The WDRC, in collaboration with other departments on campus, will be hosting activities throughout the week of the World Water Day celebrations.
World Water Day is an annual United Nations Observance, started in 1993 that celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people currently living without access to safe water. A core focus of World Water Day is to inspire action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Water and sanitation for all by 2030.
This year’s theme, "ACCELERATING CHANGE, " focuses on accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. And because water affects us all, we need everyone to take action.
The KAUST-based spinoff MEDAD has won international recognition for its innovation and for promoting environmental sustainability. The hybrid MEDAD cycle desalinates seawater using solar energy at a temperature of 60 - 80 degrees Celsius using renewable solar energy, which is abundant in the Gulf. The hybridization of the adsorption (AD) cycle, combined with conventional multi-effect desalination (MED and hence the MEDAD), helps overcome the operational limitations of MED and nearly double water production at the same temperature. The resulting hybrid MEDAD cycle has achieved performance levels of 20 percent of thermodynamic limits compared to between 10 and 13 percent for conventional desalination.
Join this tour to visit the plant and see the latest technological innovations from Professor Kim Choon Ng's group.
The WDRC Analytical Laboratory is the core of scientific research and development at the center. The tour will showcase the state-of-the-art facility and its specialized analytical equipment being used in water research. Visitors will also see the lab set-ups of the various groups in the center. Registration is not required.
The Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) serves the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the global community by enhancing technologies for water desalination, wastewater treatment, and water reuse. In this exhibition, the WDRC researchers and students will present their work to demonstrate the technological innovations being developed at the center based on the three flagship themes of Greener Desalination, Waste to Resource, and Water Security. Afternoon refreshments will be served.
The KAUST desalinated water is a resource to the KAUST community and is of high quality and safe to drink. In this activity, WDRC scientists and HSE staff will ask participants to try and compare the KAUST desalinated water against commercial brands and filtered water to encourage people to make a more sustainable drinking water choice.
Join the WDRC activities and get the chance to win prizes! The WDRC Students Committee prepared fun quizzes, a treasure hunt, and more. Give-away and prizes await our enthusiastic participants!
You can find more details on this event on the official World Water Day page here, and make your personal commitments to solving the water and sanitation crisis here.