Integrated Valorization of Desalination Brine through NaOH Recovery: Opportunities and Challenges

Amit Kumar; Katherine R Phillips; Janny Cai; Uwe Schröder; John H Lienhard 5th

doi:10.1002/anie.201810469

Integrated Valorization of Desalination Brine through NaOH Recovery: Opportunities and Challenges

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2019 May 13;58(20):6502-6511. doi: 10.1002/anie.201810469. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Authors

Amit Kumar¹, Katherine R Phillips², Janny Cai^{1

2}, Uwe Schröder³, John H Lienhard 5th¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139-4307, USA.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139-4307, USA.
³ Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.

PMID: 30793476
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201810469

Abstract

The rising use of seawater desalination for fresh water production is driving a parallel rise in the discharge of high-salinity brine into the ocean. Better utilization of this brine would have a positive impact on the energy use, cost, and environmental footprint of desalination. Furthermore, intermittent renewable energy can easily power the brine utilization and, for reverse osmosis technology, the entire desalination plant. One pathway toward these goals is to convert the otherwise discharged brine into useful chemicals; waste could be transformed into sodium hydroxide or caustic soda (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). In this Minireview, we discuss opportunities and challenges for integrated valorization of desalination brine through NaOH and HCl recovery.

Keywords: HCl recovery; NaOH recovery; bipolar membrane electrodialysis; desalination brine; sustainable chemistry.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

6934515/Cadagua, a Ferrovial subsidiary, through the MIT Energy Initiative