Water Desalination & RO
Seawater Desalination Power Consumption
Introduction
Virtually everything we do affects our ability to harness and expend energy. One simple, small-scale example is the energy expended by our bodies to fight the effect of gravity as salts and impurities are removed from our body. On a much larger scale, energy is necessary to meet the needs of society, which include obtaining, transporting, treating, and distributing potable water. Access to clean, safe, and reliable sources of drinking water is a basic goal in today’s world. As society has developed, so has our ability to transport water over great distances to meet that fundamental objective, as well as the ability to measure the quality of water to ensure that it is safe to drink. To a large extent, the
advent of analytical techniques to measure contaminants, viruses, and pathogens in water paved the way for the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in the early 1970’s to develop rules and regulations requiring drinking water to be treated, or “manufactured”, to meet standards for the benefit and protection of public health. Rules and regulations have evolved since the 1970’s, commensurate with our understanding of contaminants and ability to measure them. This “evolution” of standards led the US EPA to identify membrane filtration –including reverse osmosis desalination – as one treatment technology for drinking water supplies to meet increasingly difficult water quality challenges. Today, virtually every drinking water supply is treated in some form or fashion, driven by a number of factors primarily associated with the discovery of new contaminants: advanced testing methods; public perception; verifiable health risks; and development of improved/new water quality standards. The extent of water treatment – and the energy and power needed to meet those requirements – can vary considerably, as expected, because of the accessibility and initial quality of a raw water supply. Seawater desalination, like any other water treatment technology or separation processes, requires the use of energy to produce water. As a drinking water treatment technology, however, seawater desalination requires more energy than most other water treatment methods. Often, however, the power consumption associated with seawater desalination is exaggerated or inaccurately represented, particularly when compared to other treatment technologies or alternatives assuring safe, reliable public water supply.
This paper reviews and outlines the power requirements associated with seawater desalination, measures used to compare and offset seawater desalination power consumption to other water supply alternatives, and the opportunities for future reduced energy demand.
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Database Of Permitting Practices For Seawater Desalination Concentrate
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The project documented seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) discharge regulatory issues and provided a critical overview of facility discharge-related information required for permitting desalination projects in the United States and selected countries with advanced environmental regulations and experience in implementing seawater desalination projects. Information was gathered from the three key U.S. states (California, Florida, Texas) where interest in SWRO desalination has been highest. Due to the more extensive international experience with SWRO desalination, information was also obtained from the countries of Australia, Israel, and Spain – all countries of significant recent large-scale SWRO desalination projects. Case studies of 11 SWRO plants and analysis of regulatory systems and permitting processes supported detailed definition of the decision-making process to set discharge permit limits, as well as defining environmental and other regulatory issues associated with concentrate regulation.
Database Of Permitting Practices For Seawater Desalination Concentrate
Abstract:
The purpose of this research project was to identify the discharge information that permitting agencies need and the decision-making process they go through to permit discharge methods in order to help desalination project proponents focus and expedite their permitting efforts.
The project documented seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) discharge regulatory issues and provided a critical overview of facility discharge-related information required for permitting desalination projects in the United States and selected countries with advanced environmental regulations and experience in implementing seawater desalination projects. Information was gathered from the three key U.S. states (California, Florida, Texas) where interest in SWRO desalination has been highest. Due to the more extensive international experience with SWRO desalination, information was also obtained from the countries of Australia, Israel, and Spain – all countries of significant recent large-scale SWRO desalination projects. Case studies of 11 SWRO plants and analysis of regulatory systems and permitting processes supported detailed definition of the decision-making process to set discharge permit limits, as well as defining environmental and other regulatory issues associated with concentrate regulation.
A Primer On Brackish And Seawater Desalination
Abstract: This publication was produced as an activity of the Texas Living Waters Project. This project
is a collaborative effort of the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, and the Lone
Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The goals of the project are to 1) ensure adequate water for people
and environmental needs, 2) reduce future demand for water and foster efficient and sustainable use
of current water supplies, 3) educate the public and decision makers about the impact of wasteful
water use and the opportunities for water conservation, and 4) involve citizens in the decision
making process for water management.
