When is solar desalination worth it?
A new modelling framework evaluates the costs of using solar energy to recover water from desalination brine and oilfield wastewater The post When is solar desalination worth it? appeared first on Physics World .
Desalination produces freshwater from seawater but creates a concentrated waste product called brine, which poses significant disposal challenges. Oil and gas operations generate saline wastewater, often handled similarly. Researchers created a modeling tool to assess various strategies for managing these waste streams and determine cost-effectiveness.
They applied the framework to two case studies: a Texas inland desalination plant and produced water from a key U.S. oil-producing region. Comparing desalination technologies like reverse osmosis and thermal methods, the study found that photovoltaic combined with reverse osmosis is the most cost-effective solar-powered option for brine.
However, solar-thermal desalination remains expensive due to high costs of solar collectors and heat storage. For oilfield wastewater, zero-liquid-discharge systems, which recover almost all water, could be economically attractive by reducing or eliminating brine disposal costs. The broader findings suggest renewable energy can enhance desalination and wastewater treatment sustainability, especially in water-scarce areas.
Identifying cost-effective methods to boost water recovery and decrease brine disposal could support broader water reuse, potentially enabling valuable mineral recovery from waste streams.
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