Director Professor Kamal Alameh, Edith Cowan University.

Edith Cowan University (ECU) researchers are developing a cost-effective water quality sensor using fibre optic nano technology thanks to funding from the National Centre in Excellence in Desalination Australia.

The ECU Electron Science Research Institute (ESRI) team of Director Professor Kamal Alameh, Dr Feng Xiao and PhD student David Michel are working on a thin, real time monitoring sensor which can provide early warning of membrane fouling in desalination plants.

Salinity sensors play an important role in guarding against membrane fouling, measuring salinity and temperature levels in the desalination plants and raising the alarm if they are too high.

If not checked, a degraded membrane can affect the quality of the water produced and may require intense chemical cleaning or membrane replacement, increasing the costs of treatment plants.

Existing sensor models are bulky, vulnerable to corrosion and typically require a power supply at each sensor node.

New thin fibre optic sensors offer a more accurate, robust level of monitoring for desalination plants according to Professor Alameh.

“They are the same thickness as a human hair,” he told participants at NCEDA’s recent Research Showcase at the Centre’s Rockingham Desalination Research Facility earlier in May.

“An optical fibre costs just $7 for a 1km length – our fibre optic sensors provide real-time information, acting as a warning system to imminent fouling by monitoring salinity values as low as 5 mg/litre.”

Professor Alameh says the new sensors meet the required industry standard and can capture temperature, flow rate, pressure and salt passage.

Professor Alameh and his ECU team, funded by NCEDA, have developed a sensor demonstrator and are currently investigating potential to commercialise the technology with NCEDA, industry partners and international collaborators including the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, the China Daheng Group and Southeast University Nanjing.

For more information on this or other commercial opportunities in Australian desalination research, contact NCEDA’s Commercialisation Manager Tymen Brom on t.brom@murdoch.edu.au or (08) 9360 7186.

See more information on this story on Science Network WA.

Mr Dooley has accepted the AWA Presidency today at the closing ceremony of Ozwater ’13, which was held in Perth from May 7-9. He takes over from previous President Lucia Cade.

Mr Dooley is one of the most experienced Chairman-level professionals in the Australian water industry, having spent 40 years delivering capital and operating water solutions. He has been a Chairman, MD and Director of over 40 companies in the past 25 years, understanding the challenges and issues faced by both the public and private sectors.

Currently the Chairman of Osmoflo, Australia’s largest desalination supplier, Mr Dooley is also Chairman of Blue Sky Water Partners, which manages investments in water rights and infrastructure, waterAUSTRALIA, the peak export business body for the Australian water industry, and the Salisbury Water Management Board. He has also been a director of the AWA and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mr Dooley is a former member of the National Water Commission’s Urban Water Advisory Group and former Board Member of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia.
For 15 years until 2007 he was Managing Director of United Utilities Australia, and prior to 1991, Mr Dooley worked for Sydney Water for nearly 20 years where he filled several senior management roles.

Neil Palmer, CEO

A major natural event caused extensive fish kills in both South Australian gulfs over Easter. The widespread phenomenon was most likely the result of a toxic algal bloom attributable to elevated surface water temperatures and strong winds causing upwelling of nutrients. The South Australian Environmental Protection Authority declared there was no link to the recently opened Adelaide Desalination Plant – fairly obvious as the desalination plant outfall affects no more than a kilometre or so of the coast near Adelaide. Despite these facts, a SA scientist said he thought the desalination plant might have caused the deaths, and an emotive headline on this was picked up in an article in The Australian on April 4, “Taskforce to check desal link to sea deaths” (p5).

The NCEDA sponsored an international workshop in Adelaide last May on the topic of desalination plant intakes and outfalls which included researchers, designers and operators. A strong feature of the workshop was the incredible amount of detailed effort that goes into designing and modelling desalination plant outfalls to minimise environmental impact. Extensive ongoing monitoring is required by environmental authorities to ensure any potential problem can be anticipated. Indeed, there is provision to shut down the plants if necessary to prevent major risk of environmental harm. Further, more than six years’ experience of the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant operating at 100% flow has not demonstrated any evidence of environmental harm.

I think it is a pity, with so much scientific material available, that some in the media still view Australia’s desalination plants as nothing more than a target for a cheap shot.

On a positive note, the NCEDA is launching its fifth funding round today. This round will add to the 42 projects currently in progress or completed and will bring the total value committed for Australian desalination research since our first funding round in 2010 to around $45 million. The NCEDA Board has developed a strategy to continue Australian desalination research, and has approved NCEDA preparing application to the 16th Cooperative Research Centres Program selection round, closing in June 2013. We will report more in the coming few weeks on the unfolding of this exciting initiative.

We are aiming to help ensure Australia’s already impressive water management credentials now include our world class desalination capacity, which can be leveraged for Australia to take part in the huge and growing world desalination market. At home, we aim to research the effective application of desalination to the resources and agricultural sectors, with both domestic and international initiatives contributing to Australia’s future capacity and economic development.

Neil Palmer, CEO
0417 996 126
ceo@desalination.edu.au

Funding Round 5 now open

The Centre’s fifth funding round opens today for Expressions of Interest from Participating Organisations. EOI forms and funding guidelines are available for download on our website.

In this funding round the Centre is seeking innovative projects that can be completed in less than two years and conducted by multi-disciplinary teams.

Other organisations wishing to participate in the funding round are encouraged to contact the Centre for information on how to get involved.

Completed Expressions of Interest must be submitted by Monday 27 May 2013.

Economic development role of desal the focus of water policy forum, Melbourne, 26 April

The Victorian Desalination Plant at Wonthaggi (Victorian Desalination Project).

