Saudi Agriculture boosts business opportunities for the Dutch water sector
For Saudi Arabia, food security has been a national strategic objective for many years, but the country must deal with a harsh climate, little available arable soil, and water scarcity, all of which hamper local food production. The Saudi Government acknowledges Dutch technology and knowledge as instrumental in finding successful solutions. At Saudi Agriculture, the largest B2B event for the agricultural sector in the Gulf region, the Dutch horticulture and water sectors joined forces and presented integrated solutions to achieve the food security and water-saving goals in Saudi Arabia's agricultural vision for 2030.
The NWP professionals know their way around and are familiar with the network in Saudi Arabia, and can therefore easily make connections, which is very valuable to us.
William Janssen
CEO of Desolenator
Truly circular water and cooling
Desolenator is the world's first solar thermal circular desalination company. Their solution harnesses the photons of the sun to turn seawater or brackish water into high-quality, pure water and causes zero harm to the planet. They own a patented technology that uses 100 percent solar energy to make clean water from seawater or brackish water, without using harmful chemicals, membranes, and toxic brine, as the brine is crystallized, leaving behind pure salt, which can be sold to industry. Janssen explains. “The answer to self-sufficiency in the Gulf region is sustainable high-tech agriculture, which requires essential inputs of water and refrigeration. Desolenator provides both ingredients, with zero liquid discharge. We recently partnered with Silal, Abu Dhabi’s leading food, agriculture, and technology company to build the first solar desalination plant for food production. This project deploys solar-powered desalination technology that turns saline water into pure water for irrigation and offers a sustainable cooling option for greenhouses. Janssen considers truly circular water and cooling as the missing link in making food self-sufficiency in the Gulf a reality. “We offer a turnkey solution that creates net-zero sustainable water for closed-loop greenhouse systems. We can tap saline inland aquifers, create perfect hydroponic irrigation water, cool plants down effectively, and produce zero brine.” Watch the video of this groundbreaking project. Silal is not the only Desolenator project in this region. A project with Dubai Electricity and Water Technology (DEWA), one of the world's leading water utilities, was finalised last year and is a great example of solar thermal desalination.
