Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Alicante, Spain; Laboratory of Aquatic Environmental Research, HUB AMBIENTAL UPLA, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile.
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Alicante, Spain.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Oct;207:116905. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116905. Epub 2024 Sep 5.
Seawater desalination is one of the most feasible technologies for producing fresh water to address the water scarcity scenario worldwide. However, environmental concerns about the potential impact of brine discharge on marine ecosystems hinder or delay the development of desalination projects. In addition, scientific knowledge is lacking about the impact of brine discharges on the South America Pacific coast where desalination, is being developed. This paper presents the first monitoring results of brine discharge influence areas from seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants (SWRO) on the South America Pacific coast, using Chile as case study. Our results indicate that the combination of favorable oceanographic conditions and diffusers, results in the rapid dilution of brine discharge on coastal ecosystems; showing a faster dilution than other SWRO plants in other regions, such as Mediterranean or Arabian Gulf, with similar production characteristics. Also, the increase in salinity over the natural salinity in the brine-discharge-affected area was <5 % in a radius of <100 m from the discharge points. Further, according to the published literature and on our monitoring results, we propose a number of considerations (environmental regulation, best scientifically tested measures, environmental requirements) to achieve a long-term sustainable desalination operation.
海水淡化是生产淡水以应对全球水资源短缺的最可行技术之一。然而，关于盐水排放对海洋生态系统潜在影响的环境问题阻碍或延迟了海水淡化项目的发展。此外，关于正在开发海水淡化的南美太平洋海岸盐水排放的影响，科学知识还很缺乏。本文使用智利作为案例研究，介绍了南美太平洋海岸海水反渗透脱盐厂（SWRO）盐水排放影响区域的首次监测结果。我们的结果表明，有利的海洋条件和扩散器的结合导致了沿海生态系统中盐水排放的快速稀释；与其他具有类似生产特征的地区，如地中海或阿拉伯湾的其他 SWRO 工厂相比，稀释速度更快。此外，在距排放点<100m 的半径范围内，受盐水排放影响区域的盐度增加<5%，高于自然盐度。此外，根据已发表的文献和我们的监测结果，我们提出了一些考虑因素（环境法规、经过最佳科学测试的措施、环境要求），以实现长期可持续的海水淡化运营。
