Thomas Gertin

Carbon Dioxide Utilization in the Desalination Sector in Saudi Arabia: An Opportunity for Achieving Negative Emissions

The global pursuit of sustainable solutions to mitigate climate change has intensified, necessitating innovative approaches that transform traditional carbon-intensive industries into potential carbon sinks. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is a key tool for achieving net-zero targets by 2060 in Saudi Arabia. The country has set targets to achieve 9 megatons per year (Mt/y) of CCUS by 2027 and 44 Mt/y by 2035. Recent work has characterized the Kingdom’s geological carbon dioxide (CO2) potential as around 445 gigatons (Gt), but to date, there has been no detailed analysis of the CO2 utilization potential in the Kingdom. Current research at KAPSARC aims to review existing and emerging CO2 utilization routes relevant to Saudi Arabia. This paper focuses on evaluating the untapped potential for CO2 utilization in the Kingdom’s desalination sector and explores the potential of this sector to become a carbon sink, thus contributing to carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Results show that, by 2030, the desalination sector in Saudi Arabia could store up to 458 million tons of CO2 annually in the brine discharged from desalination plants, transforming brine into a useful product and reducing environmental impacts while also potentially creating negative emissions. The study recommends that policies are introduced to encourage a circular carbon economy (CCE) approach within industry. Policies and regulations supporting the installation of brine recovery equipment as well as CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) are considered a priority for the desalination sector. Encouraging CCU from atmospheric and biogenic origins is attractive as it provides the potential for carbon removals and offsetting in the desalination sector as Saudi Arabia transitions to a net-zero carbon economy.