The role of desalination in Victoria and Australia’s economic development will be discussed by national experts at a Deakin Policy Forum in Melbourne on Friday 26 April.

Held at Deakin University, the Forum ‘Towards a Real Market in Water – Victoria and Beyond: Grids, Desalination, Dams and Irrigation as Keys to Victorian Economic Development’ will look at how desalination has provided unprecedented water insurance, enabling water to be a secure and traded commodity.

Main speaker David Downie, former Head, Office of Water, Department of Sustainability and Environment, will be joined by a panel chaired by NCEDA principal investigator, Deakin Public Policy Professor Michael Porter.

Panel members will be CEO Neil Palmer, Dr John Marsden, founder of the research organisation Marsden Jacobs & Associates, and Dr Joel Crane, Associate Director of Fortune 500 company AECOM.

With its six major desalination plants, Deakin Professor Michael Porter said Australia could increasingly enter water-intensive production, exports and restrictions-free living, at costs that remain relatively affordable.

“Desalination from seawater is like accessing a capital market; as much as you like at a price reflective of costs; the opposite of rationing and restrictions.

“In Victoria, issues arose when the added costs were imposed on Melbourne consumers, rather than offered as a competitive market alternative at a price.

“Scope for real water markets has arguably been undervalued and underused, and this will be addressed by water experts at the Forum.”

Professor Porter added that in a politically-complex supply debate, desalination is insurance underpinning the market in an option-rich Victoria.

“This Deakin Policy Forum aims to discuss where the new water grid options may lead.”

The free event will be held at Deakin University, Melbourne City Centre, Level 3, 550 Bourke St between 8am-10am on Friday 26 April, with a buffet breakfast served from 8am.

Places are strictly limited – to RSVP contact Jo Collins at the Alfred Deakin Research Institute by email to jo.collins@deakin.edu.au or phone 03 5227 1464.

Desal Research Showcase to be streamed online, 15 May

Chief Scientific Officer Prof. David Furukawa (top) and audience (bottom) at the NCEDA Research Dissemination Workshop in February 2013.

NCEDA’s next Research Showcase will be held on May 15 featuring Centre-funded projects at the University of New South Wales, Edith Cowan University and CSIRO in Western Australia.

Held at the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility, the showcase will run from 9:00 am until 11:45 am with morning tea provided. The event will also be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.

Following the same format as previous popular events, three Centre research project leaders will outline their NCEDA-funded work and be available to answer questions.

Associate Professor Pierre Le-Clech from UNSW will present ‘Reuse of Reverse Osmosis Membranes’, ECU Professor Kamal Alameh will talk about his work on a ‘Fibre-Optic Sensor for Water Quality Monitoring’ and CSIRO’s Dr Olga Barron will outline her new project ‘Opportunities for Desalination in Australian Agriculture’. Together these projects represent a $2.3 million investment in improving desalination technology.

To RSVP for this event, phone NCEDA on 08 9360 7171 or via email to rsvp@desalination.edu.au by Friday 10 May, indicating whether you will be attending in person or online.

No scientific basis for alarmist anti-desal claims

Adelaide Desalination Plant (SA Water)

Australia’s desalination research centre chief has dismissed claims being made in some media outlets that recent fish and wildlife deaths in South Australian waters could have anything to do with its desalination plant.

National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia CEO Neil Palmer said NCEDA had been advised by leading SA scientists that the recorded wildlife deaths were likely to have been a result of strong winds which caused upwelling of nutrients, and higher than normal surface temperatures, both of which combined to cause a toxic algal bloom. Mr Palmer noted that the South Australian EPA had also dismissed any link between operation of the desalination plant and fish deaths.

Marine life had washed up right along the coastline on both sides of both St Vincent and Spencer gulfs – not just in the vicinity of the desal plant which is located at Port Stanvac.

In Western Australia similar deaths in dolphins in major estuaries in 2009 was subsequently found by leading scientists to be the result of a major weather event and a marine virus, and subsequent fish kills had also been recorded due to altered water conditions due to adverse weather events.

Mr Palmer said extensive research in WA and SA over the past six years – in part funded by the Australia Government’s Water for the Future initiative via NCEDA – continued to show that desalination plant concentrate returned to the sea from the three desalination plants in these states had not adversely impacted on the marine environment.

Mr Palmer said desalination’s lack of adverse impact on marine life was best shown at Australia’s first plant, the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant at Kwinana, which discharges via diffusers into Cockburn Sound, a confined body of water (not open sea). This plant has been operating at 100% capacity since it was commissioned in 2006, more than 6 years ago.

“If ever there was likely to be a problem, this would be the place – but ongoing extensive research over the past six years has shown no adverse impact,” Mr Palmer said.

“In fact, rich diversity of marine life had been recorded and filmed living around the desalination outfall which had effectively become an abundant artificial reef.”

Mr Palmer said that in South Australia, Flinders University marine biologist Dr Sophie Leterme had carried out extensive research in conjunction with SA Water part-funded by NCEDA and had similarly found no impact from desalination plant concentrate to sensitive marine phytoplankton communities.

“Australia’s desalination plants are subject to intense and ongoing environmental scrutiny and scientific research, and claims being made about desalination causing fish deaths are simply unfounded, alarmist and unscientific.”

Congratulations to new government line-ups

Amanda Rishworth MP, new Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, and Terry Redman MLA, WA Water Minister.

The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia congratulates new Australian and Western Australian ministers on their appointments.

South Australian Senator Don Farrell, who has overseen the development of NCEDA as a world-class R&D consortium, has been promoted to Federal Minister for Science and Research.
Replacing him as Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, overseeing continued improvements in the nation’s desalination capacity, is South Australian MP Amanda Rishworth.

