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New innovation uses nanotechnology to boost rainfall in arid regions and beyond.
His Excellency Dr Abdullah Al Mandoos, Director of the NCMS: "this patent demonstrates how our Program is succeeding in helping to boost water security for those at risk around the world".
Abu Dhabi-UAE – One of awardees of the First Cycle of the prestigious UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has filed a provisional patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a promising new application of nanotechnology to cloud seeding techniques.
Dr Linda Zou, Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and one of the three awardees of the First Cycle of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, is investigating the possibility of increasing rainfall through engineering unique nanostructured properties of cloud seeding materials using state-of-the-art electron microscopy.
As part of a series of visits by the Program team dedicated to following up on the initial results and progress of the First Cycle awarded projects, His Excellency Dr Abdullah Al Mandoos, Director of the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), led a delegation from the Center to meet with Dr Zou’s team in order to discuss their latest research and offer his congratulations for their success in filing their patent: “NCMS and Masdar have a shared vision concerning knowledge sharing and global scientific collaboration in order to solve sustainability challenges.”
He added: “I am delighted that the remarkable work undertaken by Dr Zou’s team has led to the submission of this innovative patent. The collaboration between Masdar Institute and NCMS can lead to refined forecasting models, over the UAE and beyond. This result demonstrates the excellence of the UAE’s infrastructure and expertise, and how our Program is succeeding in attracting significant participation from leading international researchers while helping to boost water security for those at risk around the world.”
Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, said: “The success of Dr Zou’s team’s innovative project demonstrates that the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science is already bearing fruit in terms of generating new knowledge. We are continuing our work to build up the Program as a focal point for productive scientific and technological exchange between some of the world’s leading experts in this field.”
Dr Zou works closely with Dr Mustapha Jouiad, Principal Research Scientist and Microscopy Facility Manager, Masdar Institute and Dr Mladjen Curic, Professor at the Institute of Metrology at the University of Belgrade. Together, they are investigating the possibility of increasing rainfall through engineering unique nanostructured properties of cloud seeding materials. The ground-breaking project has already led to innovative sub-micron hygroscopic cloud seeding materials already being designed and fabricated. The team’s experiments have involved coating a pure salt crystal with a thin coating of titanium dioxide in order to enhance the condensation process.
Experimental results obtained so far suggest that this process improves the salt’s condensation efficiency to the extent that the crystals adsorb enough water vapor to form droplets that could fall as rain. The next steps in the project will involve further nanotechnology development in parallel with evaluation in a cloud chamber and numerical modeling to test the effectiveness of the process.
According to Dr Zou, “nanotechnology opens up the possibility of engineering unique cloud seeding particles to make the process of water condensation and rain precipitation more efficient over arid regions and beyond. I am grateful for the support given by the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, which is helping to advance new research in the field and facilitating new and highly productive international scientific networks.”
The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science offers a grant of US$5 million over a three-year period, to be shared by up to five winning research proposals, selected by a two-stage merit review decision process. Launched by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs of the UAE and overseen by the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology, the Program is an ambitious initiative of global scope designed to stimulate rain enhancement research and accelerate water security through international cooperation in scientific research and development.
In addition to Dr Zou’s team, researchers from Japan and Germany emerged as awardees of the US$5 million grant offered by the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science during the Program’s inaugural cycle. Last month, three further outstanding research projects from the US, UK and Finland, selected from a strong field of submitted proposals for the Program’s Second Cycle, also were honored at a prestigious Awards Ceremony at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
For its Second Cycle in 2016, the Program received 91 pre-proposals, representing 398 scientists and researchers affiliated to 180 institutes distributed across 45 countries. This significant level of interest evident from last year’s cycle testifies to the Program’s importance and marks it as a truly global initiative.
Providing continuous technical support, data, logistics, facilities and advice to all the awardees, the NCMS oversees the Program’s role in global research and development. The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science’s Secretariat manages the delivery of each awardee project according to an agreed timescale, provides strategic direction, and evaluates the progress of awards through regular reports and site visits.
Registrations are currently open for the Third Cycle at http://www.uaerep.ae. Potential applicants are invited to participate in the grant Program by submitting a letter of intent of less than 500 words no later than February 16, 2017. Pre-proposals must be submitted by March 16, and full proposals on or before August 17, 2017.
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About the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science
The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs and overseen by the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), offers a grant of 5 million US dollars over a three-year period to be shared by up to five winning research proposals. The Program was launched with the aims of addressing water security challenges and placing the UAE at the international forefront of scientific research into rain enhancement. In the context of the UAE’s Innovation Strategy, the Program is structured to develop human capital and stimulate investment in research in this field for the benefit of arid and semi-arid regions around the world.
For more information about the Program: www.uaerep.ae
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National Center of Meteorology and Seismology
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United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 2 222 7777
Email: malmuhairi@ncms.ae
© Press Release 2017
