The integration of desalination plants and mineral production

A noticeable increase in the number of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants has been observed during the last decade. This is due to the low energy consumed by reverse osmosis technology and the high freshwater recovery when compared to other desalination technologies. The desalination of seawater is the main source of freshwater in Kuwait. However, SWRO desalination plants generate huge volumes of concentrated brine, which is considered a potential source of mineral content. Some of these minerals are expensive and scarce on earth. The recovery of these minerals from brine can help in increasing the freshwater recovery, reducing the overall cost of desalinated water, offering a new source of raw materials, and decreasing the environmental impact from discharging brine to the sea. This study gives an overview of the different technologies used for the treatment of SWRO brine and explores the benefit to recover and reuse valuable potential minerals in brine. The study is motivated by the strong need to establish a local industry in Kuwait based on the extraction of potential valuable minerals from SWRO brine. Such industries can be combined with desalination plants to form a complex cogeneration of plants that accommodate desalination and power plants.