Clean drinking water is one of the global challenges that can be addressed using innovative technological solutions. The Netherlands is a major player in the international water sector and is always keen to share its expertise, to learn from others and be the changemaker towards climate adaptation and a resilient future. As a part of the Dutch Ministry’s trade mission to Dubai,  Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) organized an insightful ‘Water Day’ seminar at the Netherlands Pavilion which included signing of  two significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focusing on the water sector.

In the presence of Mark Harbers, Netherlands’ Minister of Infrastructure and Water management,  Dutch-based company Demcon Optiqua and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, partnered together for real-time drinking water monitoring technology.

These partners have also joined the wave:

Institute for Water Education IHE Delft, Khalifa University Abu Dhabi, King Abdullah Saudi Arabia University of Science and Technology, National University of Sciences and Technology Oman, Sultan Qaboos University Oman, Wageningen University and Research, and UAEU Al Ain.

Read the full article here:

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A nascent but promising solution to the world’s water scarcity problems could be water purification by direct solar vapor generation

Although desalination methods like membrane distillation and reverse osmosis have been employed to provide clean water to millions around the world, small-scale desalination for off-grid purposes remains hampered by cost and energy consumption challenges. Direct solar vapor generation is an off-grid distillation technology that, while still early stage, is attracting attention. For this reason a team of researchers from Khalifa University has been undertaking research on the topic.

Afra S. Alketbi, PhD student in Engineering, and Dr. Aikifa Raza, Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, developed a micro-3D printed hydrogel device to be used in direct solar vapor generation (DSVG). Their new device is portable and highly efficient, promising great potential for use in commercial DSVG systems. Alketbi and Dr. Raza collaborated with Muhammad Sajjad, PhD student , Dr. Hongxia Li, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Faisal AlMarzooqi, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Prof. TieJun Zhang, Professor of Mechanical Engineering. The results were published in the.

Direct solar vapor generation involves harvesting the heat from the sun to convert water into vapor, which is then condensed and collected to provide clean water. Sounds simple and it is: the oldest desalination technology is the solar still, a simple device that uses the energy from sunlight to purify water. Salty water is placed in the still and an angled piece of glass or plastic is placed above. The sunshine evaporates the water, which then condenses on the surface above before running down the surface to collect in a separate trough. The impurities and salt remain in the bottom of the still and the water in the trough is clean, pure drinking water. This is the basic principle behind DSVG but the key step—evaporation—is proving a roadblock for commercialization.

“Direct solar vapor generation provides a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to the current global water scarcity challenges,” Prof. Zhang said. “However, existing systems using natural sunlight suffer from low water yield and need a lot of energy to start the evaporation process. If we could find new materials that reduce the heat needed for water vaporization, we could boost this process and make it commercially viable. This is where hydrogels could help.”

Hydrogels are a 3D network of hydrophilic (water loving) polymers that can swell in water while maintaining their structure. They are dynamic and highly tunable, which makes them flexible for use at different operating conditions. In this work, KU researchers developed a temperature responsive copolymer with tunable wettability and water releasing behavior. 

They leveraged 3D-printing to create a solar-powered desalination device with micro-channels and an anisotropic, or unsymmetrical crystalline, structure. The device’s hydrophilic polymeric network can maintain an uninterrupted water supply: as the water evaporates, more is drawn into the hydrogel through capillary action, inspired by the way water moves in plants.

The KU researchers modified the top surface of their device with light absorbing materials using a novel method. Photothermal materials have been utilized in floating DSVG systems as they have the ability to absorb a high amount of solar energy. This helps regulate localized heating and produce water vapor. Materials suspended in the water absorb the sun’s energy and transfer the heat to the water wetting their surface and thereby quickly generating clean water vapor.

