Environmental Impact Assessment of Desalination Plants in the Gulf Region

Abstract

Currently, desalination plants are essential tools for utilizing water from various natural resources like brackish water and seawater. Worldwide, the number of desalination facilities is rising to fulfill the increased requirement for potable water to be utilized for human consumption, public services, and industrial activities. There exist three principle methods of desalination: thermal, electrical, and pressure. Conversely, the brine released will have several negative effects on the surroundings. The current study aimed to give a general awareness into the present progress in the desalination processes through investigating the various available technologies. Different brine disposal approaches are analyzed as well as compared. We have also compared the different technologies based on energy consumption and water production costs. Moreover, we examine the zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technique, its challenges, advantages, operating as well as environmental characteristics, and the up-to-date research progress in this area. In the end, we have briefly analyzed the upcoming research and development approaches for brine management. It was found that this ZLD process is extremely beneficial to the environment with respect to decreasing the pollution caused by the discharged brine and attaining sustainability. Additional pilot or field studies are necessary for validating their commercial-scale performance as well as feasibility in practicing ZLD.