Seawater desalination expert Abraham Carvajal joins CDM Smith

Carvajal specializes in metal­lur­gi­cal processes and water resources engineering, making strides in desali­na­tion as the current technical vice president of the Chilean Desali­na­tion Association (ACADES). In his previous role, Carvajal led regional technical and sales efforts, managing engineering teams and collab­o­rat­ing with finance teams to define proposals in compliance with the local regulations, specifically the Envi­ron­men­tal Qual­i­fi­ca­tion Resolutions (RCA). Carvajal contributed to the award of multiple major seawater desali­na­tion projects in Chile, including the Aconcagua desali­na­tion plant, which leverages reverse osmosis (RO) and has a capacity of approx­i­mately 22 million gallons per day (mgd). In addition, he contributed to the SADDN desali­na­tion plant with a capacity of approx­i­mately 19 mgd in phase 1, and he supported the commis­sion­ing and subsequent operational phase of the Teck QB2 desali­na­tion plant in Iquique, Chile, a plant which also uses RO and has a capacity of approx­i­mately 27 mgd. Carvajal’s multi­dis­ci­pli­nary skill and impressive technical desali­na­tion experience will propel our firm in this market. 

We are excited to have Abraham join our team. With his extensive expertise in sustainable water management and advanced water treatment solutions across various sectors, we are confident that his leadership will drive us to new heights in the desalination market. 

Jennifer Osgood
Senior Vice President 

Carvajal has a bachelor's degree in metal­lur­gi­cal civil engineering from the Catholic University of the North, Chile and a master’s degree in water resources engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute für Technologie (KIT), Germany. “I am focusing my efforts on project development, specif­i­cally in relation to seawater desali­na­tion. I am passionate about our ability to help mitigate the pressing need for water that affects many regions of the planet,” Carvajal stated. “By making infra­struc­ture feasible through clean energy, low CO2 emissions and cutting-edge tech­nolo­gies, we can success­fully address water challenges while sustaining our environment.”