Preserving the Environment and Meeting Needs: Environmental Research Projects Support Desalination Efforts on the Algerian Coast

created last March the National Water Desalination Agency (ANDE) by executive decree signed by Prime Minister Aïmene Benabderrahmane. This agency oversees the construction, operation and maintenance of desalination plants and coordinates new initiatives in this area.

Faced with climatic risks, population growth and socio-economic development, the desalination process was chosen as a vital solution. This is part of the national policy aimed at creating synergy between scientific research, technological development and the economy. To support this strategy, the Thematic Agency for Research in Science and Technology (ATRST) selected 18 projects out of 33, covering various aspects of desalination, from analysis to environmental impacts.

Projects cover topics such as analysis, pre-treatment, treatment, post-treatment, reverse osmosis filters, environmental impacts of desalination plants on coastal marine ecosystems, and renewable energy applications. This approach aims to guarantee access to water while limiting the consequences on marine ecosystems.

In partnership with various companies and economic operators, the project leaders will collaborate with players such as seawater desalination stations, the Ande, the Algerian Chamber of Fisheries and Aquaculture, as well as companies such as ENGCB and AEC. An agreement with the Polytechnic School of Algiers was also signed for a “Modelling, control and diagnosis of membrane desalination systems” project.