Digital twins can ensure sustainable practices. (Image source: Canva Pro)

Gregg Herrin, Bentley Systems vice president for water, pens a piece on how digital twins can ensure sustainable practices and help conserve water. This is the first in a three-part series of his op-ed, which has been slightly edited for brevity. Read on. 

When thinking about climate change, it is both accurate and enlightening to view the global environmental challenge as, primarily, a water crisis.

Climate change impacts water in several ways: regional droughts, dried-up lakes and riverbeds, torrential rain storms and floods, diminished water quality due to chemical or wastewater runoff, and overall concerns about water security.

These broad and multifaceted water problems are detrimental both to human health and our ecosystem.

As climate change continues to impact our natural resources and weather patterns, the need for sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for water management has never been direr.

Data-driven sustainability

Infrastructure digital twins offer some novel pathways for responding to the current global challenges related to water management.

Technologies such as smart meters, real-time data and predictive analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and digital twins can assist in water management projects through better monitoring and prediction, as well as improved decision-making capabilities, resulting in less water waste and protection against contamination of water supplies.

While other infrastructure areas, such as transportation and energy, have begun utilising digital twins more broadly, adoption has been somewhat slower in water management.

This slower adoption is often due to the complexity of water systems, the need for extensive data integration, and the traditionally conservative nature of the water management sector when it comes to adopting new technologies.

However, there are several key factors that are encouraging a more open stance toward the adoption of new technologies, including digital twins.

These include increasing regulatory and environmental pressures, ageing infrastructure with the need for modernisation, advancements in data collection and analytics, and increased focus on resilience and sustainability.

Proven success from early adopters of digital twin solutions is also helping drive confidence in the technology’s potential.

Check out the second part here.

This LLDPE grade ensures durability and reliability. (Image source: Canva)

OQ, Oman’s integrated energy group, has launched Luban LL-8446.21, an advanced rotomoulding polymer aimed at addressing critical water storage challenges worldwide.

Debuting at Arabplast 2025, the polymer is engineered to produce durable water tanks and storage solutions, with a focus on communities in regions suffering from acute water shortages.

As water scarcity intensifies due to climate change and population growth, Luban LL-8446.21 offers a practical, long-term solution for creating resilient infrastructure. This LLDPE grade ensures durability and reliability, making it a vital resource for water-stressed areas globally.

Rotomoulded articles made from OQ Luban LL-8446.21 provide superior environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) and weatherability, positioning them as a sustainable alternative to traditional materials. This advanced polymer is designed for durability, ensuring long-term performance even in harsh environmental conditions. It is particularly well-suited for critical applications such as water tanks and agricultural storage, offering reliable solutions for water security.

The material’s advanced processing features enable reduced cooking times during production, leading to significant energy savings for manufacturers. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also lowers the carbon footprint associated with production. Additionally, its lightweight and resource-efficient properties help conserve energy during manufacturing, transportation, and installation.

OQ’s Luban LL-8446.21, a versatile rotomoulding-grade polymer with over 100 global customer approvals, has earned a nomination for the 2024 OPAL Best Practices Award for addressing water and food security challenges. Beyond water tanks, the material is used in applications such as traffic barriers, consumer goods, and durable products. OQ continues to innovate with advanced material development to expand its application scope and enhance performance.

“Water scarcity remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and Luban LL-8446.21 reflects our commitment to addressing this issue with solutions that benefit communities and industries,” said Abdul Rahman Al Tamtami, Vice President of Global Marketing at OQ.

“This OPAL nomination showcases the strong impact of Luban LL-8446.21 on both our business and the industries it serves,” said Sadiq Al Lawati, Managing Director of Polymer Marketing at OQ. “It is a testament to our dedication to providing sustainable and high value solutions to our customers.”

Al Masaood will be the sole distributor of the technology. (Image source: Al Masaood)

Al Masaood Group’s Projects, Engineering, and Services Division (PESD) has entered into an exclusive agency agreement with Hengst Air Filtration Middle East, the regional subsidiary of Hengst Filtration Germany.

This collaboration designates Al Masaood as the sole distributor for Hengst’s advanced gas turbine and turbomachinery filtration systems within the UAE.

Hengst, a globally recognised leader in filtration and fluid management, operates across 26 locations with a workforce exceeding 3,700. The company’s solutions include innovative carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technology, which captures CO2 directly on-site and converts it for reuse, eliminating the logistical challenges associated with transporting liquid CO2.

Hani El Tannir, CEO of Al Masaood Group Industrial, said,  “This collaboration with Hengst reflects Al Masaood’s strategic focus on sustainability and innovation. Together, we aim to introduce advanced filtration technologies that support cleaner and more efficient industrial processes in the UAE."

Vijay Thomas, managing director of Hengst Air Filtration Middle East, said, “Partnering with Al Masaood Group is a significant step in bringing our advanced filtration technologies to the UAE. This collaboration reflects our dedication to delivering sustainable solutions that drive innovation and support the transition to a greener, more efficient future.”

The facility by Cannon Artes. (Image source: Cannon Artes)

Cannon Artes is constructing an advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse plant within one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the Middle East.

The facility, designed to support the water recovery requirements of a major polyolefin plant in Qatar, will process up to 25,000 cubic metres of effluent and cooling-tower-blow-down water daily. With a recovery capacity of 780 cubic metres per hour, the plant significantly reduces discharge rates, achieving nearly 80% water reuse.

This far exceeds regulatory standards. The facility is part of a nearly US$2bn project to establish a new polyethylene plant. The plant, designed with two polymerisation units and an annual capacity of nearly 2 million tons, incorporates advanced membrane technologies to manage industrial wastewater and cooling water blowdown.

Industrial effluents are treated using Cannon Artes’ proprietary EmbioArt Membrane BioReactor (MBR), while cooling water blowdown is processed with ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies. The facility has a total treatment capacity of approximately 1,000 cubic metres per hour.

The project also includes a 600 cubic metre-per-hour remineralisation plant, equipped with six advanced calcite filters. This system increases pH and reduces the corrosivity of recovered water, setting a new benchmark for industrial remineralisation technology.

Sustainable operations

The Qatar project highlights Cannon Artes’ capability to execute large-scale, complex contracts. The company handled every aspect, from process design to procurement, manufacturing, assembly, testing, and delivery. All components were customised to meet client specifications, integrating cutting-edge technologies like EmbioArt MBR, UF, and RO for maximum efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Construction commenced in August 2024, with infrastructure expected to be completed within six months by early 2025. Full mechanical completion is slated for Q4 2025, demonstrating an impressive timeline given the project's complexity.

With projects delivered in more than 80 countries, the company has provided customised solutions to industries including oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and food and beverage, solidifying its reputation for excellence in industrial water management.

“Cannon Artes was chosen as the supplier of choice earlier this year, due to our proven ability to deliver large-scale and complex industrial wastewater treatment solutions that meet the highest environmental and efficiency standards,” said Alessio Liati, sales director at Cannon Artes. “To give an idea of the project’s scale, the water treatment plant alone spans an area comparable to three football fields, with more than 1,600 reverse osmosis membranes, 360 ultrafiltration modules, and over 17,000 sqm of active MBR membrane surface.”