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An innovative desalination concept coupling concentrated solar for GCC countries - DESOLINATION

Poirier, Kristofer ; Patchigolla, Kumar ; Lipnizki, Frank LU orcid ; Manzolini, Giampaolo and Al Mhanna, Najah (2025) Oman Water Week
Abstract
Introduction
Water scarcity is a growing problem, with estimates showing that 40% of the world’s population could face water shortages by 2030. This issue is even worse because only 3% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, while 97% is seawater. Finding better ways to save and use water is critical to solving this problem. At the same time, renewable energy is essential for reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change. Solar energy is a key part of this effort, making up about 11% of global renewable energy in 2019. Since 2020, solar energy production has grown by 16%, showing its importance in building a sustainable future. The DESOLINATION project addresses these challenges by combining concentrated solar power (CSP) with... (More)
Introduction
Water scarcity is a growing problem, with estimates showing that 40% of the world’s population could face water shortages by 2030. This issue is even worse because only 3% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, while 97% is seawater. Finding better ways to save and use water is critical to solving this problem. At the same time, renewable energy is essential for reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change. Solar energy is a key part of this effort, making up about 11% of global renewable energy in 2019. Since 2020, solar energy production has grown by 16%, showing its importance in building a sustainable future. The DESOLINATION project addresses these challenges by combining concentrated solar power (CSP) with advanced membrane processes and a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system for seawater desalination. In this approach, CSP provides both heat and electricity, creating a zero-carbon desalination solution.

Problem
The DESOLINATION project takes a holistic approach to solving the desalination challenge. It uses an integrated membrane system that combines forward osmosis (FO), nanofiltration (NF), and membrane distillation (MD) with a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system. The ZLD system includes a multi-crystallization process to recover valuable minerals. To improve performance, the project focuses on developing and testing new membranes for FO, MD, and NF. It also explores using thermo-responsive polymers as a draw solution in the FO process. In the final step, the optimized system will be scaled up and connected to the air Brayton cycle solar power tower at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.

Solution/methodology
The overall desalination process is shown in Figure 1. In the forward osmosis (FO) step, seawater is concentrated by transferring water into a thermo-responsive polymeric draw solution. This process produces a diluted draw solution (FO permeate) and concentrated seawater (FO retentate), which are handled as follows:
1. The diluted draw solution is heated using excess heat from the Brayton cycle and sent to a coalescer for phase separation. The water-rich phase is passed to the nanofiltration (NF) step, which further purifies the water. The purified water is removed as NF permeate, while the polymer-enriched retentate from NF and the polymer-rich phase from the coalescer are mixed and recycled as the draw solution for the FO step.
2. The concentrated seawater from the FO retentate undergoes further concentration in the vacuum membrane distillation (MD) step to maximize water recovery. Before this, the FO retentate is pre-heated using excess heat from the Brayton cycle. The MD process separates purified water as permeate, which is removed, and leaves behind MD retentate.
3.The MD retentate is processed in the zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system, where valuable salts like magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃·3H₂O), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), sodium chloride (NaCl), and lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) are recovered. This step helps achieve nearly 100% water recovery.

Based on the process concept, the following improvements are being investigated and implemented:
- FO Membranes: Two different concepts for developing high-flux polymeric FO membranes are under investigation. These membranes are produced using electrospinning and layer-by-layer techniques. They are designed specifically to transfer water from seawater into a thermo-responsive polymeric draw solution.
- MD Membranes: New superhydrophobic ceramic membranes are being developed for vacuum membrane distillation (MD). These membranes use silane grafting and are optimized to maximize water recovery from the FO retentate.
- NF Membranes: Recently commercialized ceramic nanofiltration (NF) membranes are being integrated for final water polishing after decantation. Ceramic membranes were chosen to reduce the need for cooling after the decantation process.
- Draw Solution: Various thermo-responsive polymers are being evaluated as draw solutions for the FO step. The selection is based on their compatibility with the process units, viscosity, and the osmotic pressure they achieve. Polymers being considered include three types of block copolymers, Pluronics® PE 6400, Pluronics® L-35, Pluronics® RPE 1740, and two different types of random copolymers, Unilube® 50MB-26 and Polycerin® 55GI-2601.
- ZLD Process: Multi-stage crystallizers are being developed for the ZLD process to treat the MD retentate. These crystallizers will recover valuable salts such as magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃·3H₂O), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), sodium chloride (NaCl), and lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). Those high-purity crystals can be sold to generate revenue which can improve the profitability of the desalination plant while avoiding pollution from brine discharge. Additionally, this ZLD process can be powered by concentrated solar collectors, making the plant sustainable and carbon neutral. Simulations using Aspen Plus™ predict that this process can recover near 100% of water from concentrated brines as well as 89% of Mg2+, 99% of Ca2+, 72% of NaCl, and 80% of Li+. For each cubic meter of concentrated seawater brine, this ZLD method can produce 11.23 kg of MgCO₃·3H₂O; 1.74 kg of CaCO₃, 29.64 kg of NaCl, and 1.23 g of Li2CO3. Recovered purified water and minerals can be sold to generate a total revenue of 15.69 $ per m3 of treated brine. MgCO₃·3H₂O accounts for 49.37% of the total revenue, followed by water at 25.78%, NaCl at 19.95%, CaCO₃ at 4.76% and Li2CO3 at 0.14%. Despite its high market value of 20 $/kg, Li2CO3 has a small contribution to revenue due to its low concentration in seawater. But this method serves as a novel and sustainable lithium extraction method.
The results from the efforts above are currently integrated into a large-scale pilot to be installed King Saud University in Saudi Arabia during 2025.

