Dow Water & Process Solutions asserts commitment to long term development of water industry

Dow Water & Process Solutions, a global leader in sustainable water separation and purification technologies, celebrates World Water Day by focusing on advancing the industry and continued investment in water related technologies, partnerships, and people development.

In line with this year’s World Water Day theme – ‘Water & Jobs’ – Dow Water & Process Solutions is proud to be a part of the global conversation on sustainable water management practices and the evolving principles of a circular economy – a concept that introduces reuse and recycling as key alternatives to waste, as seen in linear variations of the water economic cycle.

Providing the right solutions to support the circular economy are different across markets, but they all inherently share a common ground – the impact on the local economies, and ultimately, the lives of populations in water scarce geographies such as the Middle East, Africa and India.

In the Middle East, the right set of infrastructure investments – especially in power and water – is accelerating sustained and inclusive growth in the region. In North Africa, Algeria and Morocco have multiplied public investments in water management – developing modern irrigation techniques, hydroelectric installations, and state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facilities. In India, a growing economy means rising demand for water, and has been followed by Government support of public-private partnership models to leverage best practices in water management. In eastern and southern regions of Africa, governments are working to bring up sanitation efforts and stop waste from broken water systems.

Dow Water & Process Solutions is a catalyst for growth in these regions. It not only provides technological solutions for sustainable water management, it is also investing in partnerships with key institutions around the world which are helping governments accelerate their water innovation agenda and shape circular economies.

These partnerships play a key role across geographies. In the Middle East, Dow Water & Process Solutions has committed to a multiyear, multimillion-dollar research and development (R&D) framework with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. The agreement includes a founding partnership in the university’s economic development program, the KAUST Industrial Collaboration Program (KICP), aimed at accelerating transfer of innovation and technology from an academic setting to the marketplace. The center focuses on ultrafiltration (UF) and RO technology for water treatment, with specific emphasis on increasing energy efficiency and minimizing environmental footprint.

The opening of its best-in-class DOW FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis (RO) elements manufacturing facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) – the first of its kind outside of the United States – is not only providing innovative technology, but is also providing jobs. The plant, which manufactures FILMTEC™ Reverse Osmosis (RO) elements for seawater and brackish water desalination and for water reuse of potable, non-potable and industrial water, just celebrated the inaugural shipment of RO elements to emerging markets. The plant also proudly boasts a Saudization rate of 100%, providing meaningful careers for the local Saudi citizens.

Zakia Bahjou, MEA&T Commercial Manager of Dow Water & Process Solutions (DWPS), said: “Dow Water & Process Solutions remains committed to developing sustainable and efficient technologies which are crucial across emerging geographies facing growing water challenges. We are invested in the long term success of water management in the region and through our various partnerships we will continue to explore the best solutions to serve local populations and economies.” 

The Middle East is considered one of the most ‘water-scarce’ regions in the world and the issue of water scarcity is rising to the top of national agendas. Governments in the Middle East are now embracing the principles of a circular economy, replacing former models which simply wasted resources with a regenerative circular one, inspired by nature and driven by technologies.

For example, in early 2016, the Government of Abu Dhabi imposed the first ever water charges for UAE Nationals, while raising the prices for expatriates. Similarly, in 2010, Dubai raised water tariffs, which slowed the annual demand growth for water in the emirate from 10 per cent to 4 per cent. (source: http://bit.ly/24ZJ8L6) Saudi Arabia invested over $12.5 billion in water projects in 2014 alone, and desalination plants are expected to double by 2025.

As awareness continues to rise, the state of water in the region is driving investments in new technologies that aim to provide sustainable solutions for the future of the water industry. Dow Water & Process Solutions’ innovations in separation and purification technologies help enable wastewater conversions previously unimagined. In Dubai, The Park Hyatt uses Dow reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration technologies to filter wastewater, which is then used to operate the resort’s HVAC cooling towers. In one year, the project saved 37 million gallons of water, enough to fill 62 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Dow Water and Process Solutions continues to focus on developing leading sustainable water technology and enhancing human progress to make a global difference, while contributing on a local level to advancements in the water treatment sector.