The University of La Laguna (ULL) plays a key role in the IDIWATER project through its research on the effects of desalinated water on agricultural soils.
At the La Laja experimental farm (Buenavista del Norte, Tenerife), researchers are studying the performance of different crops irrigated with desalinated water and gallery water, as well as the impact of fertigation and biocontrol products on soil properties.
“Everything revolves around water and improving the efficiency of desalinated water production,” explains Deivis Ávila, PhD Associate Professor in the Department of Manufacturing Process Engineering at the University of La Laguna and the institution’s lead researcher for the project. Ávila highlights that desalination has been fundamental to the development of both tourism and agriculture in the Canary Islands, particularly on islands such as Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, where a large share of the water supply comes from desalination plants. “In Lanzarote, 99% of the water consumed is desalinated water,” he notes.
IDIWATER is also working on predictive maintenance through smart tools that enable the anticipation of equipment failures and the optimisation of desalination plant performance. In addition, the project promotes circular economy approaches, with particular attention to the valorisation of brine generated during the desalination process. This by-product, characterised by its high salt content, is currently underutilised, and research is being conducted to explore potential applications and value-added uses.
The project, which will participate in the International Conference on Desalination and Renewable Energy to be held in El Hierro from 10 to 13 November, also includes training, mobility and knowledge-exchange activities with African countries such as Cape Verde, Senegal, Mauritania and Ghana. These actions involve research and student exchanges, training courses in the Canary Islands, and the installation of desalination plants for research and educational purposes in these territories.
The IDIWATER project, co-financed by the Interreg MAC 2021–2027 Programme, is integrated into the DESAL+ Living Lab Platform, a collaborative research and innovation ecosystem focused on advancing desalination technologies and their integration into sustainable water management solutions.
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