Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) And Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) Become Lower Cost Through Reverse Osmosis Innovation

Saltworks is pleased to announce that recent advancements in reverse osmosis technology are now commercially available. Malcolm Man of Saltworks notes “we are changing the cost equation for brine management and minimal liquid discharge. In the MLD and near ZLD space, advanced reverse osmosis can now do two things previously thought unattainable:

1. Reduce conventional RO brine volumes by 50%, achieving brine concentrations of 130,000 to 150,000 mg/L TDS with spiral wound RO membranes.
2. Treat industrial and produced waters with high organics and solvents, while maintaining membrane integrity.

Throughout 2019, Saltworks has been working with industrial customers and a leading RO membrane supplier to refine and thoroughly test the technology. It has now been demonstrated through repeated successful pilots in mine water management, cooling tower blowdown, brackish water desalination, oil & gas produced water, and industrial wastewater treatment. A cooling tower blowdown treatment case study was recently published by Saltworks.

The advanced RO accomplishments involve the marriage of specialized RO membranes and process-control innovations. An exciting partnership in this regard will be announced in the future. Interested readers can learn more about the technologies below or contact Saltworks at projects@saltworkstech.com:

• BrineRefine: removes scaling ions, without coagulants that can damage RO, to make an RO friendly feed.
• XtremeRO: ultra high pressure reverse osmosis (UHP RO) for brine concentration, including options for oil & gas produced water and industrial organic wastewater treatment.

About Saltworks
Saltworks Technologies is a leader in the development and delivery of solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and desalination. Founded in 2008, the Company offers thermal and membrane systems for brine concentration, zero liquid discharge, and advanced separations. By working with customers to understand their unique challenges and focusing on continuous innovation, Saltworks’ solutions provide best-in-class performance and reliability on challenging waters. From its headquarters in Richmond, BC, Canada, Saltworks designs, builds and operates full-scale treatment plants and offers comprehensive offsite and onsite testing services with its fleet of mobile pilots.