Conclusion
The DESOLINATION project offers a sustainable solution to water scarcity by combining solar power with advanced desalination technologies. The development of efficient FO, MD, and NF membranes, along with thermo-responsive polymers, improves water recovery and reduces environmental impact. The integration of a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system helps recover valuable salts and achieve nearly 100% water recovery. This project shows great potential for providing clean water in a sustainable and cost-effective way, especially in regions in the Middle East facing water shortages.

Funding
This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme via the DESOLINATION project [grant number 101022686].

References
[1] Poirier, K., Lotfi, M., Garg, K., Patchigolla, K., Anthony, E.J., Faisal, N.H., Mulgundmath, V., Sahith, J.K., Jadhawar, P., Koh, L., Morosuk, T., Al Mhanna, N., “A comprehensive review of pre- and post-treatment approaches to achieve sustainable desalination for different water streams”, Desalination, 566, 116944, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116944.
[2] Poirier, K., Patchigolla, K., Al Mhanna, N., “Techno-economic analysis of brine treatment by multi-crystallisation separation process for zero liquid discharge”, Separations, 9(10), 295, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/separations9100295. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
unpublished
subject
keywords
Membrane processes, Zero liquid discharge, Membrane distillation, Forward osmosis, Nanofiltration
pages
4 pages
conference name
Oman Water Week
conference location
Muscat, Oman
conference dates
2025-04-07 - 2025-04-10
project
DEmonstration of concentrated SOLar power coupled wIth advaNced desAlinaTion system in the gulf regION.
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bcc9e4e2-2be5-4443-a51d-2b39c6e34a10
date added to LUP
2025-12-30 20:18:13
date last changed
2026-01-15 13:43:59
@misc{bcc9e4e2-2be5-4443-a51d-2b39c6e34a10,
  abstract     = {{Introduction<br/>Water scarcity is a growing problem, with estimates showing that 40% of the world’s population could face water shortages by 2030. This issue is even worse because only 3% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, while 97% is seawater. Finding better ways to save and use water is critical to solving this problem. At the same time, renewable energy is essential for reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change. Solar energy is a key part of this effort, making up about 11% of global renewable energy in 2019. Since 2020, solar energy production has grown by 16%, showing its importance in building a sustainable future. The DESOLINATION project addresses these challenges by combining concentrated solar power (CSP) with advanced membrane processes and a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system for seawater desalination. In this approach, CSP provides both heat and electricity, creating a zero-carbon desalination solution.<br/><br/>Problem<br/>The DESOLINATION project takes a holistic approach to solving the desalination challenge. It uses an integrated membrane system that combines forward osmosis (FO), nanofiltration (NF), and membrane distillation (MD) with a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system. The ZLD system includes a multi-crystallization process to recover valuable minerals. To improve performance, the project focuses on developing and testing new membranes for FO, MD, and NF. It also explores using thermo-responsive polymers as a draw solution in the FO process. In the final step, the optimized system will be scaled up and connected to the air Brayton cycle solar power tower at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.<br/><br/>Solution/methodology<br/>The overall desalination process is shown in Figure 1. In the forward osmosis (FO) step, seawater is concentrated by transferring water into a thermo-responsive polymeric draw solution. This process produces a diluted draw solution (FO permeate) and concentrated seawater (FO retentate), which are handled as follows:<br/>1. The diluted draw solution is heated using excess heat from the Brayton cycle and sent to a coalescer for phase separation. The water-rich phase is passed to the nanofiltration (NF) step, which further purifies the water. The purified water is removed as NF permeate, while the polymer-enriched retentate from NF and the polymer-rich phase from the coalescer are mixed and recycled as the draw solution for the FO step.<br/>2. The concentrated seawater from the FO retentate undergoes further concentration in the vacuum membrane distillation (MD) step to maximize water recovery. Before this, the FO retentate is pre-heated using excess heat from the Brayton cycle. The MD process separates purified water as permeate, which is removed, and leaves behind MD retentate.