An integrated CHP and desalination plant

Sea water desalination is a developing technology producing potable water with many applications worldwide particularly in arid areas. It is an energy intensive process and its integration with renewable energies can produce low-carbon fresh water. Among several water desalination technologies reverse osmosis is the dominant method, based on semi-permeable membranes, producing high quality clean water. The island of Crete, Greece has moderate water resources while their demand is increasing for several reasons. Unfortunatelly, its supply is adversely affected by climate crisis. One method to increase the supply of potable water in Crete is the desalination of seawater using reverse osmosis. The water desalination plants can be powered by solar and wind energy which are abundant in the island. The integration of seawater desalination with renewable energies results in the production of fresh water with low carbon impacts. A SWOT analysis of using solar and wind electricity to power the water desalination plants in Crete has been implemented. It is indicated that there are several strengths and many opportunities for developing seawater desalination plants powered by green electricity in the island. It is concluded that the use of solar-PV and wind electricity for powering seawater desalination plants in Crete reduces the carbon footpritnt of the produced drinkable water minimizing the impacts to climate change.

This paper presents and examines groundwater potential zones with the help of remote sensing and GIS methods for controlling and investigating the geospatial data of each parameter. Groundwater is a very important source for water supply and others, considering its availability, quality, cost, and time-effectiveness to develop. It is virtually everywhere and yet variable in quantity. Because of several conditions, such as rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural development, groundwater sources are under severe threat. Climate change plays an important role in the quality and quantity of groundwater potential. In addition, climate change severely affects parameters that influence groundwater recharge. Unreliable exploitation and poor quality of surface water resources tend to increase the decline in groundwater levels. Hence, it is necessary to identify groundwater potential zones that can be used to optimize and monitor groundwater resources. This study was conducted in the Abbay River Basin and identifies the location of groundwater potential for developing new supplies that could be used for a range of purposes in the study area, where groundwater serves as the main source for agricultural purposes rather than surface water. Seven selected parameters—lineament density, precipitation, geology, drainage density, land use, slope, and soil data—were collected, processed, resampled, projected, and reclassified for hydrological analysis. For the generation of groundwater zones, weightage was calculated using an analytical hierarchy method, reclassified, ranked, and overlaid with GIS. The obtained results of weightage were lineament density (37%), precipitation (30%), geology (14%), drainage density (7%), land use land cover (5%), slope (4%), and soil (3%). The consistency ratio estimated for this study was 0.089, which was acceptable for further analysis. Based on the integration of all thematic layers and the generated groundwater potential zones, the map was reclassified into five different classes, namely very good, good, moderate, poor, and very poor. The results of this study reveal that 1295.33 km2 of the study area can be considered very poor, 58,913.1 km2 is poor, 131,323 km2 is moderate, 18,557 km2 is good, and 311.5 km2 is very good. Any groundwater management project performed in the better regions would offer the greatest value. A similar study would be valuable before planning any water resource development activity, as this would save the expense of comprehensive field investigations. This study also demonstrates the importance of remote sensing and GIS techniques in mapping groundwater potential at the basin scale and suggests that similar methods could be applied across other river basins.

Parts of the USA are facing impending shortages of freshwater. One proposed solution is the construction of desalination plants to turn seawater into freshwater. Although seawater desalination plants are widely used in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, there are few desalination plants in the USA. In 2003, Tampa Bay Water built the largest desalination plant in North America. Persistent operating problems and escalating costs have caused the utility to re-evaluate its reliance on the seawater desalination plant as part of a long-term regional water supply strategy. In addition, environmental effects of the plant are uncertain. Advances in reverse osmosis technology have significantly reduced desalination costs. However, desalination of seawater is still more expensive than other freshwater supply sources and demand management measures. With time and research, seawater desalination may prove to be a sustainable, cost-effective source of new freshwater supplies, especially if plants are coupled with renewable energy sources. Until then, the development of small-scale groundwater desalination plants, the re-use of water, water conservation, and a more efficient allocation of water through higher prices and rising block rates will be important strategies in meeting growing water demand. Moreover, it is important to improve the coordination between water supply planning and land use planning as populations continue to increase.

