Components of Desalination & Water Treatment Plants
Opportunity Brief
The demand for desalination plants in Egypt is increasing due to the dwindling freshwater resources and the increasing needs for
agriculture and drinking water This has prompted the state to adopt seawater desalination as part of Egypt Vision 2030 The plan aims to
establish desalination plants in border governorates and coastal cities to achieve sustainable development, especially given Egypt’s fixed
share of Nile water Water treatment plants include structures designed to collect water and treatment units such as coagulation
tanks, sedimentation basins, filtration systems, and purification units Plants are divided into.
- Surface water treatment plants (from rivers or lakes).
- Groundwater treatment plants (from wells.
- Seawater desalination plants (converting salt water to fresh water).
Key Components
The components of a water treatment plant are divided into the following:
- Inlet This is the starting point where raw water is collected from its source, such as a river or lake The intake structure ensures
that the water is properly screened to remove large debris and prevent damage to the treatment equipment. - Coagulation and flocculation In this process, chemicals called coagulants are added to the water to destabilize suspended
particles These particles then clump together to form larger particles that help coagulate and flocculate to remove impurities
such as dirt, organic matter, and microorganisms. - Sedimentation The water enters sedimentation tanks or screens where the floc settles due to gravity The clear water at the top
is then separated from the settled solids by a collection system. - Filtration This involves passing the filtered water through different layers of filter media such as sand, gravel, or activated carbon
These layers trap any remaining suspended particles or impurities that were not removed during sedimentation. - Disinfection To ensure that all harmful pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites are eliminated from the treated water,
disinfection is carried out Common disinfection methods include chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet light disinfection. - Distribution and Storage After treatment and purification, the purified water is stored in tanks before being distributed through a
network of pipes to homes and businesses for use.
The desalination process is carried out through three basic stages before the distribution and pumping process into the network, which are (initial water treatment the process of removing salts from the water final water treatment).
The current methods for desalination revolve around two methods:
- Using membranes, sometimes called reverse osmosis,
which operates on electricity. - Using heat evaporation, this method is known as distillation.
Regarding the membranes used in the reverse osmosis method, they are divided into 3 types (Cellulose Acetate, Cellulose Tri acetate, and Thin Film Composite)
Components of Desalination & Water Treatment Plants
Investment Opportunity Drivers Local Global Perspectives
- Many components of desalination plants are not manufactured in Egypt, most notably (high pressure pumps, depth pumps,
positive displacement pumps, submersible pumps, water pressure booster pumps, and membranes). - Some types of pumps are manufactured in Egypt, especially centrifugal pumps There are local companies working in this field, such as (Al Wailer Farid Ahmed Dawood Group Egyptian German Pump Company “Rohr Pumpen Fahim Ragab Sons Arab Organization for Industrialization.
- The state has implemented desalination plants in Matrouh and Dabaa each desalinating 100.000 cubic meters per day In addition, there are plants in South Sinai, each of which purifies 20.000 cubic meters per day The largest desalination
plant in the world was implemented in Ain Sokhna in February 2019 purifying 136.000 cubic meters of water per day
through two plants that feed the economic zone northwest of the Gulf of Suez, at a cost of approximately 2.5 billion pounds There are also three other giant plants with a capacity of 150 000 cubic meters per day, one in Galala the other in
East Port Said, and the last in New Alamein. - The global water and wastewater treatment technologies market size is estimated at USD 61 billion in 2024 and is expected to
reach USD 85 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of over 6 during the forecast period from 2024 to 2029. - The global demand for high pressure pumps, positive displacement pumps, and submersible pumps is expected to
grow by 6 to 7 while for membranes, the growth rate is expected to reach 15 during the period from 2019 to 2023.
Investment opportunity enablers
- Increased demand for desalination and treatment plant components.
- There is an industrial base for manufacturing pumps in Egypt, although it needs cooperation with industrial and technological partners in order to manufacture specialized types of pumps.
- There is an industrial base of foundries that are the first step in manufacturing the outer body of pumps, valves, etc and can be relied upon.
- Egypt requires approximately 81 billion cubic meters of water annually, of which 55.5 billion are supplied via the Nile River,
and approximately 6 billion are supplied through desalination and wells The remaining quantities are scarce, with the agricultural
sector accounting for approximately 75 of annual consumption.
Nominated industrial areas
- Suze Canal industrial zone (SC Zone).
- Fayoum Industrial Zone.
Imports of the Arab Republic of Egypt
(in millions of dollars)
Customs items for opportunity
