Desalination Brine Research Articles

Fluorinated Covalent Organic Framework Membranes with Robust Wetting Resistance for Durable Membrane Distillation.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising separation technique for producing pure water from brine using low-grade heat. Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes with high porosity and well-ordered pore structure exhibit excellent flux and salt rejection during MD. However, long-term MD operation is often restricted by the inevitable gradual wetting of COF membranes which causes deterioration of salt rejection, primarily resulting from the lack of intrinsic hydrophobicity. Herein, a fluorinated COF membrane with intrinsic hydrophobicity and excellent anti-wetting property is reported. Under 65 °C and 12 kPa absolute pressure, this membrane maintained a high water flux of 195 L m-2 h-1 and a salt rejection of 99.80% over 168 h of MD operation, which is the longest operation time ever reported for MD using COF membranes. In addition, the fluorinated COF membrane showed unparalleled resistance to scaling and organic fouling, demonstrating great potential for real-world brine treatment. Experimental and simulation studies revealed that incorporation of fluorine not only enhanced the hydrophobicity of the COF membrane, but also created electrostatic barriers within the fluorinated nanochannels, efficiently preventing ion penetration. These results underscore the remarkable potential of fluorinated COF membranes in MD, offering a promising solution for sustainable brine desalination.

Bio-inspired solar evaporators for stable and efficient desalination of high-salinity brine with zero liquid discharge

Bio-inspired solar evaporators for stable and efficient desalination of high-salinity brine with zero liquid discharge

Recovery of high reactive alkaline-earth-oxide (CaO and MgO) from reverse osmosis reject desalination brine: Kinetics, equilibrium, cost-effectiveness and energy-consumption

Recovery of high reactive alkaline-earth-oxide (CaO and MgO) from reverse osmosis reject desalination brine: Kinetics, equilibrium, cost-effectiveness and energy-consumption

EDNA metabarcoding of marine invertebrate communities at RO desalination plant outfalls in Cyprus.

eDNA metabarcoding of marine invertebrate communities at RO desalination plant outfalls in Cyprus.

Integration of nanofiltration, ion exchange, and electrodialysis with bipolar membranes for the valorisation of brines: From seawater desalination plants to on-site chemicals production facilities.

Integration of nanofiltration, ion exchange, and electrodialysis with bipolar membranes for the valorisation of brines: From seawater desalination plants to on-site chemicals production facilities.

Valorising Desalination Brine for Green Cement Production: Toward Mitigating Global CO2 Emissions

Valorising Desalination Brine for Green Cement Production: Toward Mitigating Global CO2 Emissions

Simultaneous multi-objective optimization of a biogas-based power generation and brine desalination system for using in sport facilities

Simultaneous multi-objective optimization of a biogas-based power generation and brine desalination system for using in sport facilities

Mineral recovery by bioprecipitation from desalination brine using irradiated Micrococcus luteus

Abstract Concentrated desalination brine resulting at the end of seawater desalination pose an environmental hazard due to its high mineral content. Effective treatment is crucial to mitigate its impact and enhance sustainability. An irradiated Micrococcus luteus bacterium was chosen for its tolerance to high salt concentration and was tested for mineral bioprecipitation from a desalination brine. Factorial design was employed to optimize the bioprcepitation conditions. and the bioprecepitate was characterized to evaluate the process. Plackett–Burman results demonstrate that the ratio of dilution and nitrogen sources added were significant variables as shown in the Pareto chart. Further mineral recovery optimization using response surface methodology predicted a quadratic model maximizing the mineral bioprecepitation (17.59 g/L) by adding 24.92 g/L Tryptone as supplementing nitrogen source and diluting the brine with tap water at 0.57 ratios (v/v). Scanning electron microscope image showed the topographical and morphological details while Fourier transform infrared, thermal gravimetric analysis, energy dispersive X-ray mapping and X-ray diffraction represented elemental, organic and physical characteristics of the obtained bioprecepitate. The study confirms that the use of irradiated M. luteus under optimized conditions predominately yielded hydrocalcite. This approach doesn’t only recover minerals, but can also generate water for re-use via an alternative eco-friendly approach, thus supporting the principles of circular economy. It is also an eco-friendly alternative to existing energy consuming technologies. Graphical abstract

Operation, control and assessment of a full-scale membrane distillation unit for treating desalination brine in the context of greenhouse production

Operation, control and assessment of a full-scale membrane distillation unit for treating desalination brine in the context of greenhouse production

