Desalination of brackish groundwater to improve water quality and water supply
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Ahdab-Lienhard-Groundwater_Desalination_Chapter-R1.pdf
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1.33 MB
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Author(s)
Ahdab, Yvana D
Lienhard, John H
Date Issued
2020
Journal
Global Groundwater: Source, Scarcity, Sustainability, Security and Solutions
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Ahdab, Yvana D. and John H. Lienhard. "Desalination of brackish groundwater to improve water quality and water supply." Global Groundwater: Source, Scarcity, Sustainability, Security and Solutions, edited by Abhijit Mukherjee et al, Elsevier, forthcoming. © 2021 Elsevier
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Brackish groundwater desalination has and will continue to play a critical role in improving
water quality and water supply in many parts of the world. While numerous methods exist for
desalination, membrane-based desalination technologies are used without exception in treating
brackish groundwater. The two most widely adopted processes are reverse osmosis (pressure-
driven desalination) and electrodialysis (electric potential-driven desalination). Selection of
the appropriate technology is made based on feedwater and target product water composition
for a particular application, as well as environmental and cost considerations. This chap-
ter outlines the key components of a typical brackish groundwater desalination facility that
uses reverse osmosis or electrodialysis, including required pretreatment of source water and
post-treatment of product water. Desalination plant energy consumption and economics are
discussed. Brine disposal is highlighted as a critical cost driver for inland brackish ground-
water desalination. Environmentally-friendly alternatives to current brine disposal methods
and conventional energy sources are considered. Because geography is a key consideration in
desalination decision-making, regional and national trends in desalination capacity, spending,
technology, and source water type are also investigated. The national trends focus on the
following desalination players: U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, Spain, and India.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rohsenow Kendall Heat Transfer Laboratory (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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DOI of Published Version
https://www.elsevier.com/books/global-groundwater/mukherjee/978-0-12-818172-0