NCEDA is based within the Federal seat of Brand in Rockingham and its MP Gary Gray AO, who is also a strong supporter of the NCEDA, has become the new Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, and Small Business.

Premier Colin Barnett is now also the Minister for Science, and the new WA Minister for Water is Terry Redman MLA who replaces Bill Marmion (now WA Minister for Mines and Petroleum).

NCEDA CEO Neil Palmer paid tribute to the work of Senator Farrell and Mr Marmion in recognising the importance of desalination in securing Australia’s fresh urban water supplies.

Mr Palmer said the Centre is looking forward to working with new Parliamentary Secretary Rishworth and Minister Redman as water remains a critical issue for Australia’s sustainable future.

He said desalination had an important role to play in new water science and renewable energy innovations for a nation facing the effects of climate change, and hoped desalination research would also feature in Premier Barnett’s, Minister Gray’s and Minister Farrell’s new portfolios in the years ahead.

Desalination prominent on Ozwater’13 agenda, Perth, 7-9 May

Ozwater'13, 7-9 May in Perth.

Desalination features prominently on the agenda for Ozwater’13 in Perth, Western Australia in early May with several NCEDA experts presenting new research findings.

The NCEDA is hosting a desalination workshop at 4:30 pm on Wednesday 8 May discussing Delivery of Major Australian Desalination Plants.

Joining CEO Neil Palmer will be NCEDA scientists Professor Michael Porter from Deakin University, Professor Stephen Gray from Victoria University and Tom Pankratz, Editor of GWI’s Water Desalination Report and NCEDA Commercialisation Advisory Committee member. Special guest presenters to discuss delivery of Perth’s and Adelaide’s desalination plants include Mr Chris Davie, Project Director, Water Corporation and Mr Milind Kumar, Project Director, SA Water. Mr Daniel Hunter, Sydney Water’s Manager Capital and Procurement, will speak on the sale of Sydney Desalination Plant.

On Thursday 9 May, three NCEDA desalination researchers will outline their project findings – Professor Linda Zou from the University of South Australia, Dr Mario Schmack from Murdoch University, and Dr Sanghyun Jeong from University of Technology Sydney.

The successful construction and operation of the WA and SA desalination plants will be featured in presentations by SA Water, WA Water Corporation, Acciona Aqua, Valoriza Water Australia, and Trility.

Ozwater delegates will also be able to tour Perth’s two desalination plants and NCEDA’s Rockingham Desalination Research Facility on Friday 10 May.

See details of sessions featuring NCEDA on our website, and see the full program at ozwater.org.

SkyJuice SkyBox Auto

SkyJuice’s Deputy Chairman and Executive Officer, David and Jann Hughes, with Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP.

Launched on 22 March, World Water Day, in Sydney by Wentworth MP Hon Malcolm Turnbull, a unique environmentally-responsible filter developed by SkyJuice Foundation and Solar Gem disinfects polluted water in developing nations using a solar-powered pump for continuous flow.

SkyBox Auto removes bacteria and pathogens from contaminated village water in needy communities which otherwise cause waterborne deaths and disease, providing a sustainable source of safe, clean drinking, cooking and bathing water.

Mr Turnbull said the new filter would be supplied to families in east Africa and later into South Africa and Asia, and said it has great potential in these developing countries to help about a billion people who have no access to clean drinking water.

SkyJuice Foundation has been supplying hundreds of disaster aid relief efforts and communities in need with its SkyHydrant units and last year launched its initial SkyBox filter system. The new solar-powered product includes a solar light and ability to recharge devices such as mobile phones.

“Each SkyBox can produce around 500 litres of safe potable water daily — enough to sustain about 50 people each day for three years,” Mr Turnbull said.

SkyJuice Foundation Chair Rhett Butler AM is also Chair of NCEDA’s Research Advisory Committee.

NCEDA CEO Neil Palmer said SkyJuice’s work showcased Australian water industry ingenuity and demonstrated how its expertise could be shared internationally to improve the lives of many.

Mr Palmer said SkyJuice also continued to show how useful recycled Australian desalination membranes and casings could be in creating such life-giving products as the SkyHydrant, instead of ending up as landfill waste.

Learn more about SkyBox Auto and other SkyJuice products, or make a donation to help install sustainable water filters in Africa.

Adelaide desal plant official opening

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill inspects the Adelaide Desalination Plant on 25 March 2013. (SA Press Secretary)

Adelaide’s water security has been guaranteed with the official opening of South Australia’s largest water infrastructure project, the Adelaide Desalination Plant.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill, Water Minister Ian Hunter and new Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water Amanda Rishworth inspected the state’s insurance policy against future droughts on 25 March.

The plant, which has been producing desalinated drinking water since October 2011, was handed over for operation in December 2012 to begin its 24-month proving period, on time and within the approved budget of $1.824 billion.

It can produce up to 100 billion litres of drinking water per year or up to half of Adelaide’s current drinking water needs.

Read more on our website.

March RO Design and Operation Training review

Students at the March RO Design and Operation Training course at NCEDA Rockingham.

