The involvement of UAE’s academic institutions in upgrading the emirates’ ability to supply potable water will be highlighted at a seminar on water reuse and desalination hosted by Abu Dhabi University (ADU).

The seminar on “The Emerging Membrane Technologies for Water Reuse and Desalination” will be held at ADU’s campus in Khalifa City tomorrow (December 1).

“With the vital role that desalination facilities play in ensuring a constant supply of clean, drinkable water to the UAE community, it is natural for us to strive towards improving the conditions of these facilities and finding ways to upgrade their capabilities to better serve the growing community,” Dr Nabil Ibrahim, chancellor of ADU said.

“Academic institutions like Abu Dhabi University can and should provide the much-needed education to stakeholders in order to address the growing water supply concern.”

“It is for this reason that ADU is actively committed to providing the desalination industry with the knowledge and skills that are needed to ensure that the needs of the UAE are served far into the future,” he added.

Dr T S Chung, from the department of chemical and bimolecular engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), will present recent advancements in membrane technology that show promise from the standpoint of increasing the availability of clean water, renewable energy and affordable healthcare.

Dr Chung has conducted extensive research in the application of polymeric membranes to water, energy, and life science issues. His research has been supported by grants of more than US$28 million over the last 15 years.

The seminar on membrane technology advancement fulfils the objective of increasing awareness water reuse issues as the development of sophisticated technologies for water desalination by informing attendees about NUS membrane research and membrane formation, the recent developments in technologies relevant to desalination processes, and water reuse.

It also tackles topics such as the molecular engineering of membrane materials and the fabrication of high performance membranes for membrane distillation and forward osmosis. – TradeArabia News Service