Progresses on Seawater Desalination and Wastewater Treatment in the Logic of Process Intensification Strategy
Advancing the chemical engineering fundamentals
Keynote Lectures: Theme-2
Keywords: Water stress, 3PE and Process Intensification Strategy, Integrated membrane Operations
Water shortage is becoming one of the major problems worldwide, which negatively affects the human life and the sustainable development of our society. In some countries of the Mediterranean and Middle East area, the renewable water resources per capita have seen a reduction of up to about 80% in the last 10-15 years, and the forecasts are for an increased water scarcity in many regions around the globe by the year 2020.
The most advanced available scientific approach must be devoted, therefore, to solve the Water Stress Problem Worldwide in the logic of Process Intensification Strategy.
Membrane operations, from the more traditional pressure driven units (as RO, NF, UF, MF), to the membrane reactors (MBR), to the membrane contactors (Membrane Distillation, Membrane Crystallizer), are already, in some cases, dominant technologies in the seawater and brackish water desalination and waste water treatment and reuse. Membrane technologies respond efficiently to the requirement of Process Intensification because they allow improvements in manufacturing and processing, substantially decreasing the equipment-size/production capacity ratio, energy consumption, and/or waste production and resulting in cheaper, sustainable technical solutions. These systems will be able to solve, in principle, problems from water quality, to brine disposal, to water costs, to recovery factors, etc.
Some of the intrinsic characteristics of membrane operations are, also, the high flexibility and modularity, the easy automatization and remote control, the elevated compatibility between different membrane operations. These features offer the possibility of completely redesigned water production, water treatments and water distributions systems, founding on the concept of Integrated Membrane Operations, coupling several membrane processes in order to overcome the limits of the single units and to use their synergic effects in terms of better performance of the overall system. In this logic, membrane technology can also strongly reduce worldwide water stress problem through the integration of advanced sea-brackish water desalination and wastewater treatment and reuse, for the optimization of water use, the minimization of water leaks and for its reuse, in a timeframe much shorter than the one we are used today.
The success of this strategy requires the realization of the complete advanced integrated water system following the 3PE and Process Intensification approach along all the lines, from the water intake to water distribution and reuse.
References
[1] J. C. Charpentier, The triplet “molecular processes–product–process” engineering: the future of chemical engineering ?, Chemical Engineering Science, 57 (2002) 4667 – 4690.
[2] J. C. Charpentier, Four main objectives for the future of chemical and process engineering mainly concerned by the science and technologies of new materials production, Chemical Engineering Journal, 107 (2005) 3–17.
[3] F. Macedonio, E. Curcio, E. Drioli, Integrated Membrane Systems for Seawater Desalination: Energetic and Exergetic Analysis, Economic Evaluation, Experimental Study, Desalination, 203 (2007) 260-276.
[4] A. Cassano, R. Molinari, M. Romano, E. Drioli, Treatment of aqueous effluents of the leather industry by membrane processes. A review, Journal of Membrane Science 181 (2001) 111–126.
[5] F. Macedonio, E. Drioli, E. Curcio, G. Di Profio, A. Criscuoli, Integrating Membrane Contactors Technology and Pressure-Driven Membrane Operations for Seawater Desalination: Energy, Exergy and Cost analysis, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 84 (A3) (2006) 209–220.
[6] J.A. Redondo, Brackish-, sea- and wastewater desalination, Desalination, 138 (2001) 29-40.
[7] G. Wade Miller, Integrated concepts in water reuse: managing global water needs, Desalination, 187 (2006) 65–75.
Presented Tuesday 18, 17:05 to 17:45, in session Keynote Lectures: Theme-2 (T2-K3).
