The document discusses non-conventional water resources (NCWR) management, highlighting the importance of desalination, wastewater treatment, and aquifer recharge as critical components for sustainable water supply. It emphasizes the need for policy changes to improve water pricing, efficiency, and local financing, as well as the impact of renewable energy on the desalination process. Ultimately, it advocates for an integrated approach to water management that leverages technology and innovative practices to address global water challenges.

1. JoDRA
Non Conventional Water
A New Paradigm
by
Koussai Quteishat
Director
Jordan River Consultancy Services, JoDRA
President
Jordan Desalination and Reuse Association, JoDRA
Amman-Jordan
Regional Conference on Advancing Non-Conventional Water Resources Management
September 15, 2011
Athens, Greece
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2. JoDRA
Introduction
NCWR
• Desalinated water
• Wastewater
• Water harvesting
• Aquifer recharge
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3. JoDRA
Introduction
NCWR
Paradigm Change
COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT of
NCWR
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4. JoDRA
Introduction
NCWR Management Issues
• Having the water to reuse
• Look ahead when designing for
treatment
• Energy
• Environment
• Political will
• Acceptability
• Funding options
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5. JoDRA
Prerequisite: Water Management
Hierarchy (WMH)
WMH is a hierarchy of water conservation priorities:
• Elimination of the water demand
• Reduction of the demand
• Explore all water-saving options
• Outsourcing/reuse/regeneration - such as
rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment and
reuse
THEN, Consider new supplies
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6. JoDRA
Policy Options
Paradigm Change
INTRODUCE POLICY OPTIONS
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7. JoDRA
Iterative Policy Options
• Put the right price tag on water
• Allocate water and water-related funding more
efficiently
• Improve drought risk management
• Foster water efficient technologies and practices
• Foster the emergence of a water-saving culture
• Improve knowledge and data collection
THEN,
Consider additional water supply infrastructure
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8. JoDRA
Project Development
Finance and delivery
• Private Sector Investments
• IWP and BOO
• Hybrid mixes of finance
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PSP in Project Development
Paradigm Changes
CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS, AND
SUPPLIERS AS DEVELOPERS
USERS BUY WATER NOT PLANTS
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Sustainable Financing of Projects
Essentials:
• Recover Cost of Water
• Encourage Local Banks to be involved
• Establish Local Water Funds and
Bonds
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11. JoDRA
Types of Projects
• Desalination
• Wastewater Reuse
• Aquifer Storage and Recovery
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12. JoDRA
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Is Current Desalination Sustainable ?
Development Potential Perspective:
• Out of 71 large cities without local access to new
freshwater source, 42 are coastal
• 39% of the world population (2,400 million
inhabitants) live at a distance of less than 100 km
from the sea. Current production of seawater only
corresponds to the demand of 60 million inhabitants
• Desalination is no longer a marginal water resource
as some countries such as Qatar and Kuwait rely
100% on desalinated water for domestic and industry
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14. JoDRA
Forces Behind the Development
Potential of Desalination
• Desalination has advantages over
conventional resources/civil engineering
projects
• Desalination, along with demand
management, are expected to be the
only recourse for regions with
overdrafted aquifers
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15. JoDRA
Major Constraints to the
Development of Desalination
• Cost of product € 0.5/m3
• Use of fossil fuel 1 litre/m3
• Energy consumption 3kwh/m3
• Environmental land/air and marine
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16. JoDRA
Historical Trends in Water Costs
1.8
1.6
Water cost, US$/cubic meter
1.4
1.2
Water cost from
1 Desalination
Water cost
0.8 from re-use
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
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17. JoDRA
True Cost of Desalinated Water
Cost must be qualified:
• Water quality & temperature
• Intake arrangement
• Energy cost
• Project size and location
• Financing details and amortization period
• Specific details of water purchase deal
• Competitive bidding
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18. JoDRA
Energy & Desalination
Desalination Processes
• Thermal – needs thermal and electrical
• Membranes – needs electrical energy only
Both are energy intensive, accounting up to
50 % of the operating cost
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19. JoDRA
Minimum Energy Required
Minimum energy is that needed to get fresh
water from saline water
• Does not depend on the process
• Increases as salinity increases
Separating pure water from saline water of
36,000 ppm at 25oC needs 0.71 kwh/m3
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20. JoDRA
Energy Consumption in Large
Desalination Processes
Process Thermal Electrical Total
energy energy energy
kWh/m³ kWh/m³ kWh/m³
MSF 7.5 - 12 2.5 – 3.5 10 – 15.5
MED 4-7 1.5 - 2 5.5 - 9
SWRO - 3-6 3-6
BWRO - 0.5 - 2.5 0.5 - 2.5
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21. JoDRA
Renewable Energy Potential
• RE systems have proven to be reliable, and
are the technologies of the future
• RE has great potential in the MENA and
Africa
Current trend in fossil fuel cost increase and
developments in solar collectors may make
the solar desalination a feasible option in
another ten years
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Main Environmental Concerns
?
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Impact Mitigation Measures
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24. JoDRA
Impact Mitigation Needs
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Innovations in Desalination
• Energy savings as well as recovery
• Aquifer Storage
• Addressing Seasonal Water/Power Variations
• Integration into Water Management Systems
• Zero Liquid Discharge
• Renewable Energy
• Nuclear Desalination
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26. JoDRA
Conventional Desalination
Paradigm Change
CONVENTIONAL DESALINATION IS A
CONVENTIONAL RESOURCE
SUSTAINABLE DESALINATION USES
RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MITIGATES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
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27. JoDRA
Wastewater as a Source
It is technically and economically
possible to produce potable water
from wastewater
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28. JoDRA
Saline Water and Waste Water
Saline water and waste water meet
in the treatment process where the
common denominators are
membranes and technologies
associated with them
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29. JoDRA
Wastewater Membrane
Treatment Technologies
To produce potable water, wastewater
undergoes:
• Micro-filtration or Ultra-filtration,
• Reverse Osmosis, and
• UV treatment
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30. JoDRA
Wastewater Utilization
Wastewater should be treated for
environmental reasons, and also to be
utilized as a resource:
• Readily, for domestic, industry & agriculture uses
• disposed in flowing bodies, for use downstream
• stored in aquifers, either for later use, or
to mitigate seawater intrusion
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31. JoDRA
Why Strategic Storage?
• Security of supply
• Optimization of plant design, better
match of power and water
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32. JoDRA
Why Aquifer Storage & Recovery
• Proven technology
• Provides good recovery
• Improves quality of treated wastewater
• Lower costs, reported costs of the three types
in USA to store 1.5 billion gallons:
Storage method Cost*, US$ in millions
Above ground tank 450
Reservoir 250
ASR 40
* Cost does not include land cost
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33. JoDRA
Aquifer Storage and Integrated
Management of The Resource
If treated wastewater is stored in aquifers,
• its use extended beyond reuse in irrigation and availing
additional water to meet domestic and industrial needs
• it can also be used to protect aquifers from seawater intrusion,
hence making more water available.
If desalinated water is stored in aquifers,
• it can lead to better integration of power and water during the
production phase, and lead to lower production costs
• alleviates fear of over-capacity if desalination plants and
networks rehabilitation are undertaken simultaneously as water
produced is stored in aquifers for future use.
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34. JoDRA
Integrated Management of Water
Wastewater Reuse
Wastewater Reuse was a policy
solution that has also become
a technology solution
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35. JoDRA
Integrated Management of Water
Desalination
Desalination was a technology
solution that has also become a
policy solution
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36. JoDRA
Water Resource Cost Trends
After Alfred Stikker, GWI, October 2006
7
Marginal water
6
withdrawal
5
Cost $/m3
Freshwater
4 treatment
3 Reuse
2
1 Desalination
0
1990 2000 2010 2020
Year
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37. JoDRA
Final Word on NCWRM
Main Paradigm
NCWRM is a policy issue
Technology is here to support it
let’s use it wisely
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38. JoDRA
Thank You
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