Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) - June 09, 2009
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Dow Water and Process Solutions, a business unit within The Dow Chemical Company, dedicated to providing innovative, technology based solutions to a broad spectrum of water issues, addressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s pressing topic of water desalination at the Water, Electricity and Power Generation Conference & Exhibition 2009 (WE Power 2009), the largest water and power conference and exhibition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This year, WE Power is being held in Saudi Arabia’s Dhahran International Exhibitions Center, from 7 to 10 June.
The obstacles that the Gulf region faces when it comes to clean water are imminent. According to various sources, Arab countries receive approximately 2 percent of the world’s rainfall and have a mere 0.4 percent of the world’s recoverable water resources, with less than 150 billion cubic meters of total water resources allocated to the 22 Arab states. By 2030, the population in Arab countries is expected to more than double. According to estimates, the population of Saudi Arabia has increased from 3.8 to 4 percent per year. As a result of this escalation, demand for water in Saudi Arabia has risen from 1 million to about 5 million cubic meters per day over the last 25 years. By 2030, the country is projected to consume 12 million cubic meters a day. With the country’s booming population, the potential for water shortage is ever increasing.
Dr. Andreas Gorenflo, global large project manager, desalination, Dow Water and Process Solutions, elaborated on these challenges in a WE Power 2009 conference panel discussion entitled, “Strategies for the Future Development of Desalination in the Kingdom.” Dr. Gorenflo said: “At Dow Water and Process Solutions, we realize that Saudi Arabia faces dry conditions, a rise in population and a limited availability of water sources. This is why desalination plays a vital role here in Saudi Arabia, more than anywhere else in the world”.
He further added: “We are fortunate that local governments and institutions understand that desalination is integral to sustainable and economical water management. This is why the country is continuously investing in water and wastewater reuse facilities to supply their development needs and anticipate the needs of its population in the face of water scarcity. In turn, our strong presence in the Middle East and the Gulf and our innovative technology is helping meet the country’s needs by providing millions of people with a sustainable source of fresh water.”
Dow Water and Process Solutions’ high-performance FILMTEC™ membranes are operational in some of the most water-challenged areas of the world like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Dow’s partnership with WETICO Saudi Berkefeld, the Shoaiba Barge SeaWater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant in Saudi Arabia is one of the country’s largest reverse osmosis seawater desalination plants and currently the world's largest sea-based desalination plant. Shoaiba produced more than 50,000 m3/day using FILMTEC™ membrane elements from May 2008 to March 2009, thus having been one of Jeddah's major emergency sources of water, particularly during Hajj and Ramadan. Earlier this year, it was also dispatched to the southern Asir region to meet emergency water needs due to severe drought.
Another project of significance in Saudi Arabia is the Hail Blending Line Nanofiltration Plant. This plant is expected to go online during the summer of 2009, treating high radioactivity level in wells of the Hail Main water treatment plant. With a total capacity of 25,000m3/day, this plant is considered the largest plant in the Middle East region for such an application.
Over the years, improvements in FILMTEC™ RO membrane elements have provided a threefold increase in the amount of treated water per element while reducing energy costs in desalination and other water purification and re-use projects around the world. Currently, desalination plants with Dow technology enable more than 218 million gallons of freshwater per day in Tampa Bay, FL, USA; Perth, Australia; and many other sites around the globe.
About Dow Water and Process Solutions
Dow Water & Process Solutions has a 50 year legacy of providing innovative water and process solutions to both communities and industries alike. A differentiated business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Water & Process Solutions offers a broad portfolio of ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes and electrodeionization products, with strong positions in a number of major application areas, including industrial and municipal water, industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and waste and water reuse. . More information about Dow Water & Process Solutions can be found at www.dowwatersolutions.com
About Dow
About Dow Chemical in the Middle East
Dow has several current and proposed Middle East joint ventures in the UAE, Egypt, Kuwait and Libya as well as in Saudi Arabia, where Saudi Aramco and Dow are in the formation process of a joint venture to build, own and operate a world-scale chemicals and plastics production complex in the Eastern Province. From the opening of its first commercial office in Cairo in the early 1970’s to its facility in Jebel Ali in Dubai and its 10-year partnership in Kuwait with EQUATE, Dow has managed to establish a solid presence in the Middle East petrochemicals industry. For more information about Dow Chemical in the Middle East, please visit www.dow.com/imea/me
Dow’s presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began with E.A. Juffali & Bros. and a joint venture named the Arabian Chemical Company (Polystyrene) Ltd., which currently has two plants manufacturing STYROFOAM * brand insulation – one in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, UAE and another in Jeddah, KSA. This joint venture produces roof, wall and floor insulation as well as added value products including pipe insulation, inserts in thermo blocks, inverted roof tiles and gypsum board laminates. In 1995, another joint venture with E.A. Juffali & Bros. created the Arabian Chemical Company (Latex) Ltd., which manufactures latex at its plant in the Eastern Province, KSA. It specializes in carpet sales and construction latex and – since 1998 – includes paint latex.
For Editorial Information:
Mira Meghdessian
Dow Chemical India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA)
t +971.4.312.3635 (office)
Gaya Subramaniam / Gaurav Bhatnagar
GolinHarris
t +971.4.332.3308
gsubramaniam@golinharris.com / gbhatnagar@golinharris.com
