Atmospheric water generation in arid regions – A perspective on deployment challenges for the Middle East

Abstract

Scarcity in fresh surface water resources combined with over-exploitation of groundwater reserves across the Middle East has increased the reliance on seawater desalination to meet the demand for potable water. The prevalence of high humidity and temperatures within this region, however, offers unprecedented potential for atmospheric water generation to complement classical desalination technologies. This review presents emerging technologies developed for atmospheric water generation focused on the Middle East and critically assesses their performance in terms of water production yield and quality. A review of the life cycle assessments performed to date, to introduce techno-economic analysis and current limitations, will also be presented to compare mature technologies, such as desalination and wastewater reuse technologies. The development of strategies to enable diversified and decentralized water production is key to many arid countries to limit the need for large-scale and permanent costly infrastructures, reduce environmental pressure associated with over-utilisation of limited resources and brine discharge, and permit a transition where water needs are decentralized and managed at the local level. This review offers perspectives on these aspects and is aimed at presenting the first pertinent roadmap for atmospheric water generation technologies within the Middle East.