Israel and Jordan to Partner with NATO on Inland Water Desalination Plants

NATO’s Science for Peace program and the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) have awarded a team of three universities, one Jordanian, one Israeli and one American a grant to set up two parallel water desalination plants at one site each in Jordan and Israel. This grant is meant to promote collaboration across borders and between the two neighbouring countries, in a region not known for its congenial ties between neighbours.

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Implementing an Israeli reverse osmosis technology that is designed to remove salts from brackish inland water. If successful, this technology could be used in many of the water-poor nations in the Middle East, as well as in other parts of the world.

The company that developed the technology, ROTEC’s desalination technology specifically works with brackish water located in underground aquifers.

“The most important thing is not only the additional clean water you are getting,” says ROTEC’s CEO Noam Perlmuter. “The biggest advantage to the technology is you are increasing recovery, and reducing brine intended for disposal, by 50 percent.”

While NATO’s origins are steeped in the cold war and preventing the spread of communism, its Science for Peace grants have the opportunity to spread goodwill while promoting environmentally friendly technologies.

Image: hamad M via flickr under a Creative Commons license

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