Background of the Study: The study area is located within four communities in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, which is a coastal region within the Niger Delta. The study area is heavily reliant on groundwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. The hydrogeological dynamics of the area are complex, with diverse geological formations and intricate subsurface structures. As a result, an innovative and integrated approach is necessary for effective groundwater management. The study investigated the potential of groundwater resources in the study area and identification of fresh water zones using electrical resistivity, remote sensing, and GIS which employs geophysical surveys, remote sensing techniques, and geospatial analysis to explore the interplay between aquifer characteristics, geological formations, and topographical attributes. The fresh water zones are regions with low saline content. Aim: This study aims to assess groundwater potential in some parts of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area by integrating the geophysical data from Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) surveys with geospatial analysis from GIS and Remote Sensing Technology. The research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of groundwater availability and its correlation with geophysical and geospatial parameters. Study Design: A thorough methodology was employed to investigate the possibility of freshwater resources in the study area. The approach involved gathering Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) data from 8 locations, as well as incorporating geospatial data such as elevation, drainage density, geology, apparent resistivity, and slope maps. The collected data underwent rigorous processing, correlation analysis, and reclassification to explore the potential of freshwater resources in the study area. Place and Duration of the Study: The research was conducted in four communities (Abonnema, Ekulama, Jacobkiri and Belema) within the Akuku-Toru Local Government Area over a span of 18months. The area's hydrogeological context and topographical features are investigated to determine groundwater potential zones. Methods: The research utilized the Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) method to obtain aquifer resistivity data, reflecting subsurface Lithological variations. Geospatial analysis involved accessing elevation and drainage density patterns. Correlation analysis was also performed to link the geophysical and geospatial data with qualitative interpretations, facilitating the assignment of numerical values representing groundwater potential zones. Results: The Correlation analysis revealed insightful patterns. Aquifer resistivity, elevation and slope were identified as influential parameter affecting groundwater potential. The geology of the study area, categorized into dominant formations, exhibited varying degrees of potential for freshwater resources. The Correlation of geophysical and geospatial data provided a comprehensive understanding of groundwater availability across the study region. Conclusion: The integration of geophysical and geospatial analysis offers a robust approach to groundwater potential assessment. The research findings contributed to valuable insights into the spatial distribution of potential freshwater resources in the study area. The correlation between aquifer resistivity, elevation, slope, and geology enhanced our understanding of hydrological conditions and provides a foundation for future groundwater studies and management strategies.

Regulatory challenges of Palestinian strategies on distribution of desalinated water

Regulatory challenges of Palestinian strategies on distribution of desalinated water

The study of groundwater distribution is gaining importance due to the mounting pressures exerted by rapid urban growth on water supply, especially in small islands that could experience faster supply deterioration through saltwater intrusion. Understanding the interplay between the groundwater supply and demand dynamics requires seeing the resources beneath the surface. One typical visualization technique is groundwater potential (GWP) mapping, which predicts groundwater's spatial distribution from measurable variables on or above the Earth's surface. However, system errors and noise can affect the quality of the input variables, which can influence the reliability and explanatory power of the GWP maps. Herein, we analyzed the effect of noise on the GWP map accuracy for Cebu and Mactan islands, Philippines. We found that the GWP map retains the fidelity of the zonal structure information in the presence of noise in the input map layers. With a combination of two binary-classifier performance curves, we established the noise-resilience horizon. This horizon is the limit noise-level that the input maps may contain such that the GWP maps retain high accuracy. This horizon indicates that the input maps may carry as much as 20% to 25% error without significantly corrupting the GWP map's predictive accuracy. Our findings contribute to the knowledge of GWP mapping's accuracy limits, which is valuable as such diagrams comprise the core of decision-support systems in groundwater management. We also anticipate our dither approach as a foundation for the generic assessment of GWP map accuracy, regardless of a priori details of the map-generating model.

Groundwater is the most dynamic natural resource that is not uniformly distributed both in space and time. Identifying it for sustainable water resource development for domestic use, irrigation, and industrial purposes is the biggest challenge and key concern due to climate change, overexploitation, and a lack of proper management. Geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) play a fundamental role in identifying suitable groundwater potential and recharge zones. In this study, groundwater potential and recharge zone map are delineated using GIS and RS techniques integrated with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for the Melka Kunture Watershed in Ethiopia. The thematic layers used were: Lithology, geomorphology, slope, lineament density, land use/cover, rainfall, drainage density and soil. GIS has been used to integrate and overlay thematic layers using a weighted overlay analysis tool, whereas the AHP method has been used to assign the weights, normalize, and rank thematic layers and their associated sub-themes based on their suitability, characteristics, or influence on groundwater potential and recharge zones. The output groundwater potential zone map is categorized into four suitable zones: high potential cover 1105.60 km2 (25.70%), moderate potential 2308.00 km2 (53.73%), low potential 880.0 km2 (20.49%), and very low potential 47.80 km2 (1.10%), whereas there are three suitable groundwater recharge potential zones: high potential cover 250.20 km2 (5.80%), moderate recharge 3647.90 km2 (84.00%), and low recharge 443.50 km2 (10.20%) of the study area. Hence, the study areas have been more suitable for groundwater potential and recharge zones as compared to the total area. The groundwater potential map was validated using the existing water source and well points, and it indicated a good prediction accuracy of 88%. Thus, the delineated groundwater potential and recharge zone maps are reliable, and the resultant potentiality mapping has played a vital role in the sustainable development and management of the water resources in the study area.

