Seawater softening by nanofiltration enables ecofriendly Dead Sea level stabilisation while creating the basis for cost-effective inland desalination

Abstract

Increased water extraction led to accelerated shrinkage of the Dead Sea, seriously damaging the environment and posing an economic risk for industry and tourism. The surrounding countries are willing to avert this looming crisis; however, previous approaches became infeasible due to economic, political and ecological hurdles. Motivated by this issue, we propose an alternative sustainable concept based on nanofiltration. We carried out basic design and cost estimations, showing that nanofiltration permeate produced from seawater allows environmentally friendly Dead Sea recharge, minimising gypsum precipitation, algae blooms and groundwater contamination potential on the conveyance routes. Dead Sea level stabilisation with nanofiltration permeate from Med Sea water costs between 0.54 and 0.7 $/m3 at 7 % weighted average cost of capital, significantly lower than treating Red Sea water (0.76 to 0.86 $/m3). Furthermore, providing NF permeate at the Dead Sea in transboundary exchange with Israel allows Jordanian and Palestinian inland desalination for regional potable water production. In the Jordan case, potable water costs at the major demand center, Amman, range between 1.56 and 1.76 $/m3, significantly lower than the national supply from the Red Sea. This study promises a new, feasible solution for trilateral research and implementation cooperation on the Dead Sea issue.