The Centre’s March training at NCEDA Rockingham provided the first ‘graduating class’, having completed all five modules. The class included participants from:

• Water Corporation
• Iluka Resources
• Remote Water Services
• Arrow Energy
• Fortescue Metals Group
• Sierra Hydrographics
• Valoriza
• Chatoyer Water

What our graduates thought:

“Very well done, real practical knowledge that will be an asset for years to come.”
“A great overview of RO design and operation. A must for anyone new to the industry.”
“Useful to put in perspective full range of troubleshooting tools.”
“Paul is very experienced lecturer with a great deal of practical experience to break up the course notes.”
“Good learning guide for practical RO troubleshooting.”
“Very practical approach for methodically troubleshooting RO plants.”
“ I learnt more in this course than in 12 months of research.”
“This course provided a well balanced approach, providing introductory to advanced information regarding RO theory, operation and troubleshooting. Well worthwhile for everyone dealing with an RO plant, from engineer to operator.”
“The course will assist in increasing the ‘know why’ for people who already ‘know how’!”

Please refer below for other 2013 training dates.

July RO Design and Operation Training course in Brisbane

The Centre’s next offering of the David H. Paul Inc. training will be at SEQ Water in Brisbane. Targeted at water professionals and plant operators in the water treatment and desalination industry, the course will be taught by David H. Paul accredited trainer Paul Roginson from Osmoflo.

Modules 1-3:
Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 July (SEQ Water, Brisbane, QLD)
Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 September (NCEDA, Rockingham, WA)

Modules 4&5:
Late July, subject to demand (SEQ Water, Brisbane, QLD)
Monday 30 September and Tuesday 1 November (NCEDA, Rockingham, WA)

See more details about the courses on our website and email training@desalination.edu.au if you have any questions. Capacity is strictly limited so secure your place through our online shop.

NCEDA Open Day review

Public visitors in a tour of the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility.

We held our second Open Day on Saturday 9 March, during which time the NCEDA staff welcomed the public into the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility (RDRF). Tours of the RDRF, displays in the Edulab and regular showings of our 3D movie, Crystal Clear – the story of desalination, kept visitors engaged and saw them leave more informed and aware of the significant role desalination plays in securing our potable water supply.

It was encouraging to have a range of people through the facility, including families who were curious, researchers bringing friends to ‘show off’ their research, and people in the industry wanting to make a connection and explore the Centre’s capability.

Anyone interested in bringing a group through the facility can make an initial enquiry to ddc@desalination.edu.au.

Other news

Rockingham Desalination Research Facility.

See the new video introduction to the RDRF on Youtube: Rockingham Desalination Research Facility introduction.

For an interesting and challenging outsider’s point of view on Australia’s major seawater desalination program, see the AWA Water Journal: A Land of Weak Politicians & Fat Wallets: My Point of View by Christopher Gasson, Publisher, Global Water Intelligence.

Gold Industry Sponsors

The NCEDA is grateful for the generous support of our Gold Industry Sponsors.

In this funding round the Centre is seeking innovative projects that can be completed in less than two years and conducted by multi-disciplinary teams.

Other organisations wishing to participate in the funding round are encouraged to contact the Centre for information on how to get involved.

Completed Expressions of Interest must be submitted by Monday 27 May 2013.

Ozwater'13 in Perth, 7-9 May 2013.

Desalination features prominently on the agenda for Ozwater’13 in Perth, Western Australia in early May with several NCEDA experts presenting new research findings.

NCEDA CEO Neil Palmer will be on the morning and afternoon panels on Wednesday 8 May discussing Better Outcomes for Australia’s Urban Water Research, and Delivery of Major Australian Desalination Plants.

Joining him will be NCEDA scientists Professor Michael Porter from Deakin University, Dr Stephen Gray from Victoria University and NCEDA Consultant Tom Pankratz from GWI.

On Thursday 9 May, three NCEDA desalination researchers will outline their project findings – Professor Linda Zou from the University of South Australia, Dr Mario Schmack from Murdoch University, and Dr Sanghyun Jeong from University of Technology Sydney.

The successful construction and operation of the WA and SA desalination plants will be featured in presentations by SA Water, WA Water Corporation, Acciona Aqua, Valoriza Australia Water and Trility.

Ozwater delegates will also be able to tour Perth’s two desalination plants and NCEDA’s Rockingham Desalination Research Facility on Friday 10 May.

Sessions featuring NCEDA are listed below, and the full program is available at ozwater.org.

Better Outcomes for Australia’s Urban Water Research

Wednesday 8 May, 10:45am – 12:15pm

Presenters:

• James Cameron, CEO, National Water Commission, Canberra, ACT
• Mark O’Donohue, CEO, Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, QLD
• Tony Minns, Director, Goyder Institute, SA
• Ian Law, Director, IBL Solutions, NSW
• Ken Matthews, Consultant, Canberra, ACT
• Neil Palmer, CEO, National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia, WA

The Australian Water Research and Development Coalition (AWRDC) was formed in 2010 and comprises 9 Australian organisations that co-ordinate major research and development funding for urban water research. The total expenditure is of the order of $50m per year. The organisations include the National Water Commission, the Water Services Association of Australia, the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia, the Goyder Institute (SA), the SmartWater Fund (Vic), the Urban Water Security Alliance (Qld), the National Centre for Groundwater
Research and Training and Water Quality Research Australia.

In the past, Australia’s research and development organisations have liaised only informally and there has been no co-ordinated national research agenda, leading to some inefficiency and duplication. The leadership of the National Water Commission, strongly supported by the eight other R&D facilitators, has led to the establishment of a formal Coalition to ensure much better ongoing co-operation and efficiency.

The AWRDC will convene a national Needs and Capabilities Forum in Canberra, hosted by the NWC, on 26 September 2012. This is the first time such a forum will have been held. Stakeholders will include Governments, water utilities, the universities and private industry. A summary of key forum deliberations will be presented and their impact on improving the efficiency of water R&D through collaboration and cooperation between the Government and private sector stakeholders.

The importance of R&D to industry capability development will be presented by private sector representatives and input is sought from attendees on means of further improving links between Australia’s academic sector and industry to further national capability and economic development.

