Summary:
Researchers led by Dr. Eric Hoek have developed a carbon-negative method to desalinate brine and seawater and extract valuable materials from the source solution.
Background:
Increased global temperatures and extreme droughts are driving water shortages throughout the world. To address this, water recycling and desalination efforts have been intensely pursued. However, concentrated brines and seawater used in reverse osmosis (RO), a primary technology for desalination, can quickly cause scaling and fouling on membranes. Additional water treatment must be performed prior to RO, which makes desalination economically unviable. In addition, conventional RO processes generate considerable greenhouse gases. There is an urgent need to develop new desalination processes that are cost-effective and carbon neutral.
Innovation:
Researchers in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA have developed a new RO concentrate treatment schema that can handle a wide range of variation in brine/water sources while achieving high water recovery and cost-effective byproduct extraction from the brine. Importantly, this new process enables carbon-negative water treatment by 1) producing renewable fuel, and 2) capturing CO2. This innovation powers economical water purification with cost-effective byproduct recovery, minimal brine volume, and energy extraction from the original brine solution.
Potential Applications:
• Water desalination – freshwater generation
• Mineral extraction from brine solutions
• Renewable energy generation
• Carbon sequestration
Advantages:
• Carbon-negative
• Compatible with wide range of water variations
• High water recovery
Development-To-Date:
Researchers have designed the water treatment system.
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2024-008
Lead Inventor:
Eric Hoek, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering