UAE innovation transforms desalination brine and waste into low-carbon construction materials

A UAE-based research team has developed a patented process which transforms desalination brine, carbon dioxide, and sulphur waste from the oil and gas industry into low-carbon construction materials , adding another piece to the Gulf’s growing ambitions for a circular economy.

The project, led collaboratively by researchers from Zayed University and the United Arab Emirates University, focuses on a technique that captures carbon and stabilises it within mineral compounds. The team explains that their method also creates building products utilising two of the region’s most persistent waste streams: the salty discharge from seawater desalination, and sulphur accumulated during refining and gas treatment processes.

According to the researchers, the patent was awarded in the United States after years of laboratory and applied research. The effort brings together Dr Maissa Al Jamal from Zayed University, along with Dr Ali Al Marzooqi, Dr Ameera Mohamed, and Dr Nuran Hussein Mousa from the United Arab Emirates University.

Dr Al Jamal mentioned to Emirates Today that the idea was sparked by the sheer scale of the brine challenge in the region. Desalination remains vital across the Gulf, but it produces vast amounts of highly concentrated saline waste. Instead of just seeing that residue as a problem, the team aimed to convert it into a feedstock for construction materials. Honestly, that’s a pretty clever way of tackling two issues at once.

The core of their process is something called hydrocarbonation , a method that enables carbon dioxide to react with alkaline substances and salts extracted from industrial waste. The bottom line? It results in a stable carbonate material which traps carbon in solid form. In practice, the team claims, this approach transforms carbon from a harmful emission into a resource for manufacturing.

This concept aligns closely with the UAE’s broader climate and resource-efficiency plans. The country wants to cut the carbon intensity of its industries and construction sectors, while also pushing the adoption of technologies that promote circular use of materials. Construction, being one of the most emissions-heavy parts of the economy, remains a key focus , especially as the search for alternatives to traditional cement continues among developers, researchers, and policymakers alike.

What’s interesting is that this UAE project forms part of a larger regional effort to make better use of waste streams that were once considered too costly or tricky to reuse. Just earlier this year, Singapore-based MediSun Energy partnered with EMSTEEL in the UAE on something called Project Elixir, which aims to convert desalination brine into renewable blue energy and magnesium carbonate. They’re also testing magnesium carbonate as a possible substitute for dololime in electric arc furnaces, highlighting how brine can be turned into both energy and raw materials.

Other initiatives follow a similar path. Dubai Holding’s sustainability challenge in 2024 was won by Norwegian startup Othalo , a company with a patented tech that can turn most plastics into a material claimed to be over seven times stronger than concrete. Their first Dubai project is an educational hub built entirely from recycled plastic, aiming to demonstrate how waste can be rethought as a high-value construction component.

Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, ARDH Collective, a design studio, has been developing Dunecrete , a low-carbon concrete alternative made with local desert sand and using half the amount of cement typically required. They’ve also launched Dateform, a solid surface material made from date seeds. Both projects are part of a wider effort to reduce reliance on imported, emissions-intensive materials, and to create a regional materials economy based on local waste and natural resources.

There are even industrial-scale efforts happening. Emirates RDF in Umm Al Quwain has been set up through a public-private partnership. It’s designed to convert household waste from Ajman and Umm Al Quwain into fuel for cement factories. Handling up to 1,000 tonnes of waste a day, the facility reduces landfill use and replaces some of the fossil fuel needed in cement kilns.

What makes this university-led innovation stand out, though, is its integration of waste treatment, carbon capture, and materials production in a single process. Dr Ameera Mohamed explained that their research didn’t just focus on brine and carbon dioxide , they also looked at sulphur from oil refining and natural gas processing. That sulphur was then utilised in producing sulphur concrete, a tough material known for its resilience in aggressive environments.

Dr Nuran Hussein Mousa added that early results show the sulphur concrete has excellent resistance to corrosion, salinity, and harsh weather conditions. This could make it ideal for coastal infrastructure, sewage systems, industrial facilities, and waste containment structures , places where normal concrete often struggles against chemicals or saltwater.

These potential uses are especially relevant in the UAE, where coastal urbanisation, desalination infrastructure, and industrial expansion all drive demand for materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions. A construction material that not only performs well in saline environments but also reduces emissions could be quite appealing for developers and government planners alike.

The local availability of raw materials lends a strategic advantage to this technology, according to the team. The UAE produces significant quantities of desalination brine and sulphur, and increasingly sees carbon dioxide as a resource, something to be captured and utilised rather than just released into the atmosphere. By linking these waste streams in a single process, the researchers believe they can create both industrial value and meaningful environmental benefits.

The US patent affirms this work’s validity and might pave the way for commercial applications. For the UAE’s climate tech sector, it’s yet another signal of the country’s familiar but increasingly advanced approach: transforming waste, emissions, and by-products into the foundations of emerging industries.