About Nadjib Drouiche

Dr. Nadjib Drouiche is a multidisciplinary researcher and policy analyst with an extensive academic background and a strong record of scientific publications across several domains. His research interests span semiconductor technology, energetics, and environmental sciences, with a particular emphasis on desalination, wastewater treatment, and sustainable water management.

Sustainable Management of Desalination Brine: Best Practices, Pilot Studies, and Innovations

The management of brine generated by desalination plants has become one of the key determinants of the environmental and economic sustainability of this technology, which is now strategic for global water security. The production of desalinated water has increased significantly over the past two decades, particularly in arid regions of the Middle East, North Africa, Australia, and certain coastal areas of Europe and North America. This growth has inevitably been accompanied by a proportional increase in brine volumes. Globally, desalination facilities are estimated to produce more than 140 million cubic meters of brine per day, exceeding the volume of freshwater … Continue reading

كاربونيفا: إعادة صياغة العمل المناخي من خلال الكربون، والطاقة والتكيف

بالغالب عندما نقوم بمناقشة التغير المناخي، نقوم بمناقشة مجزأة، حيث نصوّر الطاقة كأداة للتخفيف من آثار هذا التغير وننظر للتكيف على أنه وسيلة للسيطرة على الأضرار الحاصلة، ونقوم باختزال الكربون لمقياس وحيد للانبعاثات. وبالرغم من ان هذه المقاربات ساهمت في تنظيم العمل المناخي عالمياً، إلا أنها تقف عاجزة أمام التسارع الذي يواجه العالم بآثار تغير المناخ ومخاطره وتحديات الموارد المرتبطة به. لا تنقصنا التكنولوجيا أو الطموح، بل التكامل. فالتغير المناخي ليس مجرد مشكلة طاقة، ولا انبعاثات فقط، بل هو تحدٍ لكيفية إدارة الكربون ويمتد هذا التحدي عبر أنظمة الطاقة والنظم البيئية وموارد المياه، والامن الغذائي، والمرونة الاجتماعية، وكذلك الاقتصادية. ولتتم … Continue reading

Desalination at the Heart of Algeria’s Green Hydrogen Future: Water Security as a Strategic Energy Lever

Algeria stands today at the crossroads of two defining transitions: the global shift toward low-carbon energy systems and the intensifying pressure on water resources across arid and semi-arid regions. In this dual transformation, green hydrogen has emerged not only as an industrial opportunity but as a strategic lever capable of reshaping the country’s energy model, export structure, and environmental trajectory. Yet, at the heart of this hydrogen ambition lies a critical enabler that is too often underestimated: desalination. Green hydrogen, produced through water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of global decarbonization strategies [1,2]. Unlike … Continue reading

CARBONEVA: Reframing Climate Action Through Carbon, Energy, and Adaptation

Climate change is often discussed through fragmented lenses. Renewable energy is framed as a mitigation tool, adaptation is treated as damage control, and carbon is reduced to a single metric of emissions. While these approaches have helped structure global climate action, they increasingly fall short in a world facing accelerating climate impacts, systemic risks, and interconnected resource crises [1,2]. What is missing is not technology or ambition, but integration. Climate change is not only an energy problem, nor solely an emissions problem. It is a carbon management challenge that unfolds across energy systems, ecosystems, water resources, food security, and socio-economic … Continue reading

Waste Management Landscape in Algeria: Challenges and Opportunities

The waste management sector in Algeria reflects a complex interaction between demographic dynamics, economic transformation, evolving regulatory frameworks, and persistent operational constraints. Over the past two decades, population growth, accelerated urbanization, and changing consumption patterns have led to a steady increase in waste generation, exerting growing pressure on municipal services, local authorities, and natural ecosystems. According to national data compiled by the National Agency of Waste (Agence Nationale des Déchets, AND), Algeria generates more than twelve million tonnes of domestic waste annually, a figure that continues to rise year after year [1]. When industrial, construction, and special waste streams are … Continue reading

Black, Green, Blue, or Grey Carbon: Understanding the Hidden Colors of Climate Change

Carbon lies at the heart of the planet’s major biogeochemical balances and constitutes an essential thread for understanding climate change, ecosystem degradation, and contemporary ecological transition strategies. Far from being a uniform entity, carbon; manifests itself in different forms and dynamics, often described through color codes black, brown, blue, green, red, and grey, which help to better grasp its origin, behavior in the environment, and its economic, social, and climatic implications. Although simplified, this typology has become established in scientific and policy debates as a pedagogical and analytical tool that facilitates the design of public policies, financial mechanisms, and sustainable … Continue reading

The Promise of Seawater Desalination in Algeria: Perspectives

Algeria is one of the countries most exposed to water stress in the world. Classified as arid and semi-arid, it relies heavily on limited freshwater resources, with overexploited aquifers and dams often at critical levels during recurrent droughts. In response to this reality, the Algerian government has made seawater desalination a major strategic solution to secure potable water supply while alleviating pressure on natural freshwater resources. This approach goes beyond merely meeting human needs: it also potentially contributes to the preservation of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems, in line with the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in … Continue reading

Impact of Urban Trees and Forests on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The fight against climate change has placed urban trees and forests at the heart of mitigation and adaptation strategies, to the point that tree planting is often perceived as a simple, visible, and widely accepted solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In many countries, urban greening programs are expanding, with tree-lined streets, boulevards, and public spaces, while large-scale reforestation and forest restoration initiatives are prominently featured in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This situation raises a central question: does planting trees along streets genuinely contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or … Continue reading

Water and Gender: A Strategic Lever for Sustainable Water Security

World Water Day, celebrated every year on 22 March under the auspices of the United Nations, provides a unique opportunity to draw international attention to the vital importance of freshwater and to the persistent challenges related to its access, management, and sustainability. Since its inception, this observance has highlighted an annual theme addressing emerging priorities and structural challenges in the global water sector. In 2026, the chosen theme, “Water and Gender,” explicitly recognizes the close link between water management, sanitation, and gender inequalities, underscoring that the global water crisis is also a social, economic, and human crisis [1]. Although water … Continue reading

Carbon Tax: The Missing Link Between Climate Ambition and Real Action

At a time when climate change has emerged as one of the major determinants of economic, social, and geopolitical trajectories in the 21st century, the question is no longer whether action is needed, but how to act effectively, credibly, and sustainably. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the operational pillars of the Paris Agreement, embody this collective commitment to keeping the rise in global average temperature well below 2 °C, with efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C [1]. Yet, despite the proliferation of pledges, a persistent gap remains between declared ambitions and actual global emission trajectories, which continue to rise at a pace … Continue reading

Energy Transition in Algeria: Concrete Levers to Move from Ambition to Action

Algeria stands at a critical energy crossroads. Long known as one of Africa’s leading producers and exporters of hydrocarbons, the country is now attempting to balance the twin imperatives of maintaining economic stability from oil and gas revenues while accelerating a shift to a cleaner, more diversified energy system. With global pressure to decarbonize mounting and domestic energy demand rising rapidly, Algeria’s energy transition is no longer just a vision, it is becoming a necessary strategic priority. But turning ambition into tangible results requires a careful blend of policy frameworks, incentives, partnerships, and effective implementation. Algeria’s renewable energy potential is … Continue reading

Can Treated Wastewater Help Algeria Overcome Water Scarcity?

Water scarcity is among the most critical environmental and socio-economic challenges confronting Algeria. Located largely within arid and semi-arid climatic zones, the country experiences highly variable rainfall, frequent droughts, and limited renewable freshwater resources. Per capita renewable water availability in Algeria is estimated at around 404 m³/year, placing the country well below the internationally recognized water scarcity threshold of 1,000 m³/year [1]. Climate change projections indicate further reductions in precipitation, rising temperatures, and increased evapotranspiration, all of which are expected to intensify water stress in the coming decades [2]. In this context, the search for alternative and non-conventional water resources … Continue reading