A Primer On Brackish And Seawater Desalination
Abstract: This publication was produced as an activity of the Texas Living Waters Project. This project
is a collaborative effort of the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, and the Lone
Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The goals of the project are to 1) ensure adequate water for people
and environmental needs, 2) reduce future demand for water and foster efficient and sustainable use
of current water supplies, 3) educate the public and decision makers about the impact of wasteful
water use and the opportunities for water conservation, and 4) involve citizens in the decision
making process for water management.
Desalination & Water Purification Technologies
Introduction:
The world’s water consumption rate is doubling every 20 years, outpacing by two times the rate of population growth. The availability of good quality water is on the decline and water demand is on the rise. Worldwide availability of fresh water for industrial needs and human consumption is limited.
Various industrial and developmental activities in recent times have resulted in increasing the pollution level and deteriorating the water quality. Water shortages and unreliable water quality are considered major obstacles to achieve sustainable development and improvement in the quality of life. The water
demand in the country is increasing fast due to progressive increase in the demand of water for irrigation, rapid industrialization, and population growth and improving life standards. The existing water resources are diminishing (i) due to unequal distribution of rain water and occasional drought, (ii) excessive exploitation of ground water sources and its insufficient recharge, (iii) deterioration of water quality due to the discharge of domestic and industrial effluents without adequate treatment. This is resulting into water stress/ scarcity. Country is currently passing through social and economic transition.
The proportion of the population which is urban has doubled over the last thirty years (and is now about 30%), agriculture now accounts for about 25% of GDP and the economy has been growing at around 7-9% a year. Country has a highly seasonal pattern of rainfall, with 50% of precipitation falling
in just 15 days and over 90% of river flows in just four months
Desalination & Water Purification Technologies
Introduction:
The world’s water consumption rate is doubling every 20 years, outpacing by two times the rate of population growth. The availability of good quality water is on the decline and water demand is on the rise. Worldwide availability of fresh water for industrial needs and human consumption is limited.
Various industrial and developmental activities in recent times have resulted in increasing the pollution level and deteriorating the water quality. Water shortages and unreliable water quality are considered major obstacles to achieve sustainable development and improvement in the quality of life. The water
demand in the country is increasing fast due to progressive increase in the demand of water for irrigation, rapid industrialization, and population growth and improving life standards. The existing water resources are diminishing (i) due to unequal distribution of rain water and occasional drought, (ii) excessive exploitation of ground water sources and its insufficient recharge, (iii) deterioration of water quality due to the discharge of domestic and industrial effluents without adequate treatment. This is resulting into water stress/ scarcity. Country is currently passing through social and economic transition.
The proportion of the population which is urban has doubled over the last thirty years (and is now about 30%), agriculture now accounts for about 25% of GDP and the economy has been growing at around 7-9% a year. Country has a highly seasonal pattern of rainfall, with 50% of precipitation falling
in just 15 days and over 90% of river flows in just four months
Basics of Reverse Osmosis
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in simple terms that should leave the reader with a better overall understanding of Reverse Osmosis technology and its applications.
Basics of Reverse Osmosis
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis is a technology that is used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water by
pushing the water under pressure through a semi permeable membrane. This paper is aimed towards an audience that has little of no experience with Reverse Osmosis and will attempt to explain the basics
in simple terms that should leave the reader with a better overall understanding of Reverse Osmosis technology and its applications.
