MagNa presents technical roadmap for brine valorisation at its first public event

The European project MagNa has held its first dissemination event under the title “Reimagining Desalination: the Potential of Brines”. The event, which took place on May 27 in Barcelona, brought together industry experts, researchers and stakeholders to analyse the potential of transforming desalination effluents into valuable resources.

The event featured leading experts who shared their experience and knowledge on brine valorisation. José Luis Cortina (UPC) shared insights from previous brine valorisation initiatives, highlighting lessons learned and future opportunities. On the other hand. Oriol Domènech (MaxiSalt) presented the Salt Innovation Hub and its role in promoting innovation across the salt value chain, whereas Catherine Corriveau (EIT RawMaterials) addressed the strategic importance of secondary raw material sources in strengthening Europe’s resource resilience.

The highlight of the event was a round table discussion titled “The Industrial Value of Desalination Brines”, moderated by Marina Arnaldos, Managing Director of Cetaqua Barcelona. Representatives from ATL, MaxiSalt, AITASA, Covestro and Solvay exchanged perspectives on the opportunities and challenges associated with brine valorisation.

The discussion explored whether desalination brines should be viewed as a resource with untapped economic potential rather than an effluent that requires management. Participants also examined market perspectives on using alternative sources like brines for commodity production and discussed how geographical location and logistics impact the choice of raw material sources.

MagNa is led by Cetaqua-Technology Centre in collaboration with AITASA (Aigües Industrials de Tarragona, S.A.), Veolia and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and is co-funded by the EU’s EIT RawMaterials programme.

The opinions and materials presented in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the entities that financially support the project.