Delivery of Major Australian Desalination Plants

Wednesday 8 May, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Presenters:

• Jennifer McKay, School of Commerce, University of SA
• Michael Porter, Alfred Deakin Research Institute, VIC
• Tom Pankratz, Editor, Water Desalination Report, GWI, USA
• Chris Davie, Project Manager, Water Corporation, WA
• Milind Kumar, Project Director, SA Water Corporation, SA
• Stephen Gray, Director, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University, VIC
• Neil Palmer, National Centre of Excellence in Desalination, WA

Australian governments have invested more than $12b in the last ten years (the so-called “desalination decade”) in six major seawater desalination plants and one major potable water recycling system. The projects in some cases were delivered successfully and rapidly – a remarkable achievement and one which has propelled Australia to significance by world standards in terms of installed desalination capacity. The expenditure was prompted by the Millennium drought (1997 – 2009) which saw many traditional sources depleted to dangerously low levels and severe water restrictions imposed.

The new infrastructure has been delivered in a variety of contractual forms including alliance, design-buildoperate and private –public partnership (private financing). Having completed this extraordinary array of projects, it is timely to look back on the various forms of delivery and understand how they were done, what were the advantages and disadvantages and what can we learn for future major desalination infrastructure development in Australia.

The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia was formed in part in response to the very large investment in desalination infrastructure. The Centre has received $20m of funding over 5 years from the Australian Government’s Water for the Future initiative. One of the NCEDA’s priority research themes includes investigation of social, economic and environmental issues. The Centre has sponsored research on delivery and governance of major infrastructure projects in Australia and overseas and the long term economics of major seawater desalination taking into account the benefits of a secure water supply. While the projects will still be in progress at the time of the Workshop, preliminary findings will help inform the Workshop and its discussions.

View the workshop program (PDF, 0.5 MB).

Climate Resilient Water

Thursday 9 May 2013, 8:30 am – 10:00 am

Presenters:

• Linda Zou, University of South Australia, SA
• Mario Schmack, Murdoch University, WA
• Sanghyun Jeong, University of Technology Sydney, NSW

Prof. Linda Zou will be presenting on “Capacitive Deionisation in Inland Brackish Water Desalination”. Mr Mario Schmack will present “A Novel Passive Condenser for Small-Scale Water Desalination”. Mr Sanghyun Jeong will present “Biofouling Reduction by Membrane Adsorption Bioreactor used as Pre-Treatment to Seawater Reverse Osmosis”.

Institutions, Customers and Community: Remote and Indigenous Communities

Thursday 9 May 2013, 10:45 am – 11:45 am

Presenters:

• Catherine Vero, Power and Water Corporation, NT

Ms Catherine Vero will present on “Providing water for remote indigenous communities: Desalination, EDR and community outcomes”.

Desalination Tour

Date: Friday, 10 May 2013
Time: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm (half day) / 8:30 am – 6:00 pm (full day)
Cost: $110 (half day) / $175 (full day)
Includes: Perth Seawater Desalination Plant site tour, Rockingham Desalination Research Facility visit, equipment hire, coach transfers and morning tea. Southern Seawater Desalination Plant site tour and lunch is also included on the full day tour.
Capacity: Limited to 40 delegates per tour

The Perth Seawater Desalination Plant (PSDP), Australia’s first plant to provide desalinated seawater for large scale public consumption, was completed in late 2006 to produce up to 45 billion litres (gigalitres) of fresh drinking water per year.

On the back of the success of the PSDP and in response to the changing climate, a second major reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant, the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, was announced as the next major water source for Perth in 2007. The plant was designed to be constructed in two stages, both capable of producing 50 billion litres (gigalitres) of fresh drinking water per year. The first stage was completed in 2011 with the second stage due for completion in mid-2013.

On this tour, delegates will visit desalination plants as well as the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination which includes a world-class pilot-scale desalination testing and research facility in Rockingham. The Rockingham Desalination Research Facility offers feed water, chemical dosing, waste collection, instrumentation, and control system infrastructure to researchers and industry seeking plug-and-play performance testing or certification.

Adelaide Desalination Plant (SA Water)

Australia’s desalination research centre chief has dismissed claims being made in some media outlets that recent fish and wildlife deaths in South Australian waters could have anything to do with its desalination plant.

National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia CEO Neil Palmer said NCEDA had been advised by leading respected SA scientists that the recorded wildlife deaths were likely to have been a result of strong winds which caused upwelling of nutrients, and higher than normal surface temperatures, both of which combined to cause a toxic algal bloom. Mr Palmer noted that the South Australian EPA had also dismissed any link between operation of the desalination plant and fish deaths.

Marine life had washed up right along the coastline on both sides of both St Vincent and Spencer gulfs – not just in the vicinity of the desal plant which is located at Port Stanvac.

In Western Australia similar deaths in dolphins in major estuaries in 2009 was subsequently found by leading scientists to be the result of a major weather event and a marine virus, and subsequent fish kills had also been recorded due to altered water conditions due to adverse weather events.

Mr Palmer said extensive research in WA and SA over the past six years – in part funded by the Australia Government’s Water for the Future initiative via NCEDA – continued to show that desalination plant concentrate returned to the sea from the three desalination plants in these states had not impacted on the marine environment.

Mr Palmer said desalination’s lack of adverse impact on marine life was best shown at Australia’s first plant, the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant at Kwinana, which discharges via diffusers into Cockburn Sound, a confined body of water (not open sea). This plant has been operating at 100% capacity since it was commissioned in 2006, more than 6 years ago.

