The Concept of the Patent is based on Designing an Innovative Pipe as Part of a Polluted Water Dilution and Distribution System

Through the Office of Patents and Intellectual Rights at the Office of Vice President for Research, and with efforts of Acting Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Research and Graduate studies at the Faculty of Life Sciences Prof. Bade Shafaqa Al-Anezi, Kuwait University registered a Patent from the US Patents Office of the US Department of Commerce, entitled: Effluent Dispenser System

Prof. Al-Anezi was honored by Acting Kuwait University President Prof. Fahad Al-Rashidi, in the presence of Acting Vice President for Research Prof. Othman Al-Khudir, and Assistant Vice President for External Research Collaboration and Consultation Dr. Haneen Al-Ghabra. This ceremony took place on Monday, 22 of May 2023.

In this context, the inventor Prof. Bader Al-Anezi, explained that the continuous discharge of polluted liquid waste from factories and desalination plants into sea water has led to the deterioration of marine life over the years. For example, concentrated brine rejected from desolation plants is a highly saline liquid waste discharged from the plants by pumps to the outer sea surface, which ends up settling on the sea floor without mixing or diluting due to its high density, and this unfortunately has harmed organisms in sea water.

Prof. Al-Anezi also added: through my research, which was supported by both the government and private sectors, I sought to address this phenomenon and manage the rejected brine from various desalination plants to reduce its harm to sea water and marine organisms, as well as its effect on the efficiency of the desalination process. As part of the rejected saline water management, I presented an innovative method by using the “Plunging Liquid Jet Reactor (PLJR)” technology as a distributor of rejected brine from desalination plants. This technology is characterized by its low cost and its double treatment with high efficiency as a ventilation device to raise the proportion of dissolved oxygen in the water, and mixing the expelled brine with external seawater to reduce its concentration, preventing it from settling on the sea floor, which provides a practical solution to the current situation in Kuwait and other places in the world.

In addition to the above, one of the challenges in (CPLJR) is the liquid saturated with oxygen gas that comes out from the bottom of the descending tube, especially if the tube is long. This is due to the fact that the gas in the air bubbles will have a longer contact time with the surrounding liquids inside the descending tube, which leads to the transfer of a high mass of gas from the bubble to the surrounding liquid resulting in the exit of a liquid saturated with oxygen gas almost from the bottom of the tube, which also constitutes a greater challenge when using (CPLJR) as a distributor and diffuser in the downstream to get rid of polluted water.

Prof. Al-Anizi continued explaining: In the current invention, we overcame the previous challenges by designing an innovative Downcomer as part of the Effluent Dispenser System to replace the traditional Downcomer used previously. The innovation pipe is equipped with arms that allow the entry of unventilated and clean water from the surrounding liquid to mix with polluted water at the start of the aeration process, and it is diluted inside the downward pipe, that is before it exits from the bottom of the downward pipe (Downcomer), to aerate as much of the surrounding water as possible without increasing the cost.

On his part, Acting Vice President for Research, Prof. Othman Al-Khudir congratulated the inventor Prof. Bader Al-Anezi for obtaining a new patent registered for Kuwait University.

Assistant Vice President for External Research Collaboration and Consultation, Dr. Haneen Al-Ghabra expressed her pride in having Kuwaiti researchers with such distinguished capabilities who are qualified to obtain 24 patents, raising the status of Kuwait University among international universities. Dr. Haneen also added that this invention funded by the Research Sector contributes directly to the development systems currently used in the State of Kuwait for water desalination. She also extended her thanks to those who contributed to the realization of this invention, which falls in line with the quality standards sought by Kuwait University.