Sustainable Hydrometallurgical LFP Battery Recycling: Electrochemical Approaches.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are crucial for the energy transition, particularly with the rising demand for electric vehicles. Among different battery technologies, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries have been attracting considerable attention in recent years due to their safe chemistry and relatively cheaper and abundant material composition. As LFP manufacturing is set to increase significantly, a proper end-of-life treatment of these batteries becomes essential to achieve circularity and minimize environmental impacts. However, recycling of LFP batteries is economically challenging because they do not contain many valuable transition metals. This Concept article focuses on recycling of LFP batteries, and explores whether economically viable LFP recycling can be made possible via improvement of recycling processes. Currently, hydrometallurgical recycling processes with inexpensive oxidants for leaching valuable lithium show potential, compared to pyrometallurgical processes. However, these processes still consume large amounts of chemicals. Electrochemical recycling methods that do not require continuous addition of external reagents, or minimize waste production, could lead to more sustainable and economically viable solutions for LFP battery recycling. In addition, combining these processes with other sustainable electrochemical technologies such as green hydrogen production, brine desalination and chemical production is a promising strategy to increase overall energy and product efficiency.

Optimal evaluation of brine desalination in the lithium supply chain: Balancing multi-objective strategies with global clean energy and electric vehicle initiatives

Optimal evaluation of brine desalination in the lithium supply chain: Balancing multi-objective strategies with global clean energy and electric vehicle initiatives

Experimental investigation of solar still enhanced with a different working fluid for brine desalination heat pipe

Experimental investigation of solar still enhanced with a different working fluid for brine desalination heat pipe

Technical, Economic, Energetic, and Environmental Evaluation of Pretreatment Strategies for Scaling Control in Brackish Water Desalination Brine Treatment

Effective pretreatment is essential for achieving long-term stable operation and high water recovery during the desalination of alternative waters. This study developed a process modeling approach for technical, economic, energetic, and environmental assessments of pretreatment technologies to identify the impacts of each technology treating brackish water desalination brine with high scaling propensity. The model simulations evaluated individual pretreatment technologies, including chemical softening (CS), chemical coagulation (CC), electrocoagulation (EC), and ion exchange (IX). In addition, combinations of these pretreatment technologies aiming at the effective reduction of key scaling constituents such as hardness and silica were investigated. The three evaluation parameters in this assessment consist of levelized cost of water (LCOW, $/m3), specific energy consumption and cumulative energy demand (SEC|CED, kWh/m3), and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2, kg CO2-eq/m3). The case study evaluated in this work was the desalination brine from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant (KBHDP) with a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 11,000 mg/L and rich in hardness and silica. The evaluation of individual pretreatment units from the highest to lowest LCOW, SEC|CED, and CO2 emissions in the KBHDP brine was IX > CS > EC > CC, CS > IX > EC > CC, and CC > CS > EC > IX, respectively. In the case of pretreatment combinations for the KBHDP, the EC + IX treatment combination was shown to be the best in terms of the LCOW and CO2 emissions. The modeling and evaluation of these pretreatment units provide valuable guidance on the selection of cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally sustainable pretreatment technologies tailored to desalination brine applications for minimal- or zero-liquid discharge.

Liquid metal technology for collection of metal resources from seawater desalination brine and polluted groundwater

ABSTRACT The collection of metal resources from seawater desalination brine is a promising technology to achieve a sustainable developing society. The production of freshwater from groundwater polluted by arsenic (As) has potential to satisfy huge water demand. However, conventional methods require large energy consumption and treatment of contaminated wastes. The present study proposes the application of liquid metal tin (Sn) for collecting metallic elements such as sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and As from the brine and polluted groundwater, in which any waste is not released. The metallic elements were accumulated in liquid Sn pool in the direct contact distillation process of the brine. Each metallic element possessed its own solubility in liquid Sn, which was functioned with the liquid temperature in the range of 505–573 K. K started to precipitate at the early stage and the growth immediately stopped. In the same time, Na started to precipitate and gradually grew. Ca started to precipitate and the growth immediately stopped after K did. Mg could gradually grow. The purification of the polluted water was performed by direct contact reaction between As-polluted water and liquid Sn. The polluted water was efficiently distilled since As was captured by liquid Sn.

Application of Membrane Capacitive Deionization as Pretreatment Strategy for Enhancing Salinity Gradient Power Generation.

