Desalination

"World-wide, 13,080 desalination plants produce more than 12 billion U.S. gallons (45,000,000 m3) of water a day, according to the International Desalination Association."Large-scale desalination of brackish or saline waters has traditionally been accomplished via:

• Multi-stage flash distillation, or,
• Membrane processes (in particular reverse osmosis)

Desalination via MacroDynamic processing is distinctly different from other desalination processes in that there is essentially no residual brine solution fraction. Desalination via distillation and membrane processes derives varying yields of recovered desalinated water fraction and a residual concentrated brine fraction. The fraction of recovered desalinated water can range from 30 to 70 percent and thus the brine fraction from 30 to 70 percent. The large volume of concentrated brine must be disposed of in an environmentally benign manner.

The MacroDynamic process yields a recovery of as high as 98 to 99 percent desalinated water fraction with the only loss of processed water being from the modest residual moisture retained on the decanted adsorbent. The residue from the MacroDynamic process is a solid, not concentrated liquid brine. How this residual is disposed of depends on the nature of its stability and the characteristics of its leachate potential. If the residual is deemed benign, it can be disposed of in an ordinary landfill, or alternatively used for subsequent beneficial use. If the adsorbent is deemed non-stable or has adverse leachate potential then the adsorbent may need to be disposed of in a hazardous disposal landfill or reprocessed to be made benign. But in either case, the residual volume derived from the MacroDynamic process is a mere fraction of the volume of a concentrated brine stream.