Integrated Desalination, CO2 Capture, andEcosystem Regenerationin the Afar Depression.

Integrated Desalination, CO2 Capture, andEcosystem Regenerationin the Afar Depression. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Method Article Integrated Desalination, CO 2 Capture, andEcosystem Regenerationin the Afar Depression. Iñaki Del Amo Castillo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6573159/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This work presents an innovative system designed for the Afar Depression (Ethiopia) to address water scarcity, soil salinity, and climate change mitigation through the capture of CO2. The proposal integrates thermally driven desalination canals, cultivation of microalgae (diatoms, cyanobacteria), and macroalgae on floating buoys, alongside bivalves for water filtration. By leveraging the intense solar radiation and high ambient temperatures, seawater is transported via an above-ground aqueduct to shallow evaporation channels, where salts crystallize and fresh water is collected by condensation. Initial simulations suggest that a 100-hectare pilot project can capture up to 1,000 t of CO2 per year while producing significant volumes of fresh water and valuable biomass. The concept is modular and can be scaled to other arid coastal regions, contributing significantly to global carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration efforts. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6573159","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Method Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":595145585,"identity":"b668c52b-8e39-4ab7-b556-b135aeca2757","order_by":0,"name":"Iñaki Del Amo Castillo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAw0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCAzwMDHJgxgNStBiDGQlEWwPUktgAYhClhX/28YsH3lQcTp8fdvgh0BY7Od0GAlokzuUUHJxzJi134+00A6CWZGOzA4SsOcOTcJi3zSZ34+wEkJYDidsIaZGHaJFIN5yd/oE4LQZn2A+AbEmQl84h0hbDMzwMIL8YbpDOKTiQYECEX+TOsD/+AAwxefnZ6Zs/fKiwkyPsfQYeA4gLwSoNCCoHAfYHYEq+gSjVo2AUjIJRMBIBAH+jSZ1rXso0AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Iñaki","middleName":"Del Amo","lastName":"Castillo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-01 16:08:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6573159/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6573159/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103506437,"identity":"3d988339-6121-4b20-827f-82155c01f32f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 13:36:30","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":599055,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"IntegratedDesalinationV2.1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6573159/v1_covered_262c6fe6-eaff-4eac-ba1d-3827020c3d7c.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eIntegrated Desalination, CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e Capture, andEcosystem Regenerationin the Afar Depression.\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6573159/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6573159/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This work presents an innovative system designed for the Afar Depression (Ethiopia) to address water scarcity, soil salinity, and climate change mitigation through the capture of CO2. 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