Silal partners with Desolenator on agricultural solar-powered desalination project

Image credit: @ADMediaOffice

Silal has partnered with Netherlands-headquartered solar thermal desalination company, Desolenator, to launch a pilot project deploying solar-powered desalination technology to produce pure water for irrigation and provide a sustainable cooling option for greenhouses.

Causing zero environmental harm, the project aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of food production in desert climates by significantly lowering the carbon footprint of the desalination process.

The project is supported by a Dhs100m research and development fund launched in 2022 by ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company.

.@SilalUAE has partnered with Desolenator to launch the world’s first fully solar thermal agricultural desalination project, supported by @ADQ_Official, to provide fresh water for irrigation, and clean energy for greenhouses with zero emissions. pic.twitter.com/Nhi5wpVLtr

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) June 9, 2023

The fund forms part of Growth Lab, a community of innovators across ADQ’s portfolio that realises the company’s commitment to accelerating innovation and R&D, focusing on unlocking growth opportunities and driving value creation and sustainability across priority sectors of the UAE’s economy.

The project aims to demonstrate how partnerships can address the water-food-energy nexus and model sustainable agriculture for countries worldwide.

It also marks a paradigm shift in handling the vital water-food-energy nexus and is a testament to the power of collaborative innovation in advancing global sustainable development goals.

Masdar City, MBRIF to support Desolenator

In other news, last year, Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) and Masdar City have awarded free business licences from Masdar City Free Zone to five startups in the MBRIF Accelerator programme.

One of the chosen startups was Desolenator, that joined Masdar City’s growing network of sustainability-focused companies, developing innovative solutions in the key climate action areas of energy storage, agri-tech, healthtech, mobility, clean energy, AI, water and space.

The MBRIF Accelerator aims to enhance the growth potential of innovative businesses shaping the future of UAE’s economy with a focus on technology, education, health, water, clean energy, transport and space.

The programme offers services and coaching to member companies to accelerate their business, elevate capabilities, unlock value and achieve scale