Aquatech Supplies King Abdulaziz International Airport with 50 MLD of Potable Water Using Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO)
| Challenge: | The King Abdulaziz International Airport encountered challenges due to insufficient water production and distribution infrastructure in the neighboring city. |
| Solution: | Aquatech designed and constructed a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant, incorporating advanced technologies to reach water quality standards and address operational challenges. |
| Customer Benefit: | Aquatech's solution enabled the plant to achieve a higher recovery rate, improving operational stability and complying with potable water standards. |
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) utilizes advanced reverse osmosis (RO) technology to convert seawater into potable water from seawater.
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) utilizes advanced reverse osmosis (RO) technology to convert seawater into potable water from seawater.
Background
The desalination plant at the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) utilizes advanced reverse osmosis (RO) technology to convert seawater into potable water from seawater. The process begins with screening the raw seawater, followed by treatment in filtration units to eliminate suspended solids and turbidity. The water then undergoes micro-filtration for further purification.
Challenge
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) is responsible for constructing, managing, operating, and maintaining airports and air navigation infrastructure.
The city lacked adequate water production and distribution systems around the airport. To address these issues and meet the projected increase in water demand, GACA sought to outsource the establishment of a desalination plant to a private investor. Qatarat Saqiya was formed to construct the plant and, in turn, supply water to the Authority of Civil Aviation.
Aquatech and its local consortium partners were awarded the contract to establish the Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant through a competitive bidding process.
Solution
Aquatech designed and built a desalination plant structured on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, with a capacity to produce 50,000 m3/d (50 MLD) of potable water. The system consists of several advanced technologies:
- Seawater Intake Screening
- Multimedia Filtration
- Micron Filtration
- High-Pressure Pump with Energy
- Recovery Device
- 1st Pass Reverse Osmosis
- 2nd Pass Reverse Osmosis
- Potabilization Unit
- Chlorination Unit
With this unique combination of technologies, the plant achieves a 45% recovery rate on the 1st pass seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) and a 90% recovery rate on the 2nd second pass Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis (BWRO). Designed to handle a feed total dissolved solids (TDS) of 40,900 parts per million (ppm), the treated water meets the World Health Organization’s standards for potable water.
Customer Benefit
Aquatech's SWRO plant at KAIA addressed the regional water distribution challenge, providing a reliable source of potable water and utilizing advanced RO technology to achieve high efficiency and compliance with international water quality standards.