“If ever there was likely to be a problem, this would be the place – but ongoing extensive research over the past six years has shown no adverse impact,” Mr Palmer said. “In fact, rich diversity of marine life had been recorded and filmed living around the desalination outfall which had effectively become an abundant artificial reef.

Mr Palmer said that in South Australia, Flinders University marine biologist Dr Sophie Leterme had carried out extensive research in conjunction with SA Water part-funded by NCEDA and had similarly found no impact from desalination plant concentrate to sensitive marine phytoplankton communities.

“Australia’s desalination plants are subject to intense and ongoing environmental scrutiny and scientific research, and claims being made about desalination causing fish deaths are simply unfounded, alarmist and unscientific.”

Mr Palmer urged anyone interested in facts about desalination to contact the Centre direct on 08 9360 7170 or view information available on its website at desalination.edu.au

Mr Palmer is available for media interviews on 0417 996 126.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill inspects the Adelaide Desalination Plant on 25 March 2013. (SA Press Secretary)

Adelaide’s water security has been guaranteed with the official opening of South Australia’s largest water infrastructure project, the Adelaide Desalination Plant.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill, Water Minister Ian Hunter and new Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water Amanda Rishworth have inspected the state’s insurance policy against future droughts.

The plant, which has been producing desalinated drinking water since October 2011, was handed over for operation in December 2012 to begin its 24-month proving period, on time and within the approved budget of $1.824 billion.

It can produce up to 100 billion litres of drinking water per year or up to half of Adelaide’s current drinking water needs.

“The desalination plant reduces the need for severe water restrictions and allows us to take less water from the Murray,” Mr Weatherill said.

“For the first time since 1836 we can say with confidence we have guaranteed Adelaide’s water security.

“Reliable water supply is important to many industries, it’s crucial that we guarantee supply to give them confidence to invest and grow.

“South Australians cannot forget the impacts and pressures of our worst drought on record, but we can now feel confident that we’ve got a secure water supply available whenever we need it that doesn’t rely on rainfall.”

Mr Weatherill said SA was already seeing the benefit of having the desalination plant in operation, with more than 12 billion litres of drinking water supplied since January – the equivalent of the amount of water in 4800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“It’s also 12 billion litres of water that has not needed to be pumped from the River Murray to help meet customer demand during a hot and dry start to the year,” he said.

“We have already agreed to provide 120 gigalitres over 10 years to an environmental water reserve and we are investigating further reductions in SA Water’s allowable take from the river.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water Amanda Rishworth said the Australian Government was pleased to have provided $328 million towards the construction of the Adelaide Desalination Plant through the Water for the Future initiative.

“Securing a sustainable, safe water supply for all Australians is a key priority for the Australian Government and this project demonstrates the ongoing commitment that it has made in this area,” Ms Rishworth said.

“This plant uses energy-efficient water treatment processes and gives this project one of the lowest carbon footprints and operating costs of any desalination plant in the world.

“The agreement we have with SA ensures a six gigalitre environmental water entitlement for the River Murray every year, and will also provide between 12 and 24 gigalitres as an environmental allocation during favourable years—capped at 120 gigalitres over a 10-year rolling period.

“This investment illustrates the government’s commitment to water security in Adelaide, along with the more than $230 million already committed to a range of urban water projects such as stormwater harvesting and water recycling.”

SA Water Minister Ian Hunter said the Adelaide Desalination Plant showcases innovation and world-class technology and delivers on stringent environmental standards.

“Almost 600 local businesses have been involved in the construction effort and more than 10,000 people have worked on the project site to help deliver this essential piece of infrastructure,” Mr Hunter said.

The desalination plant also includes the Kauwi Interpretive Centre. Kauwi translates to ‘water’ in the Indigenous Kaurna language and the centre is an engaging way for the public to learn about water and desalination.

“Community and stakeholder consultation has been an important part of the project from day one. When designing the plant, we wanted a permanent facility that could be used once the plant was built to showcase the site and provide free educational programs about water,” Mr Hunter said.

“Visitors to the centre will be able to do this through a range of different displays including interactive touch-screens, digital games, videos, science workshops, community presentations, guided tours, a Bushtukka garden and Kaurna cultural heritage content.

The Kauwi Interpretive Centre has been made available to school groups as part of SA Water’s highly successful education program Brainwave and as well as community groups.”

Amanda Rishworth MP, new Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, and Terry Redman MLA, WA Water Minister.

The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia congratulates new Australian and Western Australian ministers on their appointments.

Australian Government

South Australian Senator Don Farrell, who has overseen the development of NCEDA as a world-class R&D consortium, has been promoted to Federal Minister for Science and Research.

Replacing him as Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, overseeing continued improvements in the nation’s desalination, is South Australian MP Amanda Rishworth.

NCEDA is based within the Federal seat of Brand in Rockingham and its MP Gary Gray AO, who is also a strong supporter of the NCEDA, has become the new Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, and Small Business.

Western Australian Government

Premier Colin Barnett is now also the Minister for Science, and the new WA Water Minister is Terry Redman MLA who replaces Bill Marmion (now WA Mines Minister).

NCEDA CEO Neil Palmer paid tribute to the work of Senator Farrell and Mr Marmion in recognising the importance of desalination in securing Australia’s fresh urban water supplies.

Mr Palmer said the Centre looks forward to working with new Parliamentary Secretary Rishworth and Minister Redman as water remains a critical issue for Australia’s sustainable future.

He said desalination had an important role to play in new water science and renewable energy innovations for a nation facing greater effects of climate change, and hoped desal research would also feature in Premier Barnett’s, Minister Gray’s and Minister Farrell’s new portfolios in the years ahead.

