Wetskills-Oman 2024

Case 1: Green hydrogen production

Case owner: Nama Water Services (NWS) 

Hydrogen is considered as one of the green solutions for a clean and sustainable energy source. Hydrogen can be used in various sectors, such as transportation, chemistry and electricity, and can contribute to decarbonizing the gas networks. Hydrogen can be produced from different sources, some of which are renewable, such as biomass. The production of hydrogen demands water to create this green energy source. Nama Water Services is working on utilizing treated wastewater for producing green hydrogen and asks for an inspiration guide with the best international practices in this field.

Case 2: Compensating of water use

Case owner: Water Footprint Implementation (WFI)

In March 2023, Water Footprint Implementation (WFI) and various partners successfully launched Water Footprint Compensation during the United Nations Water Conference in New York. Water compensation is a concept that implies a water user can mitigate (the negative impacts of) their water consumption by taking action to replenish, restore or protect the water system from which the water has been abstracted. it is based on the principle of a litre for a litre. Oman is an arid country with scarce water resources. How can Oman benefit from the concept of WF Compensation to ensure an increase in water availability or quality?

Case 3: Water from air

Case owner: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)

The case is about the problem of salt affected lands and water scarcity in Oman, and the potential solution of atmospheric water harvesting (AWH). AWH is a technology that extracts water from the air, especially in coastal areas with high temperature and humidity. The case asks how AWH can help Oman’s agriculture and drinking water sectors become more sustainable, and what are the best options and recommendations for using green technology to produce water. The case will evaluate the weather data, the efficiency of different machines, and the economic feasibility of AWH.

Pitch & Poster

Pitch & Poster

Pitch & Poster

Case 4: Turning the (red) tide

Case owner: Nama Water Services (NWS)

Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB – red tides) are frequent events in Omani coastal waters affecting marine life and desalination plants. Caused by natural and local factors, hard to detect and predict. Current detection methods are based on water sampling or chlorophyll measurement, time-consuming and limited by sub-surface blooms. Current mitigation methods are based on chlorination, DAF, or filtration, high environmental impact, ineffective at high algal concentrations, expensive, and require chemical dosing. How can new HAB mitigation methods be incorporated in NWS? Consider HAB mitigation techniques from around the world and the Security of Supply (SoS) research to reduce risks.

Case 5: Towards wastewater treatment with CO2 recovery

Case owner: GUtech

With strong global commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, many efforts are focusing on decarbonization and reaching a balance between anthropogenic emissions and mitigation strategies. In the wastewater treatment sector, substantial achievements were made in terms of energy efficiency improvement, clean and green energy use and renewable energy recovery from wastewater. Sofar, very few efforts investigated the possibility of using wastewater treatment technologies for CO₂ capture and utilization. Would it be possible to realize an integrated approach with on-site direct CO₂ capture, storage and utilization in wastewater treatment plants? Could carbon-emitting technologies be converted into resources recovery facilities? What would be the economic, environmental and social direct impacts and benefits?

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