Populations and economies in the Middle East have grown at a fast pace and meeting the region’s water needs is increasingly becoming a priority across the entire region.

Two particular examples of rapid growth are Saudi Arabia and the UAE, says Dow Chemical Company, a leading science and technology company with over 50 years of experience in water treatment and water purification.
Saudi Arabia’s population is growing rapidly and the kingdom continues to invest in water production and water reuse facilities to anticipate its population’s needs in the face of water scarcity, says Andreas Gorenflo, sales manager of the regional branch of Dow Water Solutions (DWS), a business unit of Dow Chemical Company.
“In the UAE, steady investment and rapid industrialisation have combined to create an economic boom, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Other Middle Eastern countries, from Bahrain to Yemen, are assessing their water resources to determine whether they have adequate facilities and what future investments they may require,” he says.
DWS is dedicated to providing innovative, technology-based solutions to a broad spectrum of water issues such as treating seawater to make it fit for human consumption, removing contaminants in municipal water and industrial supplies and reducing and reclaiming water used in industrial processing.
“Taking environmental regulations and economic considerations into account as well, DWS’ technologies are extremely well-positioned. Dow can help reduce wastewater discharge and produce water utilising less energy or capital costs compared to other technologies. Our solutions offer reliability and efficiency, which translates into cost-saving for our customers,” according to Gorenflo.
“Advances in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology for seawater desalination have significantly driven down capital and operating costs. We offer an interstaged design concept where different types of RO elements are combined in a single pressure vessel, resulting in higher output per pressure vessel and per element and enabling potential reductions in capital requirements or operational costs by more than 10 per cent.
“We are also test-piloting large-diameter 16-inch RO elements at the Bedok NEWater Plant in Singapore, another example of a technology that enables a reduction of capital costs by more than 10 per cent.”
Currently, DWS is working on an RO membrane that will combine superior spiral wound configuration with chlorine resistance. Mainly due to the high feed water temperature in the region, this is critical for the Arabian market where the need for effective cleaning plays an important role. The Dow Ultrafiltration module, which is chlorine resistant, is considered an ideal technology, for example, for pre-treatment prior to RO for the challenging raw water conditions on the Arabian Peninsula.
The company is involved with a number of projects in the Middle East. One is the Shoaiba barge seawater desalination plant in Saudi Arabia, operational since April 2008. With 52,000 cu m per day this is the largest sea-based sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. It uses DWS’s interlocking endcap technology (iLEC), providing maximum process safety and long-term reliability. Other projects include two SWRO plants in Layyah and Khor Fakkan – both in Sharjah and each having a capacity of 22,700 cu m per day.
“We will be supplying the second phase of one of the largest independent water and power production (IWPP) projects in Shuqeiq. Saudi Arabia,” said Gorenflo. The project uses our high-rejection brackish water membrane Filmtec BW30-440i in combination with our low-energy membrane Filmtec LE440i. Both are high-surface-area membranes which help reduce capital cost and maximise output.”  
Gorenflo said the company would provide its nanofiltration (NF) membranes Filmtec NF90-400 for a plant in the Hail area in Saudi Arabia that will have a capacity of 25,000 cu m per day. It will remove radium from naturally contaminated well water and will be the biggest application of its kind in the whole of the Middle East.
DWS offers five key components for water and water purification systems:
RO and NF membrane technology (Filmtec membrane) - Dow is the largest manufacturer of RO membranes with an installed capacity to treat more than 8 billion cu m of water per year.
Ion Exchange (IX) resins - Dowex ion exchange resins include a broad line of products for use in processing industrial processing water, drinking water, food and pharmaceutical processing, and power generation.
Dow Ultrafiltration technology – It is a membrane separation system used often as a pretreatment to RO purification.
DOW Electrodeionisation technology - It is the first cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to post-RO deionisation applications.
Titanium-based Arsenic Removal Media – Adsorbsia GTO offers an improved performance and cost-effective option for reducing arsenic levels in drinking water.
In order to better meet customers’ needs, Dow Water Solutions has a dedicated team based in Dubai with extensive regional and technical expertise.