Brine management methods: Recent innovations and current status

A perspective on reverse osmosis water desalination: Quest for sustainability

“…10,12,16,32 As a result a concentrate retentate (or brine) stream is generated which must be managed in an environmentally compatible manner. 20,[65][66][67][68][69] In seawater RO desalination, the brine stream is discharged to the sea through an elaborate outfall system designed to disperse the concentrate in a manner that reduces local elevated salinity impacts and precipitation along the discharge pipes. 16,32,70 Environmental considerations with respect to the implementation of ocean discharge of RO concentrate include, for example, the salinity tolerance of marine organisms, discharge toxicity (due to possible chemical water treatment/cleaning additives), long-term local salinity buildup, and the need for meeting effluent water quality standards.…”

Enhanced solar evaporation using a photo-thermal umbrella for wastewater management

“…6 The choice for this final step of ZLD depends upon various factors including concentrated brine volume and composition, energy requirement, local climate and land costs. 7,8 A crystallizer is a complex mechanical system (forced circulation evaporator) that requires high-grade heat and electricity resulting in a large energy cost and capital cost. Although crystallizers have a small site footprint, their operating costs depend heavily on the composition of wastewater, which can be exorbitant for highly scaling water (e.g.…”

“…11,12 Active methods of enhancement include Wind-Aided Intensified Evaporation (WAIV) and droplet spraying, and passive techniques include the use of solar radiation absorbing organic dyes, wetted floating fins and salt tolerant plants. 7,8,12 These methods have been shown to enhance evaporation rates by up to 35%, while WAIV has shown a 50% enhancement at high salinities but requires continuous electric pumping making it an active system. Recently, a new passive approach for solar evaporation enhancement has emerged where the emphasis is to avoid wastefully heating a large volume of water and instead perform surface heating by localizing sunlight at the water-air interface.…”

Current to Clean Water – Electrochemical Solutions for Groundwater, Water, and Wastewater Treatment

“…The electrochemical methods have been tested, e.g., frequently for the treatment of retentate of RO or as a pretreament step . For the treatment of these so‐called hard‐to‐treat streams, electrochemical methods show a high potential to fit into this niche .…”