Due to advances in desalination technology, desalination has been considered as a practical method to meet the increasing global fresh water demand. This paper explores the status of the desalination industry and research work in South Korea. Desalination plant designs, statistics, and the roadmap for desalination research were analyzed. To reduce energy consumption in desalination, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) has been intensively investigated. Recently, alternative desalination technologies, including forward osmosis, pressure-retarded osmosis, membrane distillation, capacitive deionization, renewable-energy-powered desalination, and desalination batteries have also been actively studied. Related major consortium-based desalination research projects and their pilot plants suggest insights into lowering the energy consumption of desalination and mitigation of the environmental impact of SWRO brine as well. Finally, considerations concerning further development are suggested based on the current status of desalination technology in South Korea.
Keywords: South Korea; alternative technology; energy; industry; research; reverse osmosis; seawater desalination.