This is a new experimental reverse osmosis system that will produce 5.000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. It has been developed by the ITC and consumes 40% less energy than conventional installations.
The Commonwealth of the Southeast of Gran Canaria once again places itself as a reference in the implementation of new desalination technologies, management of the integral water cycle, energy savings and the environment. The Pozo Izquierdo Seawater Desalination Station (EDAM), which supplies the three municipalities of the region – Ingenio, Agüimes and Santa Lucía – has expanded its production capacity by 5.000 cubic meters per day, from 33.000 to 38.000 m3 , which represents an increase of more than 15% of its flow. And it has done so with a new, highly energy-efficient reverse osmosis system, still in the experimental phase, of 100% Canarian creation.
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The new desalination module, baptized 'Desalro 2.0', has been developed by the Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC). This is the first prototype of this technology, which will allow for savings close to 40% in energy consumption. The optimization of the energy used in the desalination process does not occur as a result of a new invention, but rather through the use of a more efficient combination of the hydraulic components that already existed on the market – pumps, pipes and membranes –, achieved after more than 150 simulations carried out in the laboratory.
From the average expenditure of 3,2 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter produced from a conventional reverse osmosis plant, it can be increased to 1,85 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter. For an installation the size of EDAM in the Southeast, this will mean 6.750 kilowatts less daily consumption, which in economic terms would translate into around 150.000 euros of annual savings, in addition to the consequent reduction in environmental impact.
This new ITC prototype is destined to generate impact worldwide, especially in the areas of the planet with the greatest water scarcity. Its installation in the Pozo Izquierdo desalination plant, with a cost close to 5 million euros, represents its first implementation on an industrial scale. The project, which has had the support of the European Union, has been possible thanks to the collaboration between the Commonwealth of the Southeast, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and the Government of the Canary Islands.
The president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the mayor of Agüimes and president of the Commonwealth of the Southeast, Óscar Hernández, the mayor of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Francisco García, and the regional councilors of Water and Science and Innovation, Manuel Miranda and Migdalia Machín, among other authorities. Also present were the director of R&D&i of the ITC, Gonzalo Piernavieja, and the head of the Water department of the same entity, Baltasar Peñate.
