METITO calls for wastewater to be used for industrial purposes in UAE

The call came in a presentation by Scientist Hani Tarazi of METITO to the Sharjah International Symposium on Integrated Desalination and Water Management in Arid Zones on Saturday 3 November.

The company, which has its headquarters for Europe, Asia and Africa in Sharjah and is a world leader in water and wastewater treatment systems, outlined proposals for wastewater treatment that could cost 50 per cent less than existing systems used to treat seawater for industrial purposes.

METITO (Overseas) Limited Commercial Manager Mr Mohamed Wehbe explained: "Currently the small percentage of wastewater reuse in the UAE has been restricted to the irrigation of public parks and city green belts.

"To date the reuse of wastewater has not been considered in the UAE as a strategic goal. But notwithstanding this the option of using treated wastewater as a water resource in industry could have a prime role in enhancing economic development.

"Wastewater desalination techniques can produce water quality to suit many industrial uses such as power generation, textile, pulp and paper and construction industries."

Delegates to the conference heard that the combining strategies of wastewater reuse and desalination technology makes it possible to convert wastewater into high quality water.

Desalination by reverse osmosis membranes combined with the use of conventional pre-treatment units or modern pre-treatment technologies are now well-established methods of wastewater desalination techniques. METITO is the world's largest supplier of reverse osmosis desalination technology with systems in place around the world.

At the conference METITO presented a feasibility study for the costs of running 10,000 cubic metres per day wastewater and seawater desalination plants in the UAE. The conclusion of the study was that the cost of desalting one cubic metre of wastewater is $US 0.47 compared to $US 1.06 for a typical 35% recovery seawater desalination plant.

Between 1985 and 1995 wastewater generation in the UAE has increased from 47 to 125 million cubic metres per year but remains a fraction of the water produced using seawater desalination plants representing less than one per cent of the country's requirements.

METITO Commercial Director Mohamed Wehbe concludes: "The objective of our paper to the Symposium was to create a debate about how to best conserve and reuse the precious water resources of the UAE in the future.

"As a company METITO believes there is a strong economic and environmental case for greater use of wastewater desalination in the future and we hope that by raising the issue it will be looked at in more detail as a future source for supplying industry with the water it requires."