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This project title is “Development and implementation of an innovative brackish water treatment pilot plant for the production of drinking water in communities of Jordan” and is a collaborative effort between the National Technical University of Athens (Unit of Environmental Science and Technology) and the University of Science and Technology of Jordan (Department of Agriculture) funded by the Hellenic Aid Programme (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The main objective of this project is the development of a brackish water treatment system for the production of drinking water in order to assist water resources management in Jordan.

The program will initially assess the current situation in the country related to the management of water resources. In addition, estimations for the future per capita needs of drinking water will be made. Furthermore, a comparison between the existing Jordanian and European legislative framework on water resources management will be executed and improvements will be suggested if necessary. Also, the actions that have to be taken and the responsibilities of the competent authorities will be defined. Estimation of the economic dimension of the actions and suggestions in relation to the financial strategies that have to be implemented for supporting the project objectives will be made.

During the project the availability and characteristics (quantitative / qualitative) of brackish water in Jordan as well as existing treatment methods and units of brackish water (infrastructure, technical characteristics, site location, uses of the water produced) will be examined. Following the aforementioned examination, a description and evaluation of the methods, practices and brackish water treatment technologies in combination with an analysis of all relevant aspects of health, environment and the risks which derive from the re-use of brackish water will be carried out.

After the successful completion of the above activities, the design of the pilot system will take place, taking into account energy requirements and the brackish water composition. The prototype, autonomous, integrated pilot brackish water treatment system will include: (1) A membrane microfiltration Unit (MF), (2) A reverse osmosis membrane unit (RO), (3) A chlorination unit and (5) a photovoltaic system (PV). All basic and auxiliary equipment (e.g. photovoltaic unit, membrane system for microfiltration MF and reverse osmosis (RO), chlorination unit, valves, pipes, etc.) will be ordered on time and successfully installed in Jordan.
After the completion of the unit construction, the optimization of the system performance will be carried out. To this end experiments under various operating conditions and of different brackish water characteristics will be executed. During these tests, a detailed inventory of important operating parameters, such as flow filtration, critical flow, fouling of membranes, effluent quality parameters, energy requirements etc, will be conducted. After the completion of the optimization phase, training sessions for the staff will be organised so as to be able to operate and maintain the system effectively.

A techno-economical study of large scale system application will also be prepared in order to cover the needs.

It is expected that the implementation of the project will contribute to the reduction of the water scarcity problem at the area of application, Azraq community, and will also provide information to the citizens on re-use of brackish water issues which will raise public awareness on water management and consumption best practices. The dissemination of the results through trips, conferences, lectures, advertisements, websites, information material, training sessions etc. can help facing the problem of water shortage in other communities in Jordan and in other countries which face similar problems.