Cutting-Edge Desalination Technologies

This is an exciting innovation: a novel form of reverse osmosis (RO) that can desalinate hypersaline brines. Congratulations to Professor Tzahi Cath and his team at the Colorado School of Mines. Treating #Permian produced water down to the below the federal drinking water standard (<500 mg/L TDS) is an impressive accomplishment. As with most novel desalination modalities, the next steps here could be improved throughput and a push towards commercial viability. Jerri Pohl New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium Shane Walker Texas Produced Water Consortium Hope Dalton Steve Coffee Produced Water Society Michael Dyson Chris Caudill Jordan Kramer Whitney Dobson Ashley Kegley-Whitehead Infinity Water Solutions Steven Walden Ramón Antonio Sánchez Rosario Kevin Schug #water #treatment #desalination #energy #environment #mining "Low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis (LSRRO) is a novel RO process configuration capable of treating hypersaline brines that conventional seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) cannot. LSRRO can operate under hydraulic pressures similar to those of SWRO, thereby having lower specific energy consumption than thermal desalination. This study presents a unique demonstration of LSRRO. Five feed streams, from simple NaCl solutions (70 g/L total dissolved solids (TDS)) to oil and gas produced water (133 g/L TDS) were used to assess the performance of a pilot LSRRO system, using water recovery and stream compositions as performance metrics. The results confirm the capability of LSRRO to achieve water recoveries greater than 60% while generating brines with TDS concentrations higher than 200 g/L, far exceeding conventional SWRO performance, while limiting hydraulic pressure to 1,100 psi (75.8 bar). Water flux through the nine unique LSRRO membranes was also evaluated, and the results will help fine-tune salt and water permeabilities for future membrane fabrication. Overall, the rejection of select ions was more than 99% across all experiments, producing high-quality permeate with TDS concentrations ranging from a low of 31 mg/L to a high of 333 mg/L. Membrane integrity testing revealed a lack of damage or scaling after the experiments." https://lnkd.in/gPDexi-w

A Sustainable Solution to Water Scarcity: MIT’s Solar-Powered Desalinator 🌞💧 Turning seawater into drinkable water has traditionally been a costly and energy-heavy process. Conventional desalination plants rely on high-pressure pumps and thermal energy, consuming vast amounts of electricity and contributing to carbon emissions. But now, researchers at MIT have unveiled a groundbreaking, eco-friendly solution — a solar-powered desalinator that requires no external electricity. This innovative device harnesses solar evaporation, a natural process where sunlight heats saltwater, turning it into vapor, which is then condensed into fresh water. What sets the MIT desalinator apart is its multi-stage evaporator system, designed to maximize efficiency. The device layers several evaporative and condensing stages, inspired by how plants naturally absorb and release water. Each layer continuously evaporates and condenses water, enabling it to produce significantly more fresh water than traditional single-stage solar stills. One of the most impressive aspects of this system is its ability to function entirely off-grid, making it ideal for remote coastal villages, arid regions, disaster zones, or any location where fresh water is limited and electricity is unreliable or non-existent. It's compact, affordable, and capable of generating enough clean water to meet the daily drinking needs of a small family. This breakthrough holds incredible promise for tackling global water challenges. With zero emissions, low maintenance needs, and no requirement for complex infrastructure, the MIT solar desalinator could play a critical role in ensuring equitable access to clean water — a basic human right — especially as climate change worsens water shortages around the globe. By leveraging the sun's power and mimicking natural biological systems, MIT’s innovation proves that sustainable technology can drive meaningful change. This is more than a water filter — it’s a symbol of hope for millions who live without reliable access to safe drinking water. #CleanWaterForAll #SolarDesalination #MITInnovation #WaterCrisisSolution #OffGridTech #SustainableLiving #ClimateResilience

