Green Hydrogen (NEOM water purification) – sustainable water management through eco- friendly desalination and advanced water purification -smart cities.

Abstract

A comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of sustainable water purification infrastructure in NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s flagship smart city under Vision 2030, is provided in this research. It critically analyses the amalgamation of advanced desalination technologies, digital infrastructure and renewable energy systems aimed at achieving zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) and circular water economy goals. The study uses qualitative and documentary analysis to examine innovative approaches in NEOM like Fully Integrated Resource Recovery System for Treatment (FIRRST), green hydrogen-linked desalination, and AI-enabled digital twins. Key engineering challenges are identified by the research which include mineral recovery from brine, real-time water quality monitoring and cybersecurity susceptibilities, while also analysing their economic and environmental consequences. A comparative analysis with leading global benchmarks like Masdar, Songdo and Singapore’s NEWater highlights the leadership of NEOM in smart and regenerative utility design. This study makes an original contribution by developing a holistic framework that connects NEOM’s water-energy strategies. It uniquely integrates FIRRST, ZLD, AI-driven digital twins and green hydrogen desalination into a combined framework through manual thematic analysis and fills a research gap where previous studies analysed these technologies in isolation. The findings indicate that NEOM not only surpasses in technical feasibility in water-energy integration but also provides a transferable model for climate-resilient modern infrastructure. The analysis offers practical recommendations for future implementation, policy adaptation and interdisciplinary research on sustainable utility ecosystems in arid and dry regions.