Fisia Italimpianti participates in the Global Water Summit: Matteo Buzzetti presents the vision of the future of desalination

At the Leadership Panel on the future of desalination at the opening of the Global Water Summit, Matteo Buzzetti spoke, offering a strategic vision of the evolution of the sector and the role of Fisia Italimpianti in the coming years.

One of the central themes was the potential of desalination as a source not only of fresh water, but also of minerals. Brine mining – the recovery of salts and metals from the salt concentrate produced by plants – represents an interesting opportunity for the future. Potentially extractable minerals include sodium chloride, magnesium hydroxide, potassium sulphate, boron, lithium, strontium, calcium and rubidium. Although the current available technologies (such as selective chemical precipitation, fractional crystallization, membrane distillation and high-pressure reverse osmosis) are not yet economically competitive - due to high extraction costs and low concentrations - it is an issue that will have to be taken into consideration in the future.

For the desalination market, growth of between 8% and 10% is expected over a five-year period, driven by climate factors and the increase in water demand. In particular, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East will be the geographical areas with the greatest expansion, the latter also thanks to the strong economic push underway.

Fisia Italimpianti will continue to play a leading role in the sector, consolidating its leadership and aiming to strengthen its presence also in the operational management of the plants, thanks to the support and integration with the Webuild Group. One of the most important challenges will be the integration between desalination plants and renewable energy, with the aim of reducing the use of fossil fuels and improving the environmental sustainability of the processes.