QU’s Unesco Chair on Desalination, Water Treatment marks World Water Week

Prof Syed Javaid Zaidi, the Unesco Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment at Qatar University (QU), took part in the World Water Week events organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute. The event gathered stakeholders from governments, academia, industry, UN bodies, and NGOs from over 180 countries, focusing on innovation in the water sector to address key issues related to water security.

Since its establishment, the Unesco Chair under Prof Zaidi's leadership has prioritized technical solutions, research innovation, and capacity building to bolster the local desalination and water treatment industry and foster international partnerships. The Chair has developed a range of membrane desalination technologies, including reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, and pressure retarded osmosis systems.

These technologies convert farm and industrial waste into valuable materials for water treatment, reduce water usage in agriculture, and train process and plant engineers in Qatar's water sector.

The Chair's recent efforts center around membranes, thin sheets that remove salts and contaminants from seawater. Researchers have created a growing family of these membranes from various materials, such as graphene oxide composites, graphene quantum dots, and nanofiber membranes made from recycled 3D-printing waste and biodegradable polylactic acid.

The Chair has also published a groundbreaking study on Qatar Desalination Research in the esteemed journal Desalination, painting a comprehensive picture of Qatar's position in the desalination field.

Prof Mohammad R Irshidat, director of the QU’s Centre for Advanced Materials, emphasized that the Unesco Chair, established within the centre, is committed to innovation in water desalination research and capacity building in Qatar's desalination industry. This commitment aligns with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6).