Ecotoxicological effects assessment of brine discharge from desalination reverse osmosis plant in Algeria (South Western Mediterranean)

Benaissa, Meriem; Rouane–Hacene, Omar; Boutiba, Zitouni; Habib, Dominique; Guibbolini-Sabatier, Marielle; Faverney, Christine Risso-de

doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101407

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This increase is generally due to the length and direction of the Brine dispersion. were highest in comparison to any other site [19]. A normal value for temperature and pH is also mentioned.…”

Section: Desalination Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

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On the of seawater desalination environmental impacts and brine treatment based challenges and mitigation measures in Algeria

Naimi,

Abdelkader,

Abdelkader

et al. 2024

SEES

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In this paper the environmental impacts of seawater desalination is investigated and highlighted. Indeed despite the various benefits of desalination there is growing apprehension about the potential negative environmental effects it may bring and generate. Both during the plant construction and its operation service. There is the possibility of leading and causing adverse environmental impacts. A significant concern with desalination is the co-produced and generated waste known as 'brine' or 'reject,' which contains high salinity as well as chemical residuals which are released into the marine environment. Viable and cost-effective brine management systems are necessary to mitigate the negative impact of brine, also referred to as concentrate, which is a by-product of the desalination process. This high salinity substance poses a threat to the environment and must be managed effectively in order to reduce pollution. Aside from brine other difficulties include marine species entrainment and trapping, as well as high chemical use. This paper provides an extensive overview and evaluation of desalination technologies used in Algeria including thermal methods such as Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) and Multiple Effect Distillation (MED) as well as Membrane Reverse Osmosis (RO). Furthermore in order to assess the potential environmental implications of desalination and brine treatment on the Algerian coast, mitigation strategies are proposed to curb the environmental negative impact. To protect water resources for present and future generations, improved brine management techniques are needed to minimize adverse environmental effects and lower the financial burden of disposal. This will encourage further advancements in desalination plants. Ultimately, the paper emphasizes upcoming research opportunities in brine treatment technologies with a focus on improving the efficiency and sustainability of desalination.

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Section: Desalination Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…The results showed that the Limpets gathered from the "hotspot" site (H) exhibited the greatest levels of antioxidant defenses. The enzymatic activities of antioxidant defenses were notably higher than the reference site [19]. Studies in Engineering and Exact Sciences, Curitiba, v.5, n.1, p. 562-584, 2024…”

Section: Desalination Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 92%

On the of seawater desalination environmental impacts and brine treatment based challenges and mitigation measures in Algeria

Naimi,

Abdelkader,

Abdelkader

et al. 2024

SEES

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“…The imbalance between ROS production and scavenging mechanisms can generate oxidative stress, which beyond certain threshold levels can induce oxidative damage and compromise metabolic processes; for instance, in marine macrophytes as seagrasses and macroalgae, affecting and/or impairing photosynthesis (e.g. Saéz et al, 2015;Moenne et al, 2016;Cambridge et al, 2019;Benaissa et al, 2020;Capóet al, 2020;Celis-Pláet al, 2021). Brine-associated effects on marine macrophytes have been mostly related to seagrasses, also demonstrating high speciesspecific responses (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desalination effects on macroalgae (part b): Transplantation experiments at brine-impacted sites with Dictyota spp. from the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2023

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Desalination residual brines are mostly discharged to marine environments, which can produce osmotic stress on sensitive benthic organisms. In this investigation, we performed transplantation experiments nearby desalination plants using two brown macroalgae species from a cosmopolitan genus: Dictyota kunthii (Chile) and Dictyota dichotoma (Spain). Parameters related to photosynthetic activity and oxidative stress were evaluated at 3 and 7 days for D. kunthii, and 3 and 6 days for D. dichotoma; each at 2 different impacted sites and 1 control. We observed that brine exposition at both impacted sites in Chile generated a marked stress response on D. kunthii, reflected in a decrease of primary productivity (ETRmax), light requirement (EkETR), and an excessive thermal dissipation (NPQmax), especially at 7 days. In D. dichotoma, similar impaired photosynthetic activity was recorded but only at the highest brine influence site during day 3. Regarding oxidative stress, both species displayed high levels of H2O2 when exposed to brine-influenced sites. Although in D. kunthii H2O2 content together with lipid peroxidation was higher after 3 days, these returned to baseline values towards day 7; instead, D. dichotoma H2O2 levels increased only at day 6. This easy and practical approach has proven to provide valuable data to address potential impacts of brine discharges at global scale coastal ecosystems.

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“…In spite of the above concerns regarding the potential environmental impacts involved with the expanding desalination industry, studies focusing on brine water impacts are relatively limited, concentrating on limited abiotic (e.g., salinity, temperature) [22,23] and biotic (e.g., effects on species density, species variation) [5,24] parameters. One such important parameter is the potential genotoxic impacts (inflicted damage to DNA integrity) of the brine, which, in the long term, may lead to tumors, hereditary defects, and teratogenic effects [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genotoxicity Signatures near Brine Outflows from Desalination Plants in the Levant

Rosner

Grossmark

Gertner

et al. 2023

Water

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(1) Background: Desalination is a developing industry that keeps expanding, nowadays counting >15,000 infrastructures worldwide. A byproduct of the desalination process is concentrated brine, further containing operational chemicals, including antiscalants and coagulants. Yet, the potential genotoxic impacts of the inclusive brine are inadequately studied. (2) Methods: In vitro and in vivo assays were used to test the impacts of a representative antiscalant and a coagulant. The model cnidarian Nematostella vectensis was employed to assess the impacts of the tested pollutants on animal longevity. Additionally, the genotoxicity of seawater sampled near four desalination plants was tested using the comet assay. (3) Results: In vitro analyses of the antiscalant and coagulant revealed neither genotoxic nor cytotoxic effects at environmentally relevant concentrations, but they were destructive to whole organisms (N. vectensis) at various developmental stages. Part of the seawater samples from sites near desalination plants were genotoxic, revealing ephemeral and mosaic genotoxicity. Since desalination plants are situated in highly anthropogenic-impacted areas, it is impossible at this stage to evaluate the possible contribution of the brine to overall marine genotoxicity. (4) Conclusions: Exact desalination-associated chemicals and the brine itself should be evaluated directly for potential genotoxicity.

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Ecotoxicological effects assessment of brine discharge from desalination reverse osmosis plant in Algeria (South Western Mediterranean)

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

On the of seawater desalination environmental impacts and brine treatment based challenges and mitigation measures in Algeria

On the of seawater desalination environmental impacts and brine treatment based challenges and mitigation measures in Algeria

Desalination effects on macroalgae (part b): Transplantation experiments at brine-impacted sites with Dictyota spp. from the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Genotoxicity Signatures near Brine Outflows from Desalination Plants in the Levant

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