WATER DESALINATION
MARTIN DEGOS (EMSE)
WEI-TING SHIH (NTU)
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INTRODUCTION
• DESALINATION IS A PROCESS THAT REMOVES MINERALS FROM SALINE WATER.
• SALT WATER IS DESALINATED TO PRODUCE FRESH WATER SUITABLE FOR HUMAN
CONSUMPTION OR IRRIGATION.
• “AT THE MOMENT, AROUND 1% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION ARE DEPENDENT ON
DESALINATED WATER TO MEET THEIR DAILY NEEDS, BUT BY 2025, THE UN EXPECTS
14% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION TO BE ENCOUNTERING WATER SCARCITY”
CHRISTOPHER GASSON (GLOBAL WATER INTELLIGENCE)
2/12
WHERE ARE THEY USED?
• Australia
• Many countries in the Middle East:
- The single largest desalination
project is Ras Al-Khair in Saudi
Arabia (1,025,000 cubic meters per
day)
- Israel  produces 40% of its
domestic water use from seawater
desalination
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METHODS
• DISTILLATION
• MULTI-STAGE FLASH DISTILLATION (MSF)
• MULTIPLE-EFFECT
DISTILLATION (MED|ME)
• VAPOR-COMPRESSION (VC)
• ION EXCHANGE
• MEMBRANE PROCESSES
• ELECTRODIALYSIS REVERSAL (EDR)
• REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO)
• NANOFILTRATION (NF)
• MEMBRANE DISTILLATION (MD)
• FORWARD OSMOSIS (FO)
• FREEZING DESALINATION
• Geothermal desalination
• Solar desalination
• Solar humidification-
Dehumidification (HDH)
• Multiple-effect humidification (MEH)
• Methane hydrate crystallization (fire ice)
• High grade water recycling
• Seawater greenhouse
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MULTISTAGE FLASH DESALINATOR
Schematic of a multistage flash desalinator
A – steam in
B – seawater in
C – potable water out
D – waste out
E – steam out
F – heat exchange
G – condensation collection
H – brine heater
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ION EXCHANGE
Ion exchange resin beads 6/12
REVERSE OSMOSIS
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ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Desalination
Method
Multi-stage
Flash
Multi-Effect
Distillation
Mechanical
Vapor
Compression
Reverse
Osmosis(RO)
Electrical energy
(kWh/m3)
4–6 1.5–2.5 7–12 3–5.5
Thermal energy
(kWh/m3)
50–110 60–110 None None
Electrical
equivalent of
thermal energy
(kWh/m3)
9.5–19.5 5–8.5 None None
Total equivalent
electrical energy
(kWh/m3)
13.5–25.5 6.5–11 7–12 3–5.5
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DRAWBACKS
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VIDEO
10/12
REFERENCES
• HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/DESALINATION
• HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/THERMOHALINE_CIRCULATION
• HOW SEAWATER DESALINATION WORKS (YOUTUBE)
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THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION
ANY QUESTIONS?
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WaterDesalination