“If a new Canadian startup is successful with its product, it could decarbonize the whole desalination industry, using only energy from the sea to turn seawater into drinking water. 300 million people rely on seawater from a global industry of 21,000 desalination plants, nearly all of which use fossil fuels to complete the energy-intensive process of thermo-desalination, or reverse osmosis—the two methods that can turn seawater into clean water at scale. The startup Oneka however uses modular machines that attach to the seafloor like buoys and convert the kinetic energy of 3-foot waves into mechanical energy that drives a reverse osmosis and creates 13,000 gallons of drinking water a day with the largest commerically-available module. It’s expected that if the worst predictions of climate change come to pass, more and more of the world will rely on desalinated water at least some of the year according to data collected by the BBC, and the industry is predicted to grow 9% to a yearly value of $29 billion by 2030. Oneka presents a suite of advantages over land-based desalination plants. The first is that it takes up no space on land; particularly important for island nations. The second is that their modules emit no greenhouse gases. The third has to do with a drawback of desalination technology as it stands. Oneka’s technology mixes the saline solution with three-quarters of all the seawater taken up in a single day, releasing it back into the ocean with a mere 25% greater content of salt than before. The module desalinators can be chained next to each other to conserve space and make it easier for the piping system that transfers the clean water on land to be installed. Making the machines the complete eco-friendly package, Oneka has found their chains, anchorage, and buoys are all sealife friendly, and quickly become populated by various creatures according to the company. They have tested their buoy desalinators in harsh weather of 6-meter waves (nearly 30 feet) and found they work well. These early modules have already been sold to communities in Chile, one of the driest parts of the world.” Link to video is here: https://lnkd.in/gFCCkMbW https://lnkd.in/gaa-N-CN

The next breakthrough in water tech might not be built on land. Meet Ocean Oasis — a company designing floating desalination units powered by wave energy. ✅ Modular & scalable. Deployable where demand is highest. ✅ Wave-powered. No need for an external energy source. ✅ Minimal land use. Floating systems work offshore. ✅ No need for complex pipeline infrastructure. Why I love this: 1️⃣ It’s mobile. Unlike traditional desal plants, Ocean Oasis units can be relocated based on demand. Coastal cities facing seasonal water stress could deploy them where they’re needed most. 2️⃣ Coastal infrastructure is expensive. Floating desal eliminates the need for massive land-based construction. 3️⃣ It’s an independent system. Ocean Oasis doesn’t require a grid connection. It's a potentially great fit for off-grid communities, island nations, and disaster relief scenarios. Could offshore desalination become the next scalable water solution? Or is the tech still too early? Drop your thoughts below. 👇 (Also, highly recommend checking out Ocean Oasis if you’re in the water space.) PS. I just posted about FLOCEAN last week, and thank you Stefano Bernardi for informing me!

🚀 Texas Nuclear Initiative: Transforming Wastewater into Life-Saving Freshwater! 💧 Nuclear energy can convert salty or produced water into pure, drinkable water, and this transformation is unfolding in Texas. Natura Resources, Texas Tech University, and Abilene Christian University are collaborating to integrate small modular reactors (SMRs) with advanced desalination systems, potentially turning millions of barrels of produced water from oil and gas wells into fresh water for farms, communities, and beyond. 📚 Historical precedents support this innovative approach. The BN-350 reactor in Kazakhstan operated as the world’s first nuclear desalination station for 26 years, demonstrating the viability of nuclear-powered desalination. Likewise, Arizona’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station has effectively processed and reused wastewater to mitigate water shortages. ⚛️ New projects are on the horizon: Abilene Christian University is launching a 1 MW molten salt research reactor to explore next-generation nuclear methods, while Texas A&M’s RELLIS Campus is developing a 100 MWe reactor designed to seamlessly switch between generating electricity and purifying water for enhanced efficiency. 🌵 For arid regions like the Permian Basin, where water scarcity is a pressing concern, these initiatives offer a promising solution. Texas’s coastal resources further enhance the potential to expand desalination efforts and deliver essential water to communities in need. The Texas Produced Water Consortium supports these advancements, confident that innovative reactor technologies will secure both water and energy for the future. Picture: An MSR-100 reactor facility (Image: Natura Resources) Sources: https://lnkd.in/dWwD5nAS https://lnkd.in/dWUp5_yb #NuclearPower #Desalination #WaterInnovation #Texas #SMR #CleanEnergy