TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards a low-energy seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant
T2 - A review and theoretical analysis for future directions
AU - Park, Kiho
AU - Kim, Jungbin
AU - Yang, Dae Ryook
AU - Hong, Seungkwan
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through Industrial Facilities & Infrastructure Research Program, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) (1485016424).
Funding Information:
This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute ( KEITI ) through Industrial Facilities & Infrastructure Research Program, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment ( MOE ) ( 1485016424 ). Appendix A
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - Seawater is receiving consideration as an infinite water source in the current era of water shortage. The application of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) to prepare seawater for human use is increasing exponentially owing to its high energy efficiency among desalination technologies. However, SWRO is still energy-intensive, and thus needs to be improved further to become more environmentally sound (i.e., producing less CO2). To tackle such a challenge, this study was conducted to propose strategies to lower the specific energy consumption (SEC) of the SWRO process. From the results of extensive review and theoretical analysis, three directions were proposed for improving the energy efficiency of the SWRO process: i) minimize the irreversible work of the high-pressure pump, ii) decrease the osmotic pressure of the feed, and iii) recover osmotic energy from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate. After the feasibility of each approach was identified by assessing the theoretical minimum energy and the maximum available margin, strategies for each direction were presented with a technical description, then critically evaluated by considering their practical application. Because this paper includes theoretical perspectives for energy savings in SWRO, it provides comprehensive ideas for lowering the SEC of SWRO desalination plants in the future.
AB - Seawater is receiving consideration as an infinite water source in the current era of water shortage. The application of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) to prepare seawater for human use is increasing exponentially owing to its high energy efficiency among desalination technologies. However, SWRO is still energy-intensive, and thus needs to be improved further to become more environmentally sound (i.e., producing less CO2). To tackle such a challenge, this study was conducted to propose strategies to lower the specific energy consumption (SEC) of the SWRO process. From the results of extensive review and theoretical analysis, three directions were proposed for improving the energy efficiency of the SWRO process: i) minimize the irreversible work of the high-pressure pump, ii) decrease the osmotic pressure of the feed, and iii) recover osmotic energy from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate. After the feasibility of each approach was identified by assessing the theoretical minimum energy and the maximum available margin, strategies for each direction were presented with a technical description, then critically evaluated by considering their practical application. Because this paper includes theoretical perspectives for energy savings in SWRO, it provides comprehensive ideas for lowering the SEC of SWRO desalination plants in the future.
KW - Low-energy consumption
KW - Osmotic energy
KW - Reverse osmosis
KW - Seawater desalination
KW - Theoretical exergy analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074500453&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117607
DO - 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117607
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85074500453
SN - 0376-7388
VL - 595
JO - Journal of Membrane Science
JF - Journal of Membrane Science
M1 - 117607
ER -