Desalination: a solution for water scarcity?

Today, I would like to bring your attention to a paper I read about desalination. I touched on it briefly in one of my previous posts. What is the relations between improvement in efficiency and environmental impact?

(Climate Tech Wikipedia image, 2014)

Desalination also can play a role in peace 

Jordana Fremed (2014), intern in Columbia College, argued that “desalination provides important source of scarcedrinking water in Israel.” Indeed, one solution to adapt to water scarcity in this area is desalination. She supports that desalinisation helps the country adapt to decreasing water availability and climate change, desalination also can play a role in peace efforts in the region. 

Sierra Club, angeles2.sierraclub

Through desalination, additional water can be provided to the Palestinian side by sharing of treated water. Although the benefits of desalination are obvious but we should be careful with this process. Indeed, there is an increasing concern about desalination's negative impacts on the environment. 

Desalination has a negative impact on the environment and the preservation of ecosystems.

According to the results of the study of Benmoussat and Habi (2014) , the production of fresh water by unconventional methods such as desalination of seawater is characterised by the parallel production of water highly charged with salt brine. Releases of highly charged brines have the effect of varying the chemical composition of sea water which alters the balance of ecosystems and the marine environment. The decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration from the results of this study has an impact on the lives of marine species. "Should -it guide the selection of a desalination process by considering a neutralisation station brine before its release to the wild. Studies have shown that the RO reverse osmosis process the same problems." (Benmoussat and Habi, 2014, p.50)

The parameters evaluated for brine water discharged at sea was very high compared to the standard values, which negatively affects the marine environment.

Lattemann and Thomas (2008), supported that “different water supply options should be balanced on the scale of regional management plans. They recommend evaluating and minimizing the effects of desalination projects in order to investigate the environmental impacts of each project. A first step in this direction has been taken by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has initiated a project and established five technical work groups for the preparation of a Guidance Document on Desalinationfor Safe Water Supply.”

                                          [ Want to Know More? ] 

- Jordana Fremed, 2014, desalination provides important source of scarcedrinking water in Israel.

- Benmoussat and Habi, ;2014, Desalination processes of the sea water and their environmental impact, http://share.ensh.dz/index.php/ljee/article/view/573

- Lattemann and Thomas, 2008, Environmental impact and impact assessment of seawater desalination