China is starting to develop its first zero-waste seawater desalination plant next year in Tianjin Municipality's Nangang Industrial Zone, with operations projected to start in 2019, state-backed Xinhua News agency reported citing the project operator.

The proposed zero-liquid seawater desalination project aims not only to provide treated seawater for industrial use but also to produce salt and other chemicals as well as maintain cleanliness on nearby environment.

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The plant is worth 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion). The first phase of the project, to be built by Malaysia's Xianda Seawater Resources Development Co. Ltd., is estimated to cost around 5.5 billion yuan ($812 million).

Under the agreement, Xianda will own and operate the company for the next 50 years, with support from the government.

The zero-liquid discharge seawater desalination project is a joint venture between Tianjin Municipality and Xianda. It is one of the programs China and Malaysia have agreed to work with during the most recent visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to China, People's Daily China reported.

It was also highlighted during the Malaysia-China Economic Summit in 2013 where both countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Meanwhile, China has also constructed 112 water desalination facilities with a daily treatment capacity of 1.08 million cubic meters, Yang Shangbao, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission, announced last month.

Currently, more than half of the desalination facilities are used to provide water for public use including water used in urban landscaping, according to Shanghai Daily.

"Membrane technology has already made it feasible to recycle polluted water for drinking. With the technology, several water desalination plants in northern China have started to process seawater to ease acute water shortages," Xing Weihong, deputy principal of Nanjing University of Industry, said.

Tagsseawater desalination plant, desalination plant, water shortage, China desalination plant