Seawater Desalination Projects

The NEOM Water Innovation Center has developed sustainable brine concrete by repurposing the concentrated byproduct of seawater desalination into eco-friendly building materials. This initiative, which grew out of laboratory research conducted with TU Delft, uses brine sourced from NEOM’s Duba desalination plant and advanced 3D-printing processes supported by industrial partner TAMVINCI and marine-restoration specialist Topian. The project aligns with NEOM’s broader water-technology agenda, focusing on zero waste and resource recovery within a circular water economy framework.

The brine concrete formulation combines desalination brine with supplementary cementitious materials—such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag and calcined clay—to achieve substantial sustainability gains. Compared to conventional concrete, it reduces freshwater usage by up to 75%, lowers cement consumption by 35%, and cuts CO₂ emissions by 35%. To accommodate brine’s corrosive properties, the 3D-printing system employs corrosion-resistant components and a dual-composite pumping approach: one stream mixes low-concentration brine with Portland cement, while the other delivers concentrated brine. The resulting material exhibits compressive strengths suitable for structural applications and large-scale art installations, marking a significant advance in circular construction practices.