Sea water desalination or desalination plant is an equipment that functions to change sea water into fresh water. Its reliability in supply water is important especially as raw material for the electricity generation process. Start-stop gas turbine operating mode as well as routine maintenance schedules or sudden damage in one of the desalination plant s cause a reduction in steam supply readiness. This research purposed to maintain the availability of supply steam desalination plant by using a method design interconnection line which is analyzed in terms of pressure drop and flow in theoretical calculations. This research resulted is design the interconnection line supply steam of the desalination plant by removing and modifying the position of the check valve dividing between desalination plant 1, 2 and 3. The analysis of the supply steam interconnection design in terms of pressure and flow desalination plant is still in accordance with the reference manual book. The operational cost of the desalination plant is more economical using supply steam from Block 1 Low-Pressure Auxiliary with a profit of 154.01% or 82,318,148 rupiahs per day. Keywords: Sea water desalination, interconnection line, pressure drop, flow, operational cost.

As water demands continue to grow, South Africa is starting to consider seawater desalination as a potential future supply source, and it is currently being investigated at a feasibility level in a number of coastal cities, including Cape Town. Desalination is different to conventional surface and groundwater supply sources in that it is climate-resilient, having an assurance of supply of essentially 100 percent. However, the increased reliability comes at a great cost. This paper presents a methodology developed for modelling a proposed desalination plant as an integrated component of the Western Cape Water Supply System, in order to optimise system operating rules and cost. The modelling entailed short-term and long-term system analyses in the Water Resources Yield Model and Water Resources Planning Model, and estimation of first-order capital and operating costs in order to calculate and compare Unit Reference Values. The maximum increase in yield was found to occur when the seawater desalination plant is used as a base supply, operational all the time. There was little benefit, in terms of system yield, in using the desalination plant as an emergency supply source only. Unit reference values for the desalination plant decrease as the percentage supply from the plant increases, meaning that the lowest possible cost per cubic metre of water supplied is when the desalination plant is used as a base supply. It was also apparent that the unit reference values decrease with an increase in desalination plant capacity, suggesting that, from an economic perspective, the optimal solution would be to have one large desalination plant operational immediately.

Digitized grid maps on the hydrogeology, groundwater chemistry and quality, soil classification, geologic structures and drainage lines, were used along with the ArcView GIS 3.2 package to construct an analytical GIS groundwater-potential model for the Al Dhaid area, in the eastern part of al Sharjah Emirate, United Arab Emirates. Cross-correlation of model output zoned maps was performed to identify areas of high groundwater potential for domestic and agricultural purposes. Results of the GIS model indicate that the eastern strip of the eastern Sharjah Emirate (Al Dhaid region) has the highest groundwater potential. The strip is located close to the recharge area in the Northern Oman Mountains and is dominated by intersections of the Dibba zone, Hatta zone and Wadi Ham structural trends, which seem to control groundwater-flow velocity and recharge rate. The strip is also characterized by fresh (total dissolved solids < 1,500 mg/l), soft (total hardness < 80 mg/l) groundwater suitable for domestic uses. Results also show that the northern and southern central parts of the study area are favorable for agriculture because both areas have cultivable soil types (Calciorthids, Torrifluvents and Torripsaments-2) and shallow groundwater (< 45 m deep) of appropriate quality (total dissolved solids < 3,000 mg/l and sodium adsorption ratio < 10). Because the eastern strip and channels of major wadis in the study area have several water wells used mainly for domestic and agricultural purposes, it is proposed to minimize or even prohibit urban and industrial activities in the upstream side of these wells and assign it as a groundwater protection zone in order to secure and maintain the present supply of good-quality groundwater.

Groundwater represents an essential resource in sub-Saharan Africa, where several hundred million people rely on aquifers for domestic supply. This paper presents a method to map groundwater potential in the Republic of Mali based on a spatially-distributed database of 26,040 boreholes. The database includes exhaustive information on key parameters such as borehole location, success rate of borehole production, depth, yield, static groundwater level or water quality. Representative variables were classified and interpreted jointly to develop a groundwater potential index for each of the 703 communes in Mali. This provides a methodological novelty because groundwater potential studies typically rely on indirect indicators such as lineaments, slope, soil moisture and landforms. Also, such large borehole databases have seldom been used to estimate groundwater potential. The highest indexes were obtained for the areas in and around the River Niger’s Inner Delta, including southern Tombouctou and the central parts of the Ségou and Mopti Regions. The lower Precambrian formations, which include the country’s thoroughly populated southern plateau, had moderate scores. The lowest groundwater potential was found in the northern part of the Kayes and Koulikoro Regions, as well as in the entire region of Kidal. By providing results at the commune scale, these outcomes show that groundwater potential across the country’s geological and hydrogeological units can be highly variable, and that local and regional-scale information may be useful for groundwater management purposes. These results are policy-relevant in a context of rapid change and population growth, where groundwater resources can be expected to be increasingly relied upon in the coming years.