Tailoring Advanced Desalination Technologies for 21st Century Agriculture
Abstract: Substantial parts of the U.S., particularly drier landlocked regions, are facing acute water shortages and water quality issues that decrease agricultural productivity. Reduced crop yields cause billions of dollars in losses annually, affecting the livelihoods of thousands. A combination of population growth, inefficient agricultural practices, and resource demanding consumption trends is only expected to increase pressure on our water supplies. This research proposal seeks to address water and food security issues by cost-effectively and energy-efficiently enhancing water quality and water supply in greenhouses; a $22.93 billion dollar industry in 2017 that is rapidly growing at an annual rate of 8.92%. Greenhouses widely practice desalination of salty irrigation water to improve their operations. However, currently used desalination methods do not tailor greenhouse waters based on crop requirements. This work investigates a fully integrated desalination solution that treats and tailors brackish source waters ingreenhouses to save fertilizer and water. Specifically, this project experimentally studies multi-ion transport in and assesses the economic viable of monovalent selective electrodialysis (MSED). MSED allows for the selective removal of monovalent ions damaging to crops and the retention of divalent ions beneficial for crops, unlike the widely used reverse osmosis (RO), which removes all ions from greenhouse source water. First, we evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of MSED compared to other brackish desalination technologies for agricultural applications, based on primary market research we conduct with over 70 greenhouses.
These include conventional technologies, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), and advanced technologies, such as closed circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO). The analysis determines the levelized costs of water, the capital costs and energy requirements of these technologies, and how these vary with feed salinity, system capacity and recovery ratio. Then, we build a bench-scale setup to experientially characterize MSED membrane properties, including monovalent selectivity, ion transport, limiting current and resistance, for multiple brackish feedwaters and for two sets of MSED membranes: the widely used Neosepta ACS/CMS membranes and the new Fujifilm Type 16 membranes. Both MSED membranes show notable monovalent selectivity for all tested compositions, reflecting the potential of the technology for selective desalination in greenhouses. The measurements are compared to a model for MSED in multi-ion solutions. The model predicts multi-ion transport for the Neosepta and Fujifilm MSED systems within 6% and 8%, respectively.
Tailoring Advanced Desalination Technologies for 21st Century Agriculture
Abstract: Substantial parts of the U.S., particularly drier landlocked regions, are facing acute water shortages and water quality issues that decrease agricultural productivity. Reduced crop yields cause billions of dollars in losses annually, affecting the livelihoods of thousands. A combination of population growth, inefficient agricultural practices, and resource demanding consumption trends is only expected to increase pressure on our water supplies. This research proposal seeks to address water and food security issues by cost-effectively and energy-efficiently enhancing water quality and water supply in greenhouses; a $22.93 billion dollar industry in 2017 that is rapidly growing at an annual rate of 8.92%. Greenhouses widely practice desalination of salty irrigation water to improve their operations. However, currently used desalination methods do not tailor greenhouse waters based on crop requirements. This work investigates a fully integrated desalination solution that treats and tailors brackish source waters ingreenhouses to save fertilizer and water. Specifically, this project experimentally studies multi-ion transport in and assesses the economic viable of monovalent selective electrodialysis (MSED). MSED allows for the selective removal of monovalent ions damaging to crops and the retention of divalent ions beneficial for crops, unlike the widely used reverse osmosis (RO), which removes all ions from greenhouse source water. First, we evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of MSED compared to other brackish desalination technologies for agricultural applications, based on primary market research we conduct with over 70 greenhouses.
These include conventional technologies, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), and advanced technologies, such as closed circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO). The analysis determines the levelized costs of water, the capital costs and energy requirements of these technologies, and how these vary with feed salinity, system capacity and recovery ratio. Then, we build a bench-scale setup to experientially characterize MSED membrane properties, including monovalent selectivity, ion transport, limiting current and resistance, for multiple brackish feedwaters and for two sets of MSED membranes: the widely used Neosepta ACS/CMS membranes and the new Fujifilm Type 16 membranes. Both MSED membranes show notable monovalent selectivity for all tested compositions, reflecting the potential of the technology for selective desalination in greenhouses. The measurements are compared to a model for MSED in multi-ion solutions. The model predicts multi-ion transport for the Neosepta and Fujifilm MSED systems within 6% and 8%, respectively.