The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP demonstrating the SKYBOX AUTO at Bourke Street Bakery in Sydney on World Water Day. The SkyBox water filtration unit was launched on World Water Day at Parliament House in 2012. The SkyBox Auto has the added benefit of a solar powered pump so that there is a continuous supply of water, solar lighting and a solar powered phone recharger. SkyJuice Foundation partnered with Solar Gem to develop the SkyBox Auto. The SkyBox has successfully been deployed in South America, Africa and Asia.

Today on World Water Day, the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination pays tribute to the work of SkyJuice Foundation and Solar Gem in creating the new SkyBox Auto solar-powered clean water filter.

Launched today in Sydney by Wentworth MP the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, the unique environmentally-responsible filter disinfects polluted water in developing nations using a solar-powered pump for continuous flow.

SkyBox Auto removes bacteria and pathogens from contaminated village water in needy communities which otherwise cause waterborne deaths and disease, providing a sustainable source of safe, clean drinking, cooking and bathing water.

Mr Turnbull said the new filter would be supplied to families in east Africa and later into South Africa and Asia, and said it has great potential in these developing countries to help about a billion people who have no access to clean drinking water.

SkyJuice Foundation has been supplying hundreds of disaster aid relief efforts and communities in need with its SkyHydrant units and last year launched its initial SkyBox filter system. The new solar-powered product includes a solar light and ability to recharge devices such as mobile phones.

“Each SkyBox can produce around 500 litres of safe potable water daily — enough to sustain about 50 people each day for three years,” Mr Turnbull said.

SkyJuice Foundation Chair Rhett Butler AM is also Chair of NCEDA’s Research Advisory Committee.

NCEDA CEO Neil Palmer said SkyJuice’s work showcased Australian water industry ingenuity and demonstrated how its expertise could be shared internationally to improve the lives of many.

Mr Palmer said SkyJuice also continued to show how useful recycled Australian desalination membranes and casings could be in creating such life-giving products as the SkyHydrant, instead of ending up as landfill waste.

Learn more about SkyBox Auto and other SkyJuice products, or make a donation to help install these in Africa.

Professor Wendell Ela from the University of Arizona with NCEDA CEO Mr Neil Palmer at the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility

Every now and then a significant person comes into your life and makes you reconsider things. This happened at the Centre in the week beginning 4 February when Professor Wendell Ela came to visit us from the University of Arizona. Another of the valuable contacts of our Chief Scientific Officer, Professor David Furukawa, Prof. Ela has recent direct experience of making fresh water from very saline water using solar powered membrane distillation.

Working steadily with Murdoch University’s Dr Trevor Pryor at the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility, Prof. Ela helped us with our membrane distillation pilot plant and introduced us to makers of a novel combined photovoltaic and heating system using a parabolic reflector which will be ideal for the intended location of the pilot plant at Tjuntjuntjara. This community is in the Great Victoria Desert some 1300 km east (and two days’ solid driving) from Rockingham. Prof. Ela’s previous research work in Arizona included construction and operation of a similar pilot plant in a Navajo reservation in Arizona, providing direct and relevant experience.

The Centre appreciates our very many international contacts who provide us with ideas, expertise and inspiration, many of whom are personal friends of David. Some of the excitement of working here comes through international co-operation and collaboration, accelerating our projects through the benefit of the knowledge, wisdom and experience of our visitors.

It’s all part of the Centre’s commitment expressed by the NCEDA Board when we developed our Strategy 21 plan: “to make a difference”. Watch this space for the ongoing story.

Neil Palmer, CEO
0417 996 126
ceo@desalination.edu.au

Discover Desal at annual Open Day, tomorrow 9 March

NCEDA CEO Mr Neil Palmer with Open Day visitors in 2012

Building on last year’s inaugural success, the Desal Discovery Centre will open its doors to the public tomorrow, Saturday 9 March, from 12–3 pm.

Offering Western Australians a break after casting their votes in the state government election, the Open Day features water science demonstrations in the Edulab, tours of the Pilot Testing Facility, viewings of our 3D movie Crystal Clear – The Story of Desalination, activities for the kids and a sausage sizzle for lunch. NCEDA staff will be on hand to answer all your questions.

March RO Design and Operation Training course filling fast

Only a few places remain for for the Centre’s first operator training course for 2013, to be held later this month.

Held at the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility, the David H. Paul Inc. training consists of five modules offered in two packages. Targeted at water professionals and plant operators in the water treatment and desalination industry, the course will be taught by David H. Paul accredited trainer Paul Roginson in conjunction with practical experience in the Centre’s Pilot Testing Facility.

Modules 1-3:
Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 March
Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 July (Brisbane)
Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 September

Modules 4&5:
Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 March
Monday 30 September and Tuesday 1 November

See more details about the courses on our website and email training@desalination.edu.au if you have any questions. Capacity is strictly limited so secure your place through our online shop.

Scholarships available for outstanding PhD and Honours students

The Centre’s fourth scholarship round is now open for applications from PhD and Honours students enrolled full-time at one of the Participating Organisations. The deadline for applications is 12 noon WST, Friday 15 March 2013.

PhD Supplementary Scholarships will be offered to highly ranked students that are enrolled full‐time and hold either an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) or other recognised Commonwealth scholarship for full‐time research leading to the award of a PhD. The maximum value of the Supplementary Scholarship will be $30,000 over three years and the Honours Scholarship will be $10,000 for one year.

Applications are invited from PhD and Honours students in any field of study whose area of research contributes to the knowledge of desalination and aligns with the Australian Desalination Research Roadmap.

