The Canary Islands have been pioneers in desalination in Europe since 1964, with the commissioning of the first evaporation plant in Lanzarote, to the present day, where they hold a Guinness World Record for the energy consumption of a desalination plant (1,794 kWh/m³, DESALRO 2.0® – ITC). Throughout this period, virtually all existing desalination systems have been operated: multi-stage flash evaporation, multi-effect distillation, vapour compression, reversible electrodialysis and, finally, reverse osmosis.
It is precisely reverse osmosis that has undergone the most development, both in terms of equipment and in operation and design. In these last two areas – operation and design – not only have most of the advances been made, but many of the most significant ones have originated in the Canary Islands.
Among the main contributions are the second stage of seawater using brine concentrators, hybrid membrane systems, the ‘zero chemicals’ concept, the ‘Victaulic’ double system, countercurrent membrane washing, the use of brine for backwashing sand filters, the first study on brine dilution in the seabed, and compact designs with positive displacement pumps.
The aim of this event is to reflect, from the perspective of this leading professional, on the evolution of desalination, to present the most relevant advances achieved to date and to address the challenges and benefits that this technology will offer in meeting future water demand.
Objectives:
To highlight the evolution of water desalination through reverse osmosis from a perspective based on the experience accumulated in the Canary Islands. To reflect on the future challenges facing the sector.
Aimed at:
Managers, supervisors and technicians from entities operating the integral water cycle; area managers, service managers and municipal technicians, from island councils and boards with competence in the field; researchers, students and new professionals interested in the design and operation of desalination plants.
Speaker:
Industrial engineer José Luis Pérez Talavera stands out as a direct participant in many of these innovations. With more than 50 years of professional experience, he has made a decisive contribution to the evolution and improvement of water desalination, especially in the Canary Islands.
Further information and registration at: https://www.spegc.org/formacion-y-eventos/aportacion-de-canarias-al-desarrollo-y-mejora-de-la-operacion-y-diseno-de-los-sistemas-de-desalacion-por-osmosis-inversa/
This talk is organised by the SPEGC and the ITC as part of the IDIWATER project (1/MAC/1/1.1/0022), 85% co-financed by ERDF funds under the Interreg MAC Programme 2021-2027.