Chemical Cleaning Effects On Properties And Separation Efciency Of An RO Membrane
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impacts of chemical cleaning on the performance of a reverse osmosis
membrane. Chemicals used for simulating membrane cleaning include a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), a
chelating agent (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA), and two proprietary cleaning formulations namely MC3
and MC11. The impact of sequential exposure to multiple membrane cleaning solutions was also examined. Water
permeability and the rejection of boron and sodium were investigated under various water fluxes, temperatures and
feedwater pH. Changes in the membrane performance were systematically explained based on the changes in the
charge density, hydrophobicity and chemical structure of the membrane surface. The experimental results show that
membrane cleaning can significantly alter the hydrophobicity and water permeability of the membrane; however, its
impacts on the rejections of boron and sodium are marginal. Although the presence of surfactant or chelating agent
may cause decreases in the rejection, solution pH is the key factor responsible for the loss of membrane separation
and changes in the surface properties. The impact of solution pH on the water permeability can be reversed by
applying a subsequent cleaning with the opposite pH condition. Nevertheless, the impacts of solution pH on boron
and sodium rejections are irreversible in most cases
Chemical Cleaning Effects On Properties And Separation Efciency Of An RO Membrane
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impacts of chemical cleaning on the performance of a reverse osmosis
membrane. Chemicals used for simulating membrane cleaning include a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), a
chelating agent (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA), and two proprietary cleaning formulations namely MC3
and MC11. The impact of sequential exposure to multiple membrane cleaning solutions was also examined. Water
permeability and the rejection of boron and sodium were investigated under various water fluxes, temperatures and
feedwater pH. Changes in the membrane performance were systematically explained based on the changes in the
charge density, hydrophobicity and chemical structure of the membrane surface. The experimental results show that
membrane cleaning can significantly alter the hydrophobicity and water permeability of the membrane; however, its
impacts on the rejections of boron and sodium are marginal. Although the presence of surfactant or chelating agent
may cause decreases in the rejection, solution pH is the key factor responsible for the loss of membrane separation
and changes in the surface properties. The impact of solution pH on the water permeability can be reversed by
applying a subsequent cleaning with the opposite pH condition. Nevertheless, the impacts of solution pH on boron
and sodium rejections are irreversible in most cases
Concentrating Solar Power For Seawater Desalination
Introduction:
The general perception of “solar desalination” today comprises only small scale technologies for decentralized water supply in remote places, which may be quite important for the development of rural areas, but do not address the increasing water deficits of the quickly growing urban centers of demand. Conventional large scale desalination is perceived as expensive, energy consuming and limited to rich countries like those of the Arabian Gulf, especially in view of the quickly escalating cost of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal. The environmental impacts of large scale desalination due to airborne emissions of pollutants from energy consumption and to the discharge of brine and chemical additives to the sea are increasingly considered as critical. For those reasons, most contemporary strategies against a “Global Water Crisis” consider seawater desalination only as a marginal element of supply. The focus of most recommendations lies on more efficient use of water, better accountability, re-use of waste water, enhanced distribution and advanced irrigation systems. To this adds the recommendation to reduce agriculture and rather import food from other places. On the other hand, most sources that do recommend seawater desalination as part of a solution to the water crisis usually propose nuclear fission and fusion as indispensable option.
Concentrating Solar Power For Seawater Desalination
Introduction:
The general perception of “solar desalination” today comprises only small scale technologies for decentralized water supply in remote places, which may be quite important for the development of rural areas, but do not address the increasing water deficits of the quickly growing urban centers of demand. Conventional large scale desalination is perceived as expensive, energy consuming and limited to rich countries like those of the Arabian Gulf, especially in view of the quickly escalating cost of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal. The environmental impacts of large scale desalination due to airborne emissions of pollutants from energy consumption and to the discharge of brine and chemical additives to the sea are increasingly considered as critical. For those reasons, most contemporary strategies against a “Global Water Crisis” consider seawater desalination only as a marginal element of supply. The focus of most recommendations lies on more efficient use of water, better accountability, re-use of waste water, enhanced distribution and advanced irrigation systems. To this adds the recommendation to reduce agriculture and rather import food from other places. On the other hand, most sources that do recommend seawater desalination as part of a solution to the water crisis usually propose nuclear fission and fusion as indispensable option.
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