Brackish water RO
Saline wells for irrigation and drinking water. Recovery is limited by scaling of calcium, sulphate and silica, not by pressure.
- Typical feed
- 2,000–10,000 mg/L
- Typical recovery
- 70–90 %
SECTOR · DESALINATION
Desalination: fresh water from saline wells and the sea
We design, build and run reverse-osmosis units for farms, villages, resorts and factories — from a single saline well to a coastal plant — with membranes from our partner Clariphex (Czech Republic).
Why desalination now
Across Egypt’s new agricultural lands, more and more wells are too saline for crops or for drinking. On the Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts, resorts and communities depend on the sea. And industry needs water of a quality that local sources cannot give.
Reverse osmosis has become the first choice for all three: today more than 70 % of the world’s desalination capacity is RO, and the cost of membranes and of the energy behind them keeps falling — especially where the power comes from the sun.
We bring the full chain together: the water analysis and membrane projection, the high-pressure pumps, the solar power and the controls — and we stay for operation, cleaning and membrane replacement.
70 %+
of global desalination capacity is reverse osmosis
10–5,000
m³/day per unit — larger on special design
21
Clariphex membrane series in our range
30 %
less power, at most, with energy recovery on seawater RO
Four technologies, one supplier
Each source needs its own membrane and its own design. These are the four families we work with.
Seawater RO
Coastal plants and beach wells. Only membranes with 99.3 % rejection or more make drinking water in one pass; energy recovery is almost always worth it.
- Typical feed
- 35,000 ppm and more
- Typical recovery
- 35–45 %
Nanofiltration
Removes hardness, sulphate, colour and organics while keeping part of the minerals — at much lower pressure than RO.
- Typical feed
- Hard or coloured water
- Typical recovery
- High
Wastewater, ZLD & industry
Effluent recovery, brine concentration up to 290,000 ppm, acid recovery and hot-sanitised pharmaceutical and food systems.
- Typical feed
- High COD, brine, acids
- Typical recovery
- Up to zero discharge
How a reverse-osmosis unit works
- 01IntakeWell, sea intake or beach well
- 02Pre-treatmentMedia and cartridge filtration, antiscalant dosing
- 03High-pressure pumpC.R.I. pumps, VFD control, energy recovery on seawater
- 04MembranesSpiral-wound elements in FRP pressure vessels
- 05Post-treatmentBlending or remineralisation, UV disinfection
- 06Storage & useIrrigation, drinking or process water
Concentrate (brine) → safe disposal, evaporation ponds or ZLD
Brackish vs seawater: the design numbers
| Brackish water | Seawater | |
|---|---|---|
| Feed salinity | 2,000–10,000 mg/L | above 35,000 ppm |
| Osmotic pressure | ≈ 0.76 bar per 1,000 ppm | ≈ 24 bar (brine up to ≈ 41 bar) |
| Operating pressure | 10–20 bar typical | 55–70 bar |
| Recovery | 70–90 % | 35–45 % |
| Main limit | Scaling (Ca, SO₄, SiO₂) | Brine osmotic pressure |
| Pre-treatment | Cartridge filters, antiscalant | Media filtration or beach wells, antiscalant, disinfection |
| Energy recovery | Rarely needed | Almost always — up to 30 % saving |
Indicative ranges for design discussions; every plant is sized on its own water analysis.
What we build
01
Packaged units
Skid-mounted, containerised (mobile) or stationary plants from 10 to 5,000 m³/day; the container doubles as the shipping package.
02
Pre-treatment
Media and cartridge filtration, antiscalant and acid dosing designed on the full water analysis.
03
Pumps & energy recovery
High-pressure pumps with variable-speed drives; energy recovery devices on seawater plants.
04
Solar power
PV arrays and drives sized so the unit runs on sunshine — ideal for remote wells.
05
Cleaning & disinfection
Built-in CIP system for membrane cleaning; UV disinfection to avoid chlorine and dechlorination steps.
06
Controls & monitoring
PLC with an easy HMI, flow and conductivity metering, and remote monitoring; custom control on request.
07
Materials
PVC and PP on low-pressure lines, duplex stainless steel on high-pressure lines for long life in salt water.
08
Operation & membranes
Operator training, cleaning programmes, consumables and membrane replacement from stock.
CLARIPHEX · CZECH REPUBLIC
Membranes from Clariphex
Clariphex is a Czech company of engineers that manufactures RO, nanofiltration and special membranes based on advanced US thin-film composite technology. Every element is performance-tested — salt rejection, flux, pressure drop and mechanical integrity — and carries a unique code for full traceability.
BRANEXBrackish water ROLow energy, fouling-resistant and high-rejection elements for wells and industry.
MARISSeawater ROHigh rejection and boron removal, with low-energy and fouling-resistant versions.
NEOFLUXNanofiltrationCut-offs of 90, 150, 280 and 500 Dalton for softening and separation.
FORTEXWastewater & ZLDHigh-COD effluents and brine concentration to zero liquid discharge.
CHEMXAcids & high temperatureAcid recovery, metal separation and hot-sanitised systems.
Who we serve
- Farms and land-reclamation projects on saline wells
- Water companies and remote villages
- Resorts, ports and coastal communities
- Power plants — boiler feed water
- Oil, gas and petrochemical sites
- Pharmaceutical, food and beverage plants
- Paint, coating and finishing industries
Built to recognised standards
Clariphex packaged desalination systems and their components follow:
- EN 14652:2005+A1:2007 — membrane separation devices
- EN 16421
- ISO 23446
- Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
- Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU
- Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184
Our water treatment work
All projects- Damietta Water & Wastewater Co. (2023)El Manasra wastewater treatment plant, Port Said — 2,000 m³/day.
- Qena Water & Wastewater Co.Drinking-water plants (2015) and six compact plants in Dishna, Abu Tesht and Nag Hammadi (2021).
- Aswan Water — Edfu & Nasr El Nuba (2022)Rehabilitation of 20 compact surface-water treatment plants.
Questions about desalination
What do you need from me to design a unit?
A full chemical analysis of the water (TDS, hardness, silica, iron, manganese, sulphate and others), the daily volume and the quality you need. We then run a membrane projection and propose the unit.
Can desalinated water be used for irrigation?
Yes. We set the salinity for the crop and often blend RO water with raw water to reach the target at a lower cost per cubic metre.
Can the plant run on solar power?
Yes. Low-energy membranes such as BRANEX LE and XLE cut the pumping power, and we size the PV array and drives so the unit runs through daylight hours, with storage tanks for the rest of the day.
What happens to the brine?
Depending on volume and site we design evaporation ponds, approved disposal or blending — and for industry, brine concentration with FORTEX membranes up to zero liquid discharge.
How long do the membranes last?
It depends on the feed water, pre-treatment and operation. Good pre-treatment and timely cleaning with the built-in CIP system are what keep membranes performing; we monitor normalised flow and plan cleaning and replacement.
Do you supply membranes only?
Yes. We supply Clariphex elements for existing plants and can propose equivalents for elements already installed, based on your operating data.
Supplying projects in Egypt and across Africa
We export this range from Egypt to projects throughout Africa — Sudan, Libya, Chad, Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and beyond — with selection support, export documents and after-sales service.
Export to AfricaTell us about your water
Send us your water analysis and the volume you need per day — our engineers will reply with a membrane projection and a budget proposal.