Saudi Arabia is truly blessed — a rich culture with stunning landscapes and abundant resources envied the world over. Yet, the Kingdom also faces a pressing challenge: a scarcity of natural freshwater to support domestic agriculture. Fortunately, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) researchers, working with Saudi farmers and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), are pioneering innovations to tackle this challenge. 

Notably, a new KAUST Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security project aims to enhance sustainable agriculture in arid environments by integrating controlled environment agriculture (CEA) with desalination of non-conventional water resources. The initiative focuses on desalination and wastewater treatment technologies to supply ‘clean-enough’ water for hydroponic farming of high-value crops, addressing plant health and affordability concerns. 

“Why not tailor desalination technology by removing only exactly what we want removed? It’ll be cheaper than previous practices because we’ll do it with less energy, targeting specific crops,” said KAUST Environmental Science and Engineering Professor NorEddine Ghaffour, principal investigator. His team is innovating solutions to achieve food abundance and economic growth. “If successful, the Kingdom will be exporting, not importing, these technologies.” 

Current practices for farmers to desalinate local brackish water are inefficient and expensive. They remove all ions, including valuable nutrients absent in local soils, and so the water must be partially remineralized. His team’s selective approach only eliminates what each crop type cannot handle. This reduces steps, cuts energy use, and lowers costs. 

“Some crops need more salt than others. Some may need more nutrients. Some crops are not tolerant to boron. That’s why our target is to tailor. Our target is to keep the cost as low as possible.” 

KAUST Research Scientist Dr. Alla Alpatova, an expert in desalination, membrane processes and brine mining, said the researchers are also exploring treatments to valorize process byproducts, promote a circular economy, and reduce brine discharge while investigating various partial-treatment options for non-conventional water sources. 

“We want to address the problem by offering feasible groundwater desalination solutions based on affordable, low-energy technologies that local farmers can apply. They’ll be able to grow crops and plants more sustainably.” 

Ghaffour noted that CEA technology is integral to the overall project, enabling researchers to control for humidity, light, temperature and ventilation in addition to water and nutrient supply. Such an approach ensures year-round crop yields. “It’s kind of like a greenhouse, but it’s a future generation of greenhouse.” 

Different options explored 

The two-year research project, which began in September 2024, sees KAUST researchers evaluating 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. 

By diluting fertilizers with non-conventional water sources, Ghaffour said, his team simultaneously treats brines and produces irrigation water optimized for salinity levels. “We call this the ‘fertilizer-driven’ osmosis 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. KAUST Environmental Sciences and Engineering Associate Professor Peiying Hong’s team will use different wastewater types, treating them to meet quality levels tailored to specific crops. 

Clemson University’s Professor Gary Amy, a former KAUST professor and Water Desalination and Reuse Center director, will provide consultancy services, bringing his expertise in low-energy seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation to support water treatment and reuse innovations for agriculture. 

“Also, in year two of the project, we plan set up a larger-scale hydroponic facility in the KAUST Plant Core Lab,” Alpatova added. This exercise will study the impact various water sources have on crop yield and bioaccumulation of contaminants, ensuring food safety. “We want to test our technology by growing some high-value crops. We haven’t finalized it yet, but probably these would include lettuce and tomatoes.” 

Better for farmers, the Kingdom 

KAUST’s project will develop a comprehensive footprint of various groundwaters in the Kingdom, select crop-specific desalination technologies, and optimize the best-performing treatment configurations for testing with selected crops in the KAUST Plant Science Core Lab, aiming to deliver prototypes at TRL 4-5. 

Based on performance validation across various source waters, product water quality, energy consumption, and food production metrics, the team will identify critical performance issues, establish criteria for system scale-up, and develop a conceptual design for a pilot testing system. Collaborating with KAUST Plant Sciences and the Center for Desert Agriculture, the team aims to strategically nourish plants — a critical step for arid-region sustainable farming.  

“Food security is important, and we’re not here selling hope — we’re not just saying nice words,” Ghaffour said. “We’re developing new food solutions in areas where there are no more options. And if we make proper treatments, then we’re also contributing to the socioeconomic development of these rural areas.” 

During the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh, December 2-13, 2024, Ghaffour’s team presented on these innovative desalination technologies supporting sustainable agriculture, emphasizing tailored water solutions for crop-specific salinity needs. The team also presented on a specific low-cost membrane distillation system designed to efficiently treat high-salinity water. 

Addressing Saudi Arabia’s growing water and food demands, this overall project aligns with national goals of sustainable agriculture, wastewater reuse, and reduced freshwater reliance. The initiative promotes resilient farming practices and champions the Kingdom’s food security strategy. 

It also highlights how innovative KAUST faculty are driving impactful academic research to address the nation’s critical challenges, underscoring KAUST as another of Saudi Arabia’s many blessings.