Anno/Year 2025
234 pagine/pages
126 illustrazioni/illustrations.
17x24 cm.
ISBN 9788833842110
€32.00
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Altre pubblicazioni di Emilio Gabbrielli
Polenta e Goanna
Racconti di fine secolo
Polenta and Goanna
La storia di un Fioraio artigiano di Firenze
The story of an artisan Florist in Florence
Settemila anni di storia della dissalazione dell'aqua di mare
Emilio Gabbrielli
The 7000-Year Story of Seawater Desalination
Recent archaeological discoveries make the use of distillation 5000 years older than previously believed
Desalination developed over thousands of years until, in the last one hundred and fifty years, it exploded in the face of a growing global water crisis. Often without us being aware, it has become an integral part of the drinking water supply in many cities such as London, Barcelona, Perth and Singapore, and particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, e.g. Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Algiers, as well as supplying major industries and agriculture. In 2024, more than 5% of mankind consumes desalinated water from the sea on a daily basis.
This book has been conceived not only for members of the international desalination community, but also for the non-specialist readers who are interested in the historical and social development of an ancient technology that has become of fundamental relevance today and will increasingly be so for the benefit of all mankind.
“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” (Rime of the Ancient Mariner, S.T. Coleridge) identifies an historical existential challenge for mankind. The solution, ‘desalination,’ provides many wonderful examples of human ingenuity.
As JFK said in 1962, “producing fresh water from seawater … would dwarf any other scientific accomplishment.”
Emilio Gabbrielli takes us on a fascinating journey over many millennia to appreciate the history and evolution of desalination techniques. In this deeply researched book, Emilio tells a very human story and identifies the pioneers, the challenges, the breakthroughs and the geopolitics of this vital scientific and engineering quest, from antiquity to the present day. There is a glimpse into the future and the book provides an appendix with descriptions of modern-day desalination techniques. This is an excellent book for both the desalination practitioner and the interested lay person.
Anthony (Tony) Fane
Emeritus Professor, UNESCO Centre for Membranes,
UNSW, Australia
This history of desalination is most fascinating to experts and to laymen since water is essential to life on earth and has been considered over the ages by philosophers, by technologists and entire populations.
Miriam Balaban
Editor in Chief, “Desalination”,“Desalination and Water Treatment”
Secretary General of the European Desalination Society (EDS)
There is a belief that someone cannot be a full-fledged member of their profession without understanding its history. In that light, members of the desalination community will be well served by this book. Emilio Gabbrielli has gathered here a very readable work including some material not previously published. Its list of references alone is worth the purchase price for someone who intends further work in this area.
James (Jim) Birkett
With meticulous research and a compelling narrative, Gabbrielli unveils the extraordinary journey of distillation, shedding light on recent archaeological discoveries that advance its history to thousands of years earlier than previously thought. In this thorough narrative, Gabbrielli recounts the evolution of distillation techniques and delves into the cultural, economic and environmental significance of seawater desalination throughout history, offering readers a fascinating glimpse into the ingenuity of our ancestors and the long quest for freshwater sustainability.
This account is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of ancient civilisations, technology and environmental resilience. Gabbrielli’s pioneering work enriches our understanding of the past and inspires critical reflection on current challenges and opportunities in water management.
Shannon McCarthy
Secretary General, International
Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA)
Emilio Gabbrielli nasce a Firenze nel 1948. Dopo la laurea in Ingegneria Chimica e un diploma post-laurea presso l’Università di Bologna prosegue, con il supporto dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, le ricerche iniziate con la tesi di laurea in collaborazione con l’Università di Milano.
Il suo interesse al problema dell’acqua lo porta a intraprendere una carriera in questo settore, incentrata nello specifico sulla dissalazione. Oltre che in Italia, ha vissuto in Perù, Australia, Inghilterra, Brasile e Svezia e lavorato per lunghi periodi in altri paesi. Tra il 2003 e il 2008 è stato Segretario Esecutivo della Global Water Partnership, iniziativa della Banca Mondiale, Programma delle Nazioni Unite per l’Ambiente e Governo Svedese per promuovere la gestione sostenibile delle risorse idriche.
Emilio ha scritto numerosi articoli tecnici e collabora regolarmente a riviste e pubblicazioni. È spesso relatore in occasione di eventi.
Accanto alla carriera professionale, ha perseguito i suoi interessi creativi come pittore e scrittore. Il romanzo storico Polenta e Goanna, finalista del Premio Arcangela Todaro-Faranda (Bologna, 1998), è stato pubblicato da Pontecorboli nel 2000. La traduzione in inglese di Barbara McGilvray è stata pubblicata da IPOC nel 2008 e una nuova edizione da Pontecorboli nel 2021.
Ha vinto premi in Australia per alcuni racconti e per l’atto unico Yvonne. Nel 2016 Pontecorboli ha pubblicato una raccolta dei suoi racconti con il titolo Racconti di fine secolo e nel 2022 ha pubblicato il suo libro di memorie familiari, La storia di un Fioraio artigiano di Firenze, seguito nel 2023 dalla traduzione inglese di Barbara McGilvray.
Emilio Gabbrielli was born in Florence in 1948. After graduating from the University of Bologna with a degree and post-graduate specialisation in Chemical Engineering, he won support from the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei to continue the research he had begun with his thesis, in collaboration with the University of Milan.
His interest in the problem of water led him to a career in this field, focusing specifically on desalination. As well as in Italy, he has lived in Peru, Australia, England, Brazil and Sweden and worked for long periods in other countries. Between 2003 and 2008 he was Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership, an initiative of the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Swedish Government to promote the sustainable management of water resources.
Emilio has written numerous technical articles and is a regular contributor to journals and publications and speaker at international events.
Alongside his professional career, he has pursued his creative interests as a painter and writer. His historical novel Polenta e Goanna, a finalist for the Arcangela Todaro-Faranda Prize (Bologna, 1998), was published by Pontecorboli in 2000. Barbara McGilvray’s English translation, Polenta and Goanna, was published by IPOC in 2008 and a new edition by Pontecorboli appeared in 2021.
He has won awards in Australia for a number of short stories and the one act play, Yvonne. In 2016 Pontecorboli published a collection of his short stories under the title Racconti di fine secolo (Tales of the End of the Century), and in 2022 it released his family memoir, La storia di un fioraio artigiano di Firenze, which was followed in 2023 by Barbara McGilvray’s English translation, The Story of an Artisan Florist in Florence.
