Desal centre of attention

Rockingham National Centre of Excellence in Desalination plant manager Mike Blackwood and chief executive officer Neil Palmer.

The Rockingham Desalination Research Facility and Desal Discovery Centre was officially opened on Sunday.

Based at Murdoch University’s Rockingham campus in the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination, the research centre will be used by researchers in collaboration with industry to pilot desalination processes testing whether they are likely to be suitable for full-scale commercial operations.

Speaking to the Sound Telegraph before the opening, Chief executive officer Neil Palmer said innovative research projects would be announced at the Rockingham opening.

Mr Palmer said the research facility had three outdoor tanks and two bores, one for brackish water and the other for saltwater, and the reverse osmosis system separated out the salt, leaving fresh water.

He said the drainage system was via a recharge bore back into the underground aquifer.

‘‘The pilot plant allows us to test different ways of producing fresh water (for commercial use) because big companies want to know the process works before they invest in it,’’ he said.

Graduate scholarships on desalination research for five West Australian university students, funded by the WA Department of Commerce, have just been made available.

The International Desalination Association World Congress, to be held in Perth, also starts on Sunday.

Themed Desalination: Sustainable Solutions for a Thirsty Planet, it runs from September 4 to 9 and is expected to bring 1200 water and desalination experts to WA.

The congress featured keynote addresses by Sir Richard Branson, via satellite, and envionmentalist Philippe Cousteau.