December 4, 2019, Boston, MA – The International Desalination and Reuse Association is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with the Saline Water Conversion Cooperation (SWCC) for the International Workshop on Innovations in Ocean Brine Mining for Rare Metals and Minerals, taking place on October 6-7, 2020, in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Organized by the Desalination Technologies Research Institute of SWCC under the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Agriculture of KSA, the workshop aims to provide a forum for expert scientists, applied researchers, practitioners, and innovators to share their latest technologies and experience of mineral and metal extraction. The focus of the presentations will be technologies and systems that are advanced to the point of proof-of-concept and beyond, with the potential to yield minerals and rare metals at a lower cost than that of earth mining and conventional methods of production.

This by-invitation-only event will provide a unique forum to experts and innovators in the field of ocean brine mining to share knowledge and experience on leading-edge technologies which convert cost-effectively brine into ocean mineral products and extract rare metals of strategic importance for advanced industries of the future such as lithium, cesium, rubidium, barium.

“Ocean brine mining opens a new era of exploration of the vast water resources of our planet. During the last two decades, advances in desalination technology and resource recovery science have made desalination plant concentrate an  important and largely untapped source of minerals and rare metals. With this International Workshop, SWCC is taking the initiative to open a new path towards turning brine into a precious commercial asset and bringing zero liquid discharge one step closer to reality” said the Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, H.E., Eng. Ali Al Hazmi.

“The question of Ocean Brine Mining continues to be key in developing a sustainable future, and the IDRA applauds the Saline Water Conversion Corporation for taking a lead role on this important subject.” said IDRA Secretary General, Ms. Shannon McCarthy.

The workshop’s Day 1 Program is entitled, “Technologies for Ocean Brine Concentration and Zero Liquid Discharge,” exploring themes such as State of the Art of Thermal Brine Concentration, Brine Concentration for Harvesting of Minerals, and The Future of Brine Concentration – Next Generation Technologies. Day 2, “Technologies for Ocean Brine Mining of Minerals and Metals,” will include a two-part keynote address, “State of the Art Mineral Mining – What Minerals at What Cost?” in addition to exploring themes such as “Market Survey for Ocean Brine Minerals,” “Advanced Technologies for Mining Rare Minerals,” and “Cast Studies for Mining of Rare Metals from Ocean Brine.”

All technologies presented at the workshop are eligible for three cash awards of 10,000 USD in the following categories: Award for Advanced Brine Concentration Technology, Award for Advanced Mineral Extraction Technology, and Award for Advanced Rare Metals Extraction Technology. In addition, two researchers will be awarded a 6-month DTRI Scholarship for the funding and pilot testing of their research at the DTRI center in Jubail.

All abstracts are due by December 31, 2019 and can be sent to Dr. Christopher Michael Fellows, Senior Expert with the DTRI, at CMichael@swcc.gov.sa. Shortlisted authors will be notified by January 15, with presentations and papers due on March 15. More information can be found here.