“Developing novel materials that can yield high amounts of water vapors utilizing less energy, in addition to efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion, are highly desired to push forward the applications of the solar energy-water nexus,” Dr. Raza said. “Hydrogels are gaining immense popularity due to their multifunctionality and biocompatibility, as well as their unique ability to encapsulate a large amount of water.”

“Because of the superior light absorption properties and water retention/activation within our hydrogel anisotropic structure, and the rapid water movement through our 3D printed microchannel network, our device achieves a remarkable water evaporation rate without solar concentration,” Alketbi said.

“In combination with high-resolution 3D printing, our hydrogel technology empowers high-performance solar distillation while offering great opportunities for digital design and accelerated development of new desalination devices,” she added.

Manufacturing this hydrogel requires a highly specialized 3D printing technique. Recent advances in additive manufacturing allow hydrogel fabrication to overcome the limitations of conventional fabrication methods. Light-based stereolithography, used in this work, is one such technique whereby a light source—a laser or projector—cures liquid ink into solid complex architectures.  

The research group is now establishing a spin-off company with support from the to produce high-end valuable products through advanced additive manufacturing.

At KIC, the startup is currently being commercialized through a structured three-month incubation program focused on imparting the founders with business, marketing, finance and legal skills. 

Jade Sterling
Science Writer
22 February 2022

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Researchers uncover how genes found in camel kidneys reveal a role for cholesterol in water conservation

Imagine a trek across the desert and you’ll likely picture a camel or two.

In the arid and semi-arid regions of North and East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran, the Camelus dromedarius is the most important livestock animal and continues to provide basic needs to millions of people. Thought to have been domesticated for more than 3000 years, they have long been valued as pack animals, for milk, meat, and shelter, and even sport.

The Arabian camel is a symbol of the Arabian region, with its single hump storing up to 80 pounds of fat which it can break down into water and energy during its long expeditions for water and food.

To better understand how the Arabian camel manages to preserve water, Dr. Abdu Adem, Professor of Pharmacology at Khalifa University, supervised an investigation by a team of researchers from the University of Bristol and United Arab Emirates University. The investigation examined the genes in the kidneys of camels exposed to chronic dehydration to determine how Arabian camels can survive long periods of time in harsh conditions without access to water and what humanity could possibly learn from this. The results were published in.

Dr. Adem said. “Behavioral and physiological adaptations ensure that water is never wasted. Camels will only eat the leaves of plants, they avoid exposure to direct sunlight where possible, restrict reproduction to the cooler winter season, and drink very large amounts of water when available to compensate for any fluid deficiency from their desert wandering.”

Camels have been known to drink 30 gallons of water in just 13 minutes, but even here they have an evolutionary adaptation to avoid osmotic shock: they absorb the water very slowly. An intricate nasal passage prevents too much water loss when the camel breathes out, but more importantly, water evaporates from the surface of the nostrils to moisturize dry air when the camel breathes in, helping to cool the blood in the veins of the nose. Thanks to thin blood vessel walls, this cooler venous blood can help cool the blood in the arteries leading to the brain, meaning the camel’s brain is considerably lower in temperature than the body core. Even the red blood cells themselves have a special shape shown to be advantageous in withstanding dehydration. On top of all this, camels rarely sweat, even in the searing temperatures of the desert, all helping to conserve water for as long as possible.

“In the current context of climate change, there is renewed interest in the mechanisms that enable camels and camelids to survive in arid conditions,” Dr. Adem said. “We investigated the camel kidney to see how gene expression has been influenced by chronic dehydration and rapid rehydration. Our analysis suggests that genes with known roles in water conservation are affected by changes in cholesterol levels. Suppressing the production of cholesterol may help the kidney retain water.”

Camels produce highly concentrated urine, preserving as much water as possible. To produce such urine, the kidney must possess certain anatomical features. Previous research has shown that the kidney of a young camel differs in structure from that of an adult, suggesting that the differences may be related to a greater degree of water deprivation experienced by adult animals. This would suggest that chronic dehydration causes genes in the adult camel kidney to be expressed differently, allowing the kidney to better preserve water.

