Waste to wealth: A critical analysis of resource recovery from desalination brine

Nanofiltration Ceramic Membranes as a Feasible Two‐Pronged Approach toward Desalination and Lithium Recovery

“…[ 8 ] Instead of disposal, waste brine can be a promising source of valuable metals, such as magnesium, and lithium. [ 9 ] The conventional extraction of such metals from land mining has rapidly depleted the supply of high‐grade ores, which gradually increased mining costs. [ 10 ] Coupled with the low recycling rates of such metals, a recent perspective discussed the possibility of facing a supply shortage, and identified magnesium and lithium as metals that are “most critical for recovery from water”.…”

“…Even so, the problem with metal recovery in desalination brine is the significantly higher MLR, which can go up to ≈8000, due to the low LiCl concentration of ≈0.34 mg L −1 . [ 9 ] Moreover, the Na + /Li + ratio in desalination brine is almost one magnitude higher, at 74 000, which further exacerbates the issue. Other than the massive discrepancy in the salt concentration, the separation of NaCl and LiCl monovalent salts using NF ceramic membranes presents a challenge.…”

Perspective in resource recovery from reverse osmosis brines: the case for sustainable seawater refineries for small islands

“…At the same time research has continued to advance on separation and recovery techniques of valuable minerals from RO brines. [1][2][3] Islands, due to their particular contextual characteristics, such as scale, isolation and limited natural resources, have been pioneers in the implementation of desalination technologies and are poised to benefit from further valorization of RO brines, not only due to the intrinsic economic value but also because of the avoided (environmental) costs of brine discharging. The case of a desalination plant in the island of Aruba is further analyzed in this perspective as it forms a good example of the possibilities for brine reuse even from the perspective of an 'isolated' market.…”

“…With pending pressure on freshwater resources and lowering costs of the technology, it is expected that this trend will continue. At the same time research has continued to advance on separation and recovery techniques of valuable minerals from RO brines 1‐3 . Islands, due to their particular contextual characteristics, such as scale, isolation and limited natural resources, have been pioneers in the implementation of desalination technologies and are poised to benefit from further valorization of RO brines, not only due to the intrinsic economic value but also because of the avoided (environmental) costs of brine discharging.…”

Recovery of Brine Resources Through Crown-Passivated Graphene, Silicene, and Boron Nitride Nanosheets Based on Machine-Learning Structural Predictions

“…Whereas some of these elements such as lithium are present at extremely low concentrations (<0.2 ppm), others such as sodium and magnesium depending on the geographical location can reach up to 15,000 and 2000 ppm, respectively . Through the various seawater desalination technologies, freshwater amounting to approximately 100 million m 3 /day is being produced, while reject brine estimated at 51.7 billion m 3 is mainly returned to the ocean. − This creates an imbalance in the ocean and has raised a lot of environmental concerns over the years. The recovery of these elements in the form of salts through various physicochemical, electrochemical, thermal, and membrane-assisted pressure-driven processes have been reported, − with the aim of achieving a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and to ensure environmental sustainability.…”