New Tech May Make Desalination Cheaper, Greener

A new kind of desalination technology could make the process cheaper and greener. 

Researchers at the University of Technology in Sydney have "developed a new cost-efficient and environmentally friendly method of desalination that could use up to 80 percent less energy," the university announced in a press release. 

The aim was to develop a new way to desalinate water for irrigation. The new method is known as Fertilizer Drawn Forward Osmosis (FDFO). "Chemicals withdraw saline from water via osmosis by employing soluble fertilizer on the opposite side of a membrane filter," the announcement said. 

According to Hokyong Shon, one of the researchers,"Using osmotic energy to drive power generating turbines is just one of the many exciting possibilities." 

The search is on for technologies to make desalination more efficient, according to a survey of new equipment published this month in the journal Yale Environment 360. 

"The current standard technology, reverse osmosis — in which high-pressure pumps force water through semi-permeable membranes to exclude salt and impurities — uses large amounts of energy and has an outsized impact on the environment. These effects include damage to aquatic ecosystems, such as sucking in fish eggs with its intake water; using harsh chemicals to clean membranes; and releasing large volumes of highly salty liquid brine back into the water," the report said. 

This month, a new study based in California showed that desalination may become increasingly safe for fish. The study focused on subsurface intake technology. 

"Data gathered from boreholes drilled along the Central Coast show a different way of collecting seawater for desalination may be feasible," Central Valley Business Times reported. "California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works Company Inc., says subsurface intake wells drilled close to the coastline at a diagonal angle could collect sufficient ocean water to produce nearly 10 million gallons of potable water a day -- enough to supply the Monterey Peninsula."

Environmental groups and some state regulators prefer subsurface intakes "because unlike an open pipeline to the ocean, they do not trap and harm marine life," the report said. 

Experts say California may need to rely on desalination if the severe drought persists. 

"As the increasing unpredictability of weather patterns leads governments and municipalities to look at new water infrastructure investments,drought-ravaged California could be a large potential contributor to the19 percent annual growth expectations in global desalination market," The Guardian recently reported. 

Check out Water Online's Desalination Solution Center. 

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