The research team noted that the amount of cholesterol in the kidney has a role in the water conservation process.

“We found remarkable changes in the amounts of specific genes and proteins in the kidney of the one-humped Arabian camel during severe dehydration and subsequent acute rehydration,” Dr. Adem said. “Our data suggests that the suppression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and the subsequent reduction in membrane cholesterol are a global response in the kidney to dehydration.”

Several ion channels and transporters are regulated by changes in the level of cholesterol in the cell. Dehydration and excessive heat cause electrolyte imbalances in the body, and the kidneys are one factor in keeping electrolyte levels balanced. If there is an increase of cholesterol in the membrane of the kidney, movement through the ion channels is blocked. When cholesterol levels are lowered, water and electrolytes can move across different parts of the kidney which helps reabsorb water and produce a highly concentrated urine. 

The researchers found that during the summer, the gene that regulates the production of a protein called aquaporin 2 is expressed more, presumably in preparation for the more challenging conditions of the season. Aquaporin 2 forms a channel in cell membranes to allow water molecules to pass through. During periods of dehydration, aquaporin 2 channels are inserted into the membranes of kidney cells which allows water to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, making the urine more concentrated. The researchers found that when cholesterol was depleted, aquaporin 2 levels increased.

While this new knowledge contributes to our understanding of the immense evolutionary advantages the Arabian camel uses to survive in the desert, it could more importantly help humanity better adapt to advancing desertification amid climate change. Understanding the mechanisms of water control in dehydration could allow us to apply various principles to water conservation across a wide variety of disciplines.

Jade Sterling
Science Writer
24 October 2021

The post The Genes in Camel Kidneys Can Be Switched On and Off to Survive Dehydration appeared first on Khalifa University.

KU’s Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) Demonstrates its Potential to Produce Food and Biofuel to Support National Goals

The UAE has many economic targets and visions for its prosperous and innovative future – joining the top 10 in the Global Food Security Index by 2021, growing its aviation sector while meeting international sustainability commitments, achieving economic diversity – but all of them must work within one major limitation: freshwater scarcity.

The country’s total annual renewable freshwater resources – meaning available groundwater that recharges with rainfall — are estimated at only 150 million m3 while its total water withdrawal was estimated at 3,998 million m3 in just 2005. That huge gap has been met by desalination, which in turn comes at a cost – energy, carbon emissions, and environmental impact. In fact, it’s estimated that the UAE’s joint electricity and water production method accounts for one third of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The UAE leadership has launched a number of initiatives to meet its goals in its various sectors that work within these limitations, but one bold project is looking to address these needs and limitations while developing an important industry for the UAE – halophyte agriculture – or the cultivation of crops adapted to grow in saline conditions. The success of the first commercial flight fueled with biofuel produced through Khalifa University’s Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), which took place on 16 January with much fanfare, has demonstrated the viability of this project that produces food and fuel considering the country’s freshwater limitations while complementing its industrial goals.

“This is a major achievement for the UAE, as it shows that the country can raise fish and shrimp while growing the crop used to make bio-jetfuel, without taking up any farmland or freshwater. The SBRC’s Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) offers a multitude of benefits that respond to the UAE’s various strategic and industrial targets,” explained Dr. Alejandro Rios, Director of the SBRC.

The SBRC was established in 2011 by Masdar Institute, which later became part of the Khalifa University, with Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP. The founding members were later joined by ADNOC Refining, Safran, GE, and Bauer Resources. The SEAS pilot facility was inaugurated in 2016.

The SEAS works by integrating aquaculture with halophyte agriculture and agroforestry as renewable energy crops. The SEAS pilot facility, located at the Masdar Institute campus of Khalifa University was built on desert land. It has six aquaculture units that use seawater to raise fish and shrimp. The fish farm produces a nutrient-rich effluent, which is directed into Salicornia fields where it fertilizes the oil-rich and salt-loving plants. The leftover effluent from the process is then diverted into the cultivated mangrove forests, which further purify the water and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while sheltering fish nurseries that live around their underwater roots.