Interested applicants are encouraged to speak to the scholarship office at their university or see our website for guidelines and application instructions.

Latest Centre research workshop presentations now online

More than 50 people attended NCEDA’s recent Research Dissemination Workshop featuring presentations on two Victoria University-led desalination projects.

Three visiting researchers from VU’s Institute of Sustainability and Innovation – Dr Peter Sanciolo, Dr Nicholas Milne and Dr Marlene Cran – presented the findings of their completed projects to participants at the Rockingham Desalination Research Facility and those participating via online streaming.

The projects involved the Institute’s Director, Professor Stephen Gray, and collaboration with industry partners Origin Energy, Minara Resources, Hatch Engineering, Nalco, Integrated Elements and an international researcher from the University of Texas, El Paso. The completed projects represent a total investment of over $420,000.

The presentation slides are available to download for free by registered users in our online shop:

• Dr Marlene Cran: Development of cleaning guidelines for desalination membrane users
• Dr Nicholas Milne: Reduction of silica for enhanced groundwater recovery
• Dr Peter Sanciolo: Silica removal from groundwater for reverse osmosis water recovery enhancement and waste brine volume reduction

Any parties interested in further information on either of the projects or accessing the cleaning guidelines should contact Mr Tymen Brom, NCEDA Commercialisation Manager, on +61 (0)8 9360 7186.

Improving use and desalination of coal seam gas extracted water

David Everitt, University of Wollongong

A nine-month NCEDA-funded study of contaminants in coal seam gas extracted water and their effect on desalination membranes has been completed by University of Wollongong Honours graduate David Everitt.

Mr Everitt said that with the growth of the Australian coal seam gas industry, primarily in Queensland, there is an increasing amount of ‘co-produced’ water requiring treatment by desalination for reuse.

He said the hundreds of contaminants in water created during hydraulic fracturing and drilling as well as naturally occurring chemicals in groundwater had varying effects on different types of desalination membranes.

For the first time ever recorded, Mr Everitt catalogued the more than 200 ingredients used in coal seam gas drilling and studied their properties and effects on high-end nanofiltration membranes, along with those from the 300 plus known chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.

Mr Everitt is among a team of University of Wollongong researchers to be asked to submit a manuscript on related coal seam gas environmental engineering findings for the 2013 special issue of the International Journal of Coal Geology. He plans to enter the Australian water industry next year as an environmental water engineer.

Leading desal plant expert joins Centre

NCEDA COO Sharon Humphris and Scientific Adviser Gavin Broom

WorleyParsons Senior Principal Consultant Dr Gavin Broom has officially joined NCEDA as a Scientific Adviser, sharing his time between NCEDA and WorleyParsons.

Dr Broom is a chemical engineer specialising in advanced water treatment and desalination. He will bring his extensive desalination knowledge and experience to the Centre following his leading roles as Design Manager and Chief Engineer of Perth’s first Seawater Desalination Plant at Kwinana and Technical Manager for the new Southern Seawater Desalination Plant at Binningup. Both of these plants were internationally recognised by the IDA and were awarded the International Desalination Plant of the Year: Kwinana in 2007 and Binningup in 2012.

At NCEDA, Dr Broom has been engaged to augment the scientific review team, assist with the assessment of the scientific merit of project progress and provide an additional point of contact to mentor and guide the research program.

Adelaide desal plant shortlisted for global award

Adelaide Desalination Plant (SA Water)

South Australia’s desalination plant has been shortlisted for the Global Water Intelligence Desal Plant of 2013.

Billed as one of the most technically accomplished plants ever built – for example for energy efficiency and use of the largest submerged UP pre-treatment system in the world, enabling an 80% reduction in sludge generation.

Marine tests have shown no excess salinity within 100 metres of the plant’s brine discharge point.

View Acciona’s fly-through of the Adelaide Desalination Plant.

Embedded energy of bottled water

According to Pacific Institute research ‘Energy Implications of Bottled Water’, it takes 1.5–2.8 kWh to produce just one litre of bottled water. Most of this energy is used to make and recycle the bottle, transport and cooling.

In comparison, the energy needed to desalinate one litre of seawater is just 0.003 kWh!

Be social – join the online water conversation

Follow us on Twitter

Organisations may think they need to ‘do’ social media as an ‘add-on’ to PR or marketing activities, when in fact they need to be social online, engaging regularly in the online conversation as part of who they are, aligned with their core values, and what they do.

There are many ways to do this – share good news links and stories about desalination via Twitter and Facebook, raise awareness of the benefits of desalination and share knowledge via a blog with expert opinion, and promoting facts versus myths while driving stakeholder or customer traffic back to your website.

Help to build a dynamic and proactive online Australian water community via frequent participation. See you on Facebook and Twitter!

Other news

Ozwater Early Bird registration closes today

Have you registered for Ozwater’13 in May in Perth? Early Bird registration closes today

Register now for the AWA Membranes & Desalination Conference, July in Brisbane

The Conversation: Desalination plant helps during Queensland floods

The Conversation: South-West WA water shortages to worsen

Eco-Business: Carnegie Wave Energy to develop seawater desal project on Garden Island

NCEDA: Tugun plant providing critical water supplies as Brisbane goes close to running out of drinking water

The New York Times: In California, What Price Water?

Science Network WA: CSIRO says groundwater and seawater desalination to become more important for WA

6PR: Our water use is ‘crazy’ – interview with Jim Gill

Texas Water Development Board: Roundtable “Desalination Down Under and Up Here” presentations and video

The West Australian: Perth minus 22.95 billion litres following record hot summer

Gold Industry Sponsors

The NCEDA is grateful for the generous support of our Gold Industry Sponsors.