JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are collaborating with local farmers and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to address Saudi Arabia’s critical freshwater scarcity in agriculture.
The new KAUST Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security aims to enhance agriculture in arid regions by combining controlled environment agriculture with desalination of non-conventional water resources, according to a press release.
The initiative focuses on desalination and wastewater treatment to provide “clean enough” water for hydroponic farming of high-value crops, addressing plant health and affordability.
KAUST Environmental Science and Engineering Prof. Noreddine Ghaffour, principal investigator, said: “Why not tailor desalination technology by removing only exactly what we want removed? It will be cheaper than previous practices because we will do it with less energy, targeting specific crops.”
His team is developing solutions to achieve food abundance and economic growth. “If successful, the Kingdom will be exporting, not importing, these technologies,” Ghaffour added.
According to the release, current practices for farmers to desalinate local brackish water are inefficient and expensive. These processes also remove all ions, including valuable nutrients absent in local soils, and so the water must be partially remineralized.
Ghaffour team’s selective approach eliminates only what each crop type cannot handle. This reduces steps, cuts energy use, and lowers costs.
“Some crops need more salt, others more nutrients, and some are sensitive to boron. Our goal is to minimize costs by tailoring desalination,” Ghaffour said.
As part of the two-year research project, which began in September 2024, KAUST researchers evaluate technological solutions such as nanofiltration, electrodialysis, and brackish water reverse osmosis. Their aim is to determine what works best. One approach involves “forward osmosis,” which uses liquid-phase fertilizers to drive the process.
The project also employs anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology combined with ultraviolet disinfection to reclaim municipal wastewater, enhancing CEA system water quality and nutrient availability.
“This will map groundwater types in the Kingdom, select crop-specific desalination technologies, and optimize treatment configurations for testing in the KAUST Plant Science Core Lab, aiming to deliver prototypes at TRL 4-5,” the release said.
This project supports Saudi Arabia’s goals for sustainable agriculture, wastewater reuse, and reduced freshwater dependence.
“It promotes resilient farming practices, aligns with the Kingdom’s food security strategy, and showcases how KAUST is addressing the nation’s challenges, reinforcing its value as a national asset,” according to the release.