Groundwater is a vital resource in arid areas that sustains local industrial development and environmental preservation. Mapping groundwater potential zones and determining high-potential regions are essential for the responsible use of the local groundwater resource. When utilizing machine learning or deep learning algorithms to forecast groundwater potential in arid areas, difficulties such as inaccurate and overfitting predictions might occur due to a shortage of borehole samples. In this study, a database of groundwater conditioning factors with a size of 275,157 × 9 was created in the Qaidam Basin, and 85 known borehole samples were collected. The groundwater potential was evaluated using a combination of rank sum ratio (RSR), projection pursuit regression (PPR) and random forest (RF) algorithms, resulting in four models: PPR, RSR-PPR, RSR-RF, and RF. Results indicated that the groundwater potential was higher in mountainous regions surrounding the Qaidam Basin and decreased progressively towards the central and northwestern regions where most industries and facilities are located. The two primary factors, according to the PPR and RF models, were evapotranspiration (0.246, 0.225) and landform (0.176, 0.294). In terms of their ability to accurately forecast the borehole samples, the four models ranked as follows: RF > RSR-RF > RSR-PPR > PPR. The accuracy of the four models in the low-potential area was 0.73 (PPR), 0.60 (RSR-PPR), 0.87 (RSR-RF), and 0.80 (RF), respectively. However, the RF model showed overfitting due to a lack of samples, especially in high-potential regions, which limits its applicability. The RSR-RF method was applied directly to evaluate the entire factor database, avoiding the risk of overfitting caused by a limited number of training samples. The results demonstrate that the RSR-RF model is effective for classifying groundwater potential types in samples and mapping groundwater potential of the study area. This research presents a novel approach for groundwater potential predictions in areas with insufficient sample sizes, providing a reference for policymakers and researchers.

This study addresses the critical need for effective groundwater (GW) management in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, amidst challenges posed by rapid urbanization and population growth. By integrating Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Weight of Evidence (WOE) techniques, this study aimed to delineate GW potential zones and assess water quality. This study fills the gap in applying advanced machine learning and geostatistical methods for accurate GW potential mapping. Eight thematic layers based on topography, hydrology, geology, and ecology were utilized to compute the GW potential model. Additionally, water quality analysis was performed on collected samples. The findings indicate that flat and gently sloping terrains, areas with an elevation range of 611 –687 m, and concave slope geometries are associated with higher GW potential. Additionally, proximity to drainage and high-density lineament zones contribute to increased GW potential. The results showed that 31.1% of the area had excellent GW potential according to the WOE model, whereas the SVM model indicated that only 20.3% fell in the excellent potential zone. Results showed that both models performed well in the delineating GW potential zones. Nevertheless, the application of the SVM method is highly recommended which will be benefited in GW resources management related to urban planning. The study also evaluates the spatial distribution of GW quality, with a focus on physical and chemical parameters, including electrical conductivity, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, chloride, nitrate, and sulphate. Bacterial contamination assessment reveals that 76% of spring water samples (30 out of 39 samples) are contaminated with E.coli, raising public health concerns. Based on the chemical analysis of GW samples the study identified exceedances of WHO guidelines for calcium in two samples, magnesium in seven samples, sulphate in ten samples, and nitrate levels were below the WHO guideline across all samples. These results highlight localized chemical contamination issues that require targeted remediation efforts to safeguard water quality for public health.

Water scarcity is a global issue that has extreme effects on conflict zones in particular. Therefore, seawater desalination provided a practical solution to reduce the problem. The Gaza Strip suffers from potable water scarcity due to groundwater contamination and the deterioration of the coastal aquifers. Thereby, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) had constructed three seawater desalination plants (SDP’s) in addition to purchasing potable water from the Israeli company (Mekorot). Due to the importance of the SDP’s, a flexible and comprehensive management system is required to ensure the sustainability of the performance. Thereby, this study aims to assess the potentiality of applying the Integrated Management System (IMS) in seawater desalination plants. This study used data collected from reports, questionnaires, and interviews, which is then analysed statistically, in order to identify the effects and barriers of applying the IMS in seawater desalination plants. The data also was used in SWOT analysis to formulate strategies for applying the IMS. The reports showed that the physicochemical water quality of samples from seawater desalination plants is compatible with PWA and WHO standards. The results from the questionnaire showed that there are positive impacts of applying the IMS on the performance of the desalination plants in terms of the financial, administrative, technical, environmental, and socio-economic aspects. However, the study identified 12 barriers which were analysed through SWOT analysis to formulate strategies to facilitate the implementation of the IMS. The highest priority and most applicable strategy is the formation of a partnership with the UN institutions to obtain international protection and facilitate the entry of the required materials.