- 30 May 2007 -

Australians collaborate to deliver
energy-efficient desal

Australian research agency CSIRO and nine Australian universities are to collaborate to improve the energy-efficiency of water desalination in that country.

They plan to promote water desalination as a viable opportunity for drought-stricken Australia by improving energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The Southern parts of Australia are especially short of water and the country is currently experiencing the worst drought on record. Previous ventures into desal have been put on hold because of the costly electricity needed to desalinate water - costing, according to some estimates, around US$1.10 per 1,000 liters (US$.90 per 264 gallons).

The collaboration, called the Advanced Membrane Technologies for Water Treatment Research Cluster, will be led by Professor Stephen Gray, director of the Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at Victoria University . It will begin by examining existing membranes and develop new energy efficient technology and will run for three years, costing A$7.6 million.

"In combination with other research projects led by CSIRO, we aim to reduce by up to 50 percent the amount of energy required to desalinate seawater using membranes," said Alan Gregory, urban water research leader at CSIRO. "This same technology will have benefits for the treatment and recycling of wastewater."

www.csiro.au