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Revolutionizing water treatment: UAE's Arada is partnering for sustainable water
Arada, a real estate developer, is partnering with Biopolus and Metito to introduce a sustainable water treatment technology to the UAE and the Middle East. The joint venture aims to upgrade the Biopolus technology, and create a global hub for the process. The initiative supports Arada's goal to be a leader in sustainable development.
Arada, a real estate developer, has partnered with Hungarian water tech firm Biopolus, Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP), and global water management solutions provider Metito to establish a research and development (R&D) facility in Sharjah. The facility will introduce a sustainable water treatment technology to the UAE and the wider Middle East region. The joint venture aims to upgrade the current Biopolus technology, and test and patent it for use in Sharjah projects. The R&D facility will be used as a laboratory for students and researchers to study ecological engineering and circular economy principles in a practical and hands-on manner.
The partnership will also lead to the construction and operation of a water treatment plant that will recycle and produce treated water for use in irrigating landscapes in Aljada and SRTIP. The plant will use the Biopolus Metabolic Network Reactor (MNR) technology, which mimics natural processes by using artificial root structures containing microbial biofilms to clean water quickly, efficiently, sustainably, and without the use of chemicals.
The Biopolus technology is modular, flexible, and odour-free, making it easy to place in any urban environment and design it in an attractive manner that blends in with its surroundings. The first plant in the Middle East, known as a BioMakery, will be based on a 9,900 square metre plot on the boundary between SRTIP and the Aljada megaproject in Sharjah.
The Sharjah plant will have the capacity to recycle 5,500 cubic metres of water per day, with two additional phases providing the capacity to recycle 16,500 cubic metres per day. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed in April 2024, with US engineering firm Jacobs serving as lead consultant on the project.
Arada's long-term goal is to create an improved 'Biopolus 2.0' version of the technology and turn Sharjah into a global hub for the process. The developer has launched three communities in Sharjah and one in Dubai, all of which have sustainable development components, such as smart city technology, water treatment, and waste management, integrated into their master plans.