Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
UAE researchers are showcasing sustainable homegrown solutions to some of the world's most pressing water challenges at TRENDS Research and Advisory’s 5th annual Sustainable Water Security Conference.
The two-day event kicked off on Tuesday under the theme: "Sustainable Water Security: Shaping a Water-Secure Future Through Innovation and Knowledge" at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Canal, Abu Dhabi.
It gathers senior officials, experts, and researchers from several countries alongside representatives of regional and international organisations with active participation from youth.
Fatima Bahaeddin, a master's graduate in chemical engineering from UAE University, and her team received a US patent in 2024 for a water solution that puts industrial and environmental waste to work.
They developed a process that uses recycled carbon fibre to remove salt from brine water while also capturing CO₂.
Speaking with Aletihad, Bahaeddin explained that carbon fibre, widely used in aerospace and automotive industries, is difficult to dispose of because it is non-biodegradable. At the same time, desalination plants produce brine — hot, highly saline water that can damage marine ecosystems if discharged back into the sea.
In her experiments, recycled carbon fibre waste was mixed with brine water and injected with CO₂ gas. After a few hours, the fibres were removed, dried, and weighed.
The results showed that about 92% of the brine salts, along with the CO₂, were captured on the surface of the carbon fibre.
"We are solving two major problems: brine discharge and carbon dioxide emissions. And at the same time, we are recycling carbon fibre, which is itself an industrial waste," she noted.
Abdelsalam Zidan, a UAEU PhD student in environmental engineering, is experimenting with microalgae and bacteria to produce hydrogen – a clean fuel that emits only water when burned and has about two to three times the energy content of natural gas.
The challenge, he explained, is that microalgae naturally produce oxygen when exposed to CO₂ and sunlight, which can inhibit hydrogen generation.
His solution is to pair microalgae with bacteria inside a transparent anaerobic reactor. The algae generate oxygen and hydrogen; the bacteria consume the oxygen and release CO₂, which the algae need.
"This creates a self-sustaining cycle that keeps hydrogen production going," he told Aletihad.
A major obstacle is acidity buildup in the solution, which eventually halts production. To address this, Zidan is experimenting with light-dark cycles.
Instead of exposing microalgae to continuous sunlight, the system alternates periods of light and darkness – for example, two hours of light followed by two hours of darkness.
During the light phase, microalgae photosynthesise and produce hydrogen and oxygen. In the dark phase, the algae slow down photosynthesis, allowing them to consume some of the acids and reduce acidity in the solution.
This alternating cycle helps maintain a more stable environment in the reactor, prolonging hydrogen production without the system becoming too acidic for the algae and bacteria to survive, Zidan explained.
In a recent test, he combined 8g of microalgae biomass with 24g of bacterial biomass in a 500mL of nutrient solution, which produced 1,660mL of hydrogen gas.
Meanwhile, in the field of desalination, Mohammed Zaiuddin, a final-year PhD student at UAEU's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, presented a patented solar thermal desalination system designed to enhance traditional solar stills.
In an interview with Aletihad, he explained that his layer-by-layer channel arrangement increases the surface area for evaporation while maintaining a natural condensation cycle, allowing a 1sq.m system to produce up to 10L of freshwater per day using only solar energy.
The system, currently in the prototype phase, recirculates concentrated brine automatically, maximising efficiency without additional energy input, according to Zaiuddin.
The conference also featured NYU Abu Dhabi's spiral-wound desalination membranes, produced fully in-house using advanced large-scale equipment unique in the Middle East.
Professor Nidal Hilal, Director of NYU Abu Dhabi's Water Research Centre noted that these modules represent a major step towards technological independence and self-reliance for the UAE in critical water treatment infrastructure.
"By manufacturing these high-performance modules locally, we eliminate dependence on imports, strengthen regional capabilities, and support the UAE's vision for water security and innovation," he told Aletihad.
"By participating in this conference, we aim to engage with global experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to foster collaboration, share knowledge, and inspire innovative solutions for sustainable water management."
NYU Abu Dhabi is also showcasing a wide range of membrane samples made in its labs and tailored to regional needs and seawater conditions.
These include ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, patterned membranes and electrically conductive membranes, which enable real-world applications in desalination, wastewater treatment, and industrial separations.
