Tag Archives: Seawater Desalination

Zero Liquid Discharge and Brine Valorization in Seawater Desalination: Perspectives for the MENA Region

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Abstract The expansion of seawater desalination has significantly increased global brine production, exceeding 140 million m³/day, with more than half generated in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region [1]. Brine disposal poses environmental and economic challenges, particularly in semi-enclosed marine systems. Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and brine valorization strategies aim to eliminate liquid effluent while recovering water and valuable minerals. This study analyzes current ZLD configurations, mineral recovery pathways, and techno-economic constraints. Particular attention is given to the Saudi Arabian national strategy as a leading example of industrial-scale brine mining. The findings indicate that hybrid membrane–thermal systems combined … Continue reading →

Seawater Reinvented: Inside the Race to Build Cleaner and Smarter Desalination

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Desalination has stopped being an engineering footnote and quietly become one of the most consequential climate-era industries. Once synonymous with enormous power plants, thick plumes of hypersaline waste and prohibitive costs, modern desalination is remaking itself along three intertwined axes: slashing energy needs, turning brine from a waste into a resource, and folding data-driven intelligence into plants and networks. The result is a trajectory that could make seawater an affordable, environmentally acceptable pillar of water security for coastal and island nations ; provided the industry solves the brine and emissions puzzles fast enough. Recent projects and a surge of academic work … Continue reading →

The Environmental Impacts of Seawater Desalination

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Desalination is a process that removes salt and minerals from seawater and turns it into a potable resource. It is extremely helpful in areas experiencing rising water demands due to water scarcity, droughts, growing populations and increased water consumption. With the ocean covering most of the Earth’s surface, seawater provides a sustainable, long-term solution to a problem that won’t soon dissipate. By 2015, 18,000 desalination plants had cropped up worldwide, producing 22,870 million gallons of fresh water per day. Experts believe desalination, coupled with future advancements in technology, could be the key to establishing drought-proof communities worldwide. A clean source … Continue reading →

CSP-Powered Desalination: Prospects in MENA

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Conventional large-scale desalination is cost-prohibitive and energy-intensive, and not viable for poor countries in the MENA region due to increasing costs of fossil fuels. In addition, the environmental impacts of desalination are considered critical on account of GHG emissions from energy consumption and discharge of brine into the sea. The negative effects of desalination can be minimized, to some extent, by using renewable energy to power the plants. What is Concentrated Solar Power The core element of Concentrated Solar Power Plant is a field of large mirrors reflecting captured rays of sun to a small receiver element, thus concentrating the … Continue reading →

Seawater Desalination – A Better Choice for MENA

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Water scarcity is a major problem in many parts of the world affecting quality of life, the environment, industry, and the economies of developing nations. The MENA region is considered as one of the most water-scarce regions of the world. Large scale water management problems are already apparent in the region. While the MENA region’s population is growing steadily, per capita water availability is expected to fall by more than 40-50% by the year 2050. Also, climate change is likely to affect weather and precipitation patterns, and the consequences of which may force the MENA region to more frequent and … Continue reading →