“Once Salicornia the plants are harvested, they are set out to dry in the sun for about a week. They are then ground using a hammer mill and winnowed to separate the seeds from the straw. The oil is then extracted from the seeds by pressing and then the oil is degummed and neutralized to remove any impurities,” Dr. Rios explained.

The Salicornia oil can be refined in the same facilities used to refine crude oil into petroleum, making it complementary to the UAE’s existing hydrocarbon infrastructure. The resulting biofuel is then mixed at the allowed concentration with regular jet fuel so that it can be ‘dropped in’ to an aircraft without any modification to the engines or airframe.

This biofuel is of particular value to the UAE, as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council has approved new rules and standards that have capped growth of international aviation carbon dioxide at 2020 levels from 2021. From January 2019, all ICAO member states with aircraft operators undertaking international flights – which includes the UAE – must compile and submit their airlines’ CO2 emissions to the ICAO so it can prepare its planned Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Using biofuel like the one produced through SEAS supports the UAE in its desire to meet these standards while allowing its aviation sector to continue to grow. The UAE’s aviation sector is part of its diversification plan, and is estimated to account for 16% of its GDP by 2025.

“Our next step is to build our demonstration scale facility at the 200-hectare level. We will use this facility to unlock the knowledge required to take this to commercial scale,” Dr. Rios shared, adding that “there are still a number of unanswered questions about what it will take to make this commercial, but if the SEAS were to expand to around 100,000 hectares, it could produce a significant amount of biofuel to help the UAE aviation sector meet its needs for CORSIA, though of course, this would be a challenging and unprecedented undertaking.”

At this scale, the SEAS could also help reduce the country’s carbon footprint and improve air quality, as the Salicornia and mangroves planted as part of the system would remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The fish and seafood produced through the SEAS can also help the UAE achieve its goal of reaching the top 10 in the Global Food Security Index by 2021, up from its current 31st place, which was announced by UAE Minister of State for Food Security Mariam Hareb Almheiri in early December.

“Depending on the productivity of our fields, and the species we raise, we believe that over the next 20 years, if given the space and funding to expand, SEAS can produce enough fish and seafood to meet the UAE’s demand gap,” Dr. Rios added. The gap he refers to is the difference between the wild catch and current aquaculture production, and the UAE’s market consumption of seafood. Data from the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (now the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment) recorded UAE fish catch in 2013 at 73,203 tons compared to consumption of 210,000 tons, revealing a 136,797-ton gap.

The facility can also produce other outputs of value to the country, contributing to its diversification. The Salicornia seed-cake can be used to make a protein rich meal for human or animal consumption, and other potential bioactive agents can be extracted from the plant’s straw fraction that have industrial applications that are being explored for their novel intellectual property value.

SEAS also serves as a research and training facility for the next generation of chemical, water and environmental engineers for the country’s knowledge economy.

“As a Khalifa University research facility, graduate students can develop thesis research around the SEAS, and work at the facility to test and validate their concepts.  Depending on their area of research, students can learn anything from chemical engineering to genetic bioprospecting, to soil characterization, to techno-economic evaluation tools,” Dr. Rios shared.

That is why the SEAS is unprecedented in its pilot project delivery and its future potential. It is an indigenous system that ticks the UAE’s boxes for promoting energy sustainability, economic diversity, food security, carbon footprint reduction, and training and employing high-tech professionals in the future knowledge economy.

“This is a great example of industrial synergy at work, and it’s rare to see other projects in the UAE that can do so much, using inputs that most people would consider a weakness when thinking about bioenergy – desert land and seawater,” Dr. Rios concluded.

Zarina Khan
Senior Editor
24 January 2019

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