Desalination for Water Security and Environmental

Protection

Prof. Wendell ElaNCEDAMurdoch UniversityACC, May 2016

n 40% of the world’s population is now living in a water–scarce region.

n Total global water demand is expected to rise by 35 - 60% between 2000 and 2025, and could double by 2050.

n A 40% global gap between demand from economic development and supply of accessible and reliable water is expected by 2030.

Big Picture Realities

2 - 4 L drinking water

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Human’s Daily Water Needs

+8 - 50 L sanitation & hygiene

+50 - 500 L embedded energy

Total:1,000 – 6,000 liters /day

+1,000 – 5,500 L embedded food

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Climate Change: Perth Dam Inflows

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Next Buckets

Naturally Impaired Waters¡ Marine¡ Brackish ground water

Human Impaired Waters¡ Wastewater reuse and reclamation

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Water Sources versus Unit Costs

Marsden Jacobs and Associates, 2006, Melbourne

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Perth1

GoldCoast

Sydney Adelaide Melbourne

The Big Six Australian Desalination Plants

Perth2

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General Ocean Desal Schematic(sorry, in German, in Australia)

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Marine Desal Intakes

Excerpted from: Key Issues in Seawater Desalination in California, 2013

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http://www.watercorporation.com.au/water-supply-and-services/solutions-to-perths-water-supply/desalination/perth-seawater-desalination-plant

Perth Seawater Desal. Plant (Kwinana)Intake Type and In-Place Pictures

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZp2WUlEMPY

Adelaide Desal Plant Outfall

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Perth Seawater Desal. Plant (Kwinana)

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Southern Seawater Desalination Plant

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Water Reuse & Desalination

Questions, Concerns, Comments

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?

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Trends in Water Source Unit Costs

Ghaffour et al., 2013, Desalination

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Slow sand filtration

Filtration/ GAC

Micro/Ultra filtration

Coag/flocc rapid sand

Chemical additives

Ion exchange

Nano-filtration

NF + chem softening

Chemical softening

NF + ion exchange

Fouling Pre-treatment

Desalination Brine Treatment

Brine Disposal

Scaling Pre-treatment

Selective precipitation

Crystallizer

Halophytes

VSEP

Dew Vap

Softening 2º RO

MVRE

Separation & reuse

Drying ponds

Sewer/open discharge

Injection wells

Solar ponds

Landfill

Product Water

Reverse osmosis

with partial by-

pass