<br/>3.The MD retentate is processed in the zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system, where valuable salts like magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃·3H₂O), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), sodium chloride (NaCl), and lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) are recovered. This step helps achieve nearly 100% water recovery. <br/><br/>Based on the process concept, the following improvements are being investigated and implemented:<br/>- FO Membranes: Two different concepts for developing high-flux polymeric FO membranes are under investigation. These membranes are produced using electrospinning and layer-by-layer techniques. They are designed specifically to transfer water from seawater into a thermo-responsive polymeric draw solution.<br/>- MD Membranes: New superhydrophobic ceramic membranes are being developed for vacuum membrane distillation (MD). These membranes use silane grafting and are optimized to maximize water recovery from the FO retentate.<br/>- NF Membranes: Recently commercialized ceramic nanofiltration (NF) membranes are being integrated for final water polishing after decantation. Ceramic membranes were chosen to reduce the need for cooling after the decantation process.<br/>- Draw Solution: Various thermo-responsive polymers are being evaluated as draw solutions for the FO step. The selection is based on their compatibility with the process units, viscosity, and the osmotic pressure they achieve. Polymers being considered include three types of block copolymers, Pluronics® PE 6400, Pluronics® L-35, Pluronics® RPE 1740, and two different types of random copolymers, Unilube® 50MB-26 and Polycerin® 55GI-2601.<br/>- ZLD Process: Multi-stage crystallizers are being developed for the ZLD process to treat the MD retentate. These crystallizers will recover valuable salts such as magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃·3H₂O), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), sodium chloride (NaCl), and lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). Those high-purity crystals can be sold to generate revenue which can improve the profitability of the desalination plant while avoiding pollution from brine discharge. Additionally, this ZLD process can be powered by concentrated solar collectors, making the plant sustainable and carbon neutral. Simulations using Aspen Plus™ predict that this process can recover near 100% of water from concentrated brines as well as 89% of Mg2+, 99% of Ca2+, 72% of NaCl, and 80% of Li+. For each cubic meter of concentrated seawater brine, this ZLD method can produce 11.23 kg of MgCO₃·3H₂O; 1.74 kg of CaCO₃, 29.64 kg of NaCl, and 1.23 g of Li2CO3. Recovered purified water and minerals can be sold to generate a total revenue of 15.69 $ per m3 of treated brine. MgCO₃·3H₂O accounts for 49.37% of the total revenue, followed by water at 25.78%, NaCl at 19.95%, CaCO₃ at 4.76% and Li2CO3 at 0.14%. Despite its high market value of 20 $/kg, Li2CO3 has a small contribution to revenue due to its low concentration in seawater. But this method serves as a novel and sustainable lithium extraction method.<br/>The results from the efforts above are currently integrated into a large-scale pilot to be installed King Saud University in Saudi Arabia during 2025.<br/><br/>Conclusion<br/>The DESOLINATION project offers a sustainable solution to water scarcity by combining solar power with advanced desalination technologies. The development of efficient FO, MD, and NF membranes, along with thermo-responsive polymers, improves water recovery and reduces environmental impact. The integration of a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system helps recover valuable salts and achieve nearly 100% water recovery. This project shows great potential for providing clean water in a sustainable and cost-effective way, especially in regions in the Middle East facing water shortages.<br/><br/>Funding<br/>This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme via the DESOLINATION project [grant number 101022686].<br/><br/>References<br/>[1] Poirier, K., Lotfi, M., Garg, K., Patchigolla, K., Anthony, E.J., Faisal, N.H., Mulgundmath, V., Sahith, J.K., Jadhawar, P., Koh, L., Morosuk, T., Al Mhanna, N., “A comprehensive review of pre- and post-treatment approaches to achieve sustainable desalination for different water streams”, Desalination, 566, 116944, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116944.<br/>[2] Poirier, K., Patchigolla, K., Al Mhanna, N., “Techno-economic analysis of brine treatment by multi-crystallisation separation process for zero liquid discharge”, Separations, 9(10), 295, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/separations9100295.}},
  author       = {{Poirier, Kristofer and Patchigolla, Kumar and Lipnizki, Frank and Manzolini, Giampaolo and Al Mhanna, Najah}},
  keywords     = {{Membrane processes; Zero liquid discharge; Membrane distillation; Forward osmosis; Nanofiltration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  title        = {{An innovative desalination concept coupling concentrated solar for GCC countries - DESOLINATION}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/237013982/Oman_Water_Week_Abstract_V3.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}