Deep ocean water harvesting proposed in Oman

Dec 4: An ambitious initiative to harness deep ocean water for potable supply and other commercial and industrial applications in the Sultanate, will be unveiled at a key forum due to open here today.

The ‘Deep Ocean Water Harvesting and Desalination’ project is the brainchild of Oman Aqua Science LLC, whose chief executive officer, Michael Katz, will provide an overview of this groundbreaking proposal at the INTEX Oman Forum, which opens at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre today.

The 2-day conference, spotlighting renewable energy and sustainable water solutions, is taking place in parallel with the INTEX Oman multi-category industrial fair, organised by Global Exhibitions & Conferences LLC (GEC).

The project centres on the harvesting of ocean water at depths of around 600 metres. Water harnessed from these depths is typically free from any pollution, bacteria, heavy metals or other contamination, and thus valuable as a resource in a number of agricultural, food processing, and environmental applications. Additionally, deep ocean water is also rich in absorptive nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which is an ideal food resource for agriculture and aquaculture.

In addition, more than 70 ionic minerals and trace minerals can be found in water at these depths, similar in proportion to human body fluids, according to Oman Aqua Science. Moreover, with water temperatures averaging 6 – 9 degrees centigrade at that depth, deep ocean water has the potential to serve as a cooling resource for, among other things, ocean thermal energy conversion, air-conditioning, and industrial water cooling.

Given these characteristics, deep ocean water can also find application in, among other areas, bottled water production, beverages, high value agricultural production, medical supplements, nutriceuticals and skincare, seawater purification, and carbon dioxide storage. Additional applications specific to Oman include Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and steam injection, according to the company.

Oman Aqua Science’s proposal envisages a desalination platform installed between 3 to 12 nautical miles from the shore. A pipeline, with a pumping system attached at the lower end, extends 600 metres below the surface. Water is harvested at least 100 metres below the thermoincline at a depth of 600 metres and at least 100 metres above the ocean floor to guard against turbidity intake.

Oman Aqua Science has identified a number of potential deep ocean water harvesting locations off the Sultanate’s coastline.