KU Affairs

Global Water and Wastewater Technology Experts Gathering in Abu Dhabi for LET 2014

September 21, 2018

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 14 May, 2014 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, and the International Water Association (IWA) today announced that global water and wastewater technology experts will be gathering for the 11th IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies (LET 2014) in Abu Dhabi (www.let2014.org).

The conference, which will highlight advances and developments in water and wastewater technologies, consists of plenary sessions of renowned invited speakers, followed by parallel sessions during the last two days. Taking place from 26-29 May 2014, three workshops will be held at the Masdar Institute campus on the first day while the remaining events will take place at the Yas Marina Events Centre, Abu Dhabi. The LET 2014 conference is co-sponsored by Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau as gold sponsors and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) acts as an institutional partner.

Glen Daigger, President, IWA, said: “The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region, offering a diverse and varied context for our discussions of water needs and solutions. It is also a region with significant water challenges. The conference will highlight the new technologies and the best practices that will enable the water sector to overcome these challenges and provide safe water and sanitation. I am personally looking forward to a thought-provoking and highly useful experience at the 2014 LET in Abu Dhabi.”

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “We are proud to partner with leading global and regional institutions to focus on water and other areas of strategic importance to the UAE. The support of the UAE leadership continues to enable us to organize international events that gather various stakeholders in Abu Dhabi. We hope the knowledge exchange at LET 2014 will bring solutions that help the region face challenges in this sector.”

Dr. Jorge Rodríguez, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Masdar Institute, is the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the conference, while Mark van Loosdrecht, professor in Environmental Biotechnology, TU Delft, The Netherlands, chairs the Program Committee.

The three workshops at Masdar Institute will cover areas such as biofouling of membrane systems, international trends in sustainable water reuse technologies, and exploring the oil and gas innovation landscape. KAUST and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) will organize the first workshop while WateReuse Association and BlueTech Research will be organizing the second and third workshops respectively.

The plenary sessions will feature renowned industry experts including Dr. Walid Abderrahman, Professor of Water Resources Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Mark van Loosdrecht, Professor, Environmental Biotechnology, TU Delft.

Other experts to attend the event include Dr. Doulaye Koné, Senior Program Officer, on the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Program (Global Development), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Samer Adham, Manager of Water Solutions, ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas, and Prof. Tony Fane, Director-Mentor, Singapore Membrane Technology Centre/Nanyang Technological University (SMTC/NTU), Singapore.

Some of the conference themes will include biofilms processes, catalysis and nanotechnology-assisted processes, low-energy and renewable energy-driven desalination technologies, managed aquifer recharge, new directions and technology trends in water reclamation and reuse, resource recovery from water, energy-positive wastewater treatment, as well as urban infrastructure and water sensitive city.

Delegates registration is still open till 20th May at www.let2014.org.