The University of Bahrain publishes the first joint scientific research in cooperation with the University of Oxford

Researchers at the University of Bahrain, in cooperation with the University of Oxford, published the first joint scientific research in Desalination Magazine, which is considered one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the field of water desalination.

The research focused on the most important methods used in treating membranes for desalination of sea water using reverse osmosis technology, and finding effective solutions to extend the life of these membranes, to reduce the energy used in desalination, as one of the University of Bahrain's interests to improve the efficiency of the technologies used in the process of desalination.

Reverse osmosis is a process in which water moves from the highest concentrated solution to the lowest concentrated, through a semi-permeable membrane using pressure, a process followed to purify water through its passage in several stages, after which water is separated from salts and other minerals.

And the reverse osmosis technology used in Bahrain and the Arab Gulf region suffers from certain properties such as high salinity and significant biological activity, which affects the efficiency of these membranes, and increases the operating cost of these stations.

The study highlighted the most important properties of the membranes used in desalination technology, whether used in desalination of sea water, groundwater or water treatment in general. The results of the study showed that nanomaterials - such as mixed polymer compounds - significantly improve the performance of the desalination process. The study also highlighted the scientific gaps that drive the use of nanotechnology currently on a larger scale in the manufacture of these membranes.

Participating in the research were: Researcher, faculty member, Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, PhD student in Environment and Sustainable Development Basma Al-Najjar, student researcher at Oxford University, Chris Peters, and associate professor at the University of Oxford, Dr. Nick Hankens.

The University of Bahrain seeks through joint research cooperation between them and the University of Oxford in Britain to reach the best effective and feasible solutions in the field of addressing the degradation of the efficiency of membranes for water desalination, increasing its shelf life and reducing the energy used in this treatment.

The research cooperation agreement between the University of Bahrain and the University of Oxford in Britain began in April 2018, to be extended over four years. The University of Bahrain directed its research related to water desalination systems with the University of Oxford and a number of ancient universities interested in this field, in addition to the research partnership with government and other interested private entities.