Doha, Qatar: The PlasmaPure team at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) has advanced to the Semifinals of XPRIZE Water Scarcity in both Track A: Desalination – System-Level Innovation and Track B: Desalination – Novel Materials and Methods. It is one of only three teams worldwide and the only team from the Gulf region to reach this stage in both technical tracks.
The achievement marks a major milestone for the University at the competition, and further highlights Qatar’s growing status as a hub for research and innovation, particularly in the development of next-generation desalination systems and materials. It underscores HBKU’s commitment to advancing research that addresses critical challenges facing Qatar and water-stressed regions globally. Through QEERI’s Water Centre, the University is developing technologies that support more sustainable water production, resource recovery, and water security in arid environments.
XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a global, multi-year competition that aims to transform seawater desalination by making it more reliable, affordable, and sustainable. The competition attracted 674 pre-registrations from 86 countries, with 143 teams progressing to the Qualified Team stage for rigorous technical evaluation and physical testing.
The PlasmaPure team, led by Research Director of QEERI’s Water Centre, Dr. Khaled Mahmoud brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers. It builds upon collaborations with HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE), the University of Montreal, and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS Canada).
For Track A, PlasmaPure is developing an integrated desalination platform that combines multiple technologies to improve water recovery, reduce energy and environmental impacts, and enable the management and recovery of valuable resources from concentrated brine. For Track B, the team is developing bio-inspired reverse osmosis membranes designed for challenging desalination conditions. Inspired by sharkskin, the membranes feature engineered surfaces designed to reduce fouling and scaling while improving water transport, with a focus on the high-salinity and high-temperature conditions encountered in the Gulf.
“Reaching the semifinals in both XPRIZE Tracks A and B is a testament to QEERI’s commitment to research excellence and innovation. PlasmaPure demonstrates how integrating advanced materials with desalination systems can unlock new pathways for more sustainable water production,” said Dr. Tareq Al Ansari, Executive Director, QEERI. “Our focus now is on advancing this technology beyond the laboratory, scaling it toward real-world deployment and contributing to long-term water security.”