Salinity gradient power (SGP) technologies, including pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED), have the potential to be utilized for the purpose of harvesting energy from the difference in salinity between two water streams. One challenge associated with SGP is a reduction in power density due to membrane fouling when impaired water is utilized as a low-salinity water stream. Accordingly, this study sought to explore the feasibility of membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI), a low-energy water treatment technique, as a novel pretreatment method for SGP. Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of MCDI pretreatment on the performance of PRO and RED. The low-salinity water was obtained from a brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) plant, while the high-salinity water was a synthetic seawater desalination brine. The removal efficiency of organic and inorganic substances in brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) brine by MCDI was estimated, as well as theoretical energy consumption. The results demonstrated that MCDI attained removal efficiencies of up to 88.8% for organic substances and 78.8% for inorganic substances. This resulted in a notable enhancement in the lower density for both PRO and RED. The power density of PRO exhibited a notable enhancement, reaching 3.57 W/m2 in comparison to 1.14 W/m2 recorded for the BWRO brine. Conversely, the power density of RED increased from 1.47 W/m2 to 2.05 W/m2. Given that the energy consumption by MCDI is relatively low, it can be surmised that the MCDI pretreatment enhances the overall efficiency of both PRO and RED. However, to fully capitalize on the benefits of MCDI pretreatment, it is recommended that further process optimization be conducted.

Dual-Sided Superhydrophobic Laser-Induced Graphene Evaporator for Efficient Desalination and Brine Treatment under High Salinity.

The immense energy footprint of desalination and brine treatment is a barrier to a green economy. Interfacial evaporation (IE) offers a sustainable approach to water purification by efficient energy conversion. However, conventional evaporators are susceptible to fluctuations in solar radiation and the salinity of handling liquid. The present research is an innovative step toward the fabrication of superhydrophobic laser-induced graphene (LIG) interfacial evaporators for desalination and brine treatment. The fabricated dual-sided superhydrophobic laser-induced graphene (DSLIG) exhibits self-cleaning ability on both sides, enhancing salt rejection capabilities through a lotus effect. This multilayered evaporator comprises a top layer of MPES LIG and a bottom layer of PVDF AR 972 LIG, resulting in superior localized heat generation ability. The engineered surface has undergone performance analysis with DI water and NaCl solutions with concentrations of 3.5-24 wt %. The dual-stacked configuration with coupled solar (one sun)-joule heating (5 V) attained evaporation rates of ∼5 kg m-2 h-1 for distilled water and ∼2.2 kg m-2 h-1 for a 24 wt % NaCl solution. The remarkable outcome resulted from substantial thermophysical property changes with LIG formation. The DSLIG's bottom concentration gradient promoted salt back diffusion and ceased salt penetration to the top surface. The work can be further extended to treat the desalination brine for sustainable desalination and zero liquid discharge.

Influence of additives, temperature, and pressure on the morphology of nesquehonite– results from three synthesis routes

AbstractCarbon mineralization is expected to play a key role in the mitigation of climate change, as viable and efficient carbon capture and utilization (CCU) pathway. Indeed, the process has the advantage of enabling the recycling of waste-streams such as mine tailings or desalination brine, as well as the prospect of large-scale uptake of carbon dioxide emissions. However, the applications of the produced carbonates still hinder the commercial feasibility of the existing CCU routes, especially when hydrated Mg carbonates (HMCs) are obtained. HMCs are thermodynamically unstable, which poses potential risks in long-term stability. Nesquehonite (NQ, MgCO3·3H2O) is the major product of Mg carbonation in most aqueous reaction settings at moderate temperatures (15–50 °C), which has demonstrated suitable properties for producing construction materials. At somewhat higher temperatures (50–100 °C) hydromagnesite is obtained (4MgCO3·Mg(OH)2·4H2O). Yet, the final applications are not feasible as NQ often converts to hydromagnesite or other HMCs over time causing liberation of CO2 and volume instability. A key scientific gap remains on the relationship between the morphology of NQ with the operational settings of the carbonation reaction. In turn, such understanding is needed to enable tuning NQ applications in construction materials. Therefore, the current work reports the observed features of NQ via three different synthetic routes, showing the effect of two additives (Mg acetate, and sodium dodecyl sulphate), and overpressure CO2 on the physico-chemical features of NQ formed from magnesium chloride or sulphate solutions and from brucite-water system and sCO2 conditions.

Solar energy technologies for desalination and utilization of hypersaline brines

This review provides an overview of recent technologies for desalinating and utilizing hypersaline brines powered by solar energy.

Transforming desalination brine into highly reactive magnesium oxide and life cycle analysis

Transforming desalination brine into highly reactive magnesium oxide and life cycle analysis

Simulation of mass and heat transfer in salt-lake brine desalination by direct contact membrane distillation using 3D CFD

Simulation of mass and heat transfer in salt-lake brine desalination by direct contact membrane distillation using 3D CFD