Determination the Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Seawater Intake of Desalination Plant

Abstract

The desalination plants are considered to have a major role in developing human life. Recently this technology has become widely distributed along the coastal area. Many countries are adopting these technologies for securing the freshwater supply for consumer consumption all over the world. Therefore, it's necessary to evaluate the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these technologies on the coastal line.
 This study has been monitoring seawater quality used for feeding desalination plants to determine the heavy metals of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) by using the chemical monitoring system to know their effects on the desalination units and other components. This study was conducted in the year 2010 from March to October, samples were collected from feed water intake of Tripoli’s West Desalination Plant (Janzour), the plant was chosen because of its importance in supplying fresh water for potable water and industrial uses.
 The results of this study showed monthly differences in most tested parameters. These differences lead to scale and corrosion by precipitation on the components of the desalination units. On the other hand, the concentration of Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn were very high compared to the standard rates of the seawater. The mean concentration in ppm at sites 1 and 2 of Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn were (0.044 & 0.043), (2.30 & 2.85), (0.0585 & 0.0593), and (0.0712 & 0.0713) respectively.