD permeate quality showed that concentration of major ions was reduced by >99 % and chemical oxygen demand was removed by 90.1 %. Continuous operation with real produced streams led to partial pore wetting on the MD active layer. The microscopy showed organic fouling caused by oil and grease deposition and NaCl/CaSO4 scaling was found on both sides of FO membrane. These results suggest that PW pretreatment should be implemented to alleviate membrane fouling and pore wetting. We also observed reverse solute flux of 7.07 g/m2 h in experiments utilizing real DE and WO streams. The results of this study helped to identify challenges arising from the system scale-up and provide grounds for integrating hybrid FO-MD technology to recover water from oil and gas facilities.

Keywords

Processed water treatment Desalination Scale-up system Membrane fouling Partial wetting Membrane Scaling

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