Brazil considers ideas on water desalination
Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communication Marcos Pontes will receive proposals on water desalination submitted by researchers and technology providers until February 18. The goal is to devise initiatives to reach underserved areas, especially in the country’s semi-arid region.
Twelve percent of the Brazilian population (some 27 million people) live in the semi-arid, which encompasses 12 percent of the national territory—over 1 million km², most of the Northeast.
The idea is to extract brackish water from the soil and use desalination solutions as an alternative to local residents. Projects on desalination and water reuse will be spearheaded by the National Institute of the Semi-Arid, which should study technology from Brazil and other countries. Last month, a team of Brazilian experts flew to Israel to become acquainted with a few initiatives in this field.
Factors to be assessed include energy expenditure, water discharge, costs, and efficiency. Scientists or companies interested in submitting proposals may fill out a form online here.
