A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements

Before investing in any optimizing technology for the recovery and reuse of brine resources, it is of importance to study the full physicochemical characteristics of the brine. In the current study, the physicochemical characteristics of Qatari seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine were fully invest...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mariam Khan, Rana S. Al-Absi, Majeda Khraisheh, Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-12-01
Series:Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016421000876
_version_ 1819240802172272640
author Mariam Khan
Rana S. Al-Absi
Majeda Khraisheh
Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti
author_facet Mariam Khan
Rana S. Al-Absi
Majeda Khraisheh
Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti
author_sort Mariam Khan
collection DOAJ
description Before investing in any optimizing technology for the recovery and reuse of brine resources, it is of importance to study the full physicochemical characteristics of the brine. In the current study, the physicochemical characteristics of Qatari seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine were fully investigated. The current study intends to lead to a better understanding of the nature of SWRO brine given the economic significance for the country that can be benefited from recycling and reusing various components. The characterization includes physical and chemical composition, as well as mineralogical and morphological investigation. The chemical analysis revealed that the seawater reverse osmosis brine contains various valuable elements and metals such as Ca (77120 mg/L), Na (343500 mg/L), Li (238800 mg/L), Ba (3.3 mg/L), Cs (3.4 mg/L), Fe (30.5 mg/L) and Mg (238800 mg/L). The pH of the brine was 8, while the electrical conductivity and salinity were 90.56 mS/cm and 61.4 ppt, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive and energy-dispersive X-ray revealed the placement of various valuable metals on the salt surface. X-ray diffraction showed eight XRD peaks. Interestingly, one peak at 2θ of 31.7° is significantly more intense than the other seven peaks obtained, while all the eight peaks are extremely narrow. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the brine sample showed the presence of various functional groups. The narrow and intense peak around 1408 cm−1 confirms the presence of the SO bond in the brine sample, which could correspond to the presence of sulfonyl chlorides or sulfates as indicated by the ICP-OES results. Furthermore, a comparison between the energy requirements for the widely used seawater desalination technologies was presented. Additionally, this study showed the economical and environmental advantages and potential for recovering valuable metals from seawater reverse osmosis brines.
first_indexed 2024-12-23T14:13:48Z
format Article
id doaj.art-380e232f94bb4573bf97a1666f2cbfcd
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2666-0164
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-23T14:13:48Z
publishDate 2021-12-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
spelling doaj.art-380e232f94bb4573bf97a1666f2cbfcd2022-12-21T17:43:58ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642021-12-014100165A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirementsMariam Khan0Rana S. Al-Absi1Majeda Khraisheh2Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti3Environmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, State of Qatar, Doha, P.O. Box: 2713, QatarEnvironmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, State of Qatar, Doha, P.O. Box: 2713, QatarDepartment of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, QatarEnvironmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, State of Qatar, Doha, P.O. Box: 2713, Qatar; Corresponding author.Before investing in any optimizing technology for the recovery and reuse of brine resources, it is of importance to study the full physicochemical characteristics of the brine. In the current study, the physicochemical characteristics of Qatari seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine were fully investigated. The current study intends to lead to a better understanding of the nature of SWRO brine given the economic significance for the country that can be benefited from recycling and reusing various components. The characterization includes physical and chemical composition, as well as mineralogical and morphological investigation. The chemical analysis revealed that the seawater reverse osmosis brine contains various valuable elements and metals such as Ca (77120 mg/L), Na (343500 mg/L), Li (238800 mg/L), Ba (3.3 mg/L), Cs (3.4 mg/L), Fe (30.5 mg/L) and Mg (238800 mg/L). The pH of the brine was 8, while the electrical conductivity and salinity were 90.56 mS/cm and 61.4 ppt, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive and energy-dispersive X-ray revealed the placement of various valuable metals on the salt surface. X-ray diffraction showed eight XRD peaks. Interestingly, one peak at 2θ of 31.7° is significantly more intense than the other seven peaks obtained, while all the eight peaks are extremely narrow. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the brine sample showed the presence of various functional groups. The narrow and intense peak around 1408 cm−1 confirms the presence of the SO bond in the brine sample, which could correspond to the presence of sulfonyl chlorides or sulfates as indicated by the ICP-OES results. Furthermore, a comparison between the energy requirements for the widely used seawater desalination technologies was presented. Additionally, this study showed the economical and environmental advantages and potential for recovering valuable metals from seawater reverse osmosis brines.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016421000876BrineValuable metalsDesalination plantReverse osmosis
spellingShingle Mariam Khan
Rana S. Al-Absi
Majeda Khraisheh
Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti
A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Brine
Valuable metals
Desalination plant
Reverse osmosis
title A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
title_full A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
title_fullStr A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
title_full_unstemmed A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
title_short A better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine: Characterizations, uses, and energy requirements
title_sort better understanding of seawater reverse osmosis brine characterizations uses and energy requirements
topic Brine
Valuable metals
Desalination plant
Reverse osmosis
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016421000876
work_keys_str_mv AT mariamkhan abetterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT ranasalabsi abetterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT majedakhraisheh abetterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT mohammadaalghouti abetterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT mariamkhan betterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT ranasalabsi betterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT majedakhraisheh betterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements
AT mohammadaalghouti betterunderstandingofseawaterreverseosmosisbrinecharacterizationsusesandenergyrequirements