PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Water scarcity, a typical impact of climate change, affects at least 10.4% of the EU territory and 14.3% of the EU population, mainly in Southern Europe. Desalination, which is being applied in 150 countries, is one of the most common solutions explored for addressing the problem, with over 18,500 desalination plants producing freshwater from seawater and brackish water. It is one of the technologies, according to the Spanish Law RD1627/2011, to obtain reclaimed water. However, the technology raises environmental concerns relating to residual brine, which can comprise up to 25% of the collected water. Brine has high salinity and contains potential contaminants, such as pathogens and nitrates from agricultural and other human activities.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE project LIFE-DESIROWS aimed to test a self-sufficient energy technology that eliminates brine from water desalination processes by means of crystallisation of salts. The aim was to improve the quality of the reclaimed water for use by the agricultural sector at an affordable price, while eliminating discharges into the Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon protected area. The goal was to decrease the negative impact of the pollutants on the fauna and flora ecosystems in the area. It also aimed to recycle brine salts for use as fertilisers and road de-icing. Furthermore, the project sought to promote the technology among the main target stakeholders and define its potential replicability and transferability.
RESULTS
LIFE-DESIROWS is a demonstration project that aims to test a self-sufficient energy technology to eliminate brine from water desalination processes, reaching the crystallisation of salts and improving the quality of the reclaimed water for the agricultural sector at an affordable price and achieving zero discharges to the Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon protected area. This is expected to decrease the negative impact of the pollutants (salinity, nitrates, pathogens) on the ecological equilibrium of fauna and flora in the area. It also aims to recycle brine salts, to be used as fertilisers soils and in road de-icing.
The project pilot plant was in operation 15 months (April 2023 – June 2024), treating 8,072m3 of brines produced at ARCOSUR water desalination plant, recovering 7,061 m3 of water and fully avoiding the discharge of brines. In addition, the photovoltaic unit installed as part of the pilot plant has generated 65.8 MWh/year.
Despite all the problems faced during the implementation, the beneficiaries proved the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of the project solution. The economic study showed annual revenues of €110,852.53, when upscaling the solution to treat 300 m3 of brines/year. It is, therefore, a feasible solution for reaching the Zero Liquid Discharge in desalination plants and to treat other industrial wastewaters with high content of nitrates, salinity and/or pathogens.
A challenging replication and transfer plan was performed establishing for 2028, a target of 12 replicas for desalination plants and 15 for other industries, with a total flow treated above 1.2 million of cubic meters of brines treated.
