Rasha Basil Saffarini

Solar-powered membrane distillation (SP-MD) desalination systems have been proposed as promising technology in off-grid areas with strong solar radiation. However, despite the various SP-MD pilot systems constructed and tested over the past two decades, such systems have not been commercialized or implemented on a large scale yet. The objective of...

In certain applications, such as membrane distillation (MD), one key parameters affecting the process performance is liquid entry pressure (LEP) of the porous membranes. In this work, three 0.2-μm commercial expanded polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) membranes were evaluated for wetting behavior under MD conditions. The effect of temperature on microst...

Economic evaluation was carried out to understand the main contributors to water production cost in solar-powered membrane distillation (SP-MD) systems. Three SP-MD systems (Direct Contact (DCMD), Air Gap (AGMD), and Vacuum (VMD)) were modeled and economically analyzed. A parametric study was conducted on the AGMD, the most frequently used SP-MD co...

The capability to observe soil moisture frequently and over large regions could significantly enhance our ability to monitor vegetation conditions over time and space. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of soil moisture, temperature, and humidity variations on vegetation conditions in the UAE. Visible and near-infrared channels...

Wastewater treatment plants generate large amount of solid wastes on a regular basis. These waste solids contain large amount of organic matter, nutrients and heavy metal. When disposed, these materials leach unwanted quantities of nutrients and heavy metals in the nearby water bodies. It subsequently, causes deterioration of aquatic and ecosystem...