Desalination method will help manage hypersaline brines - Earth.com

Desalination method will help manage hypersaline brines

05-07-2019


Today’s Video of the Day from Columbia Engineering shows a new desalination method for hypersaline brines that may ultimately be used to address growing water challenges around the world.

Hypersaline brines result from water produced during various industrial processes, and they can pollute both surface and groundwater resources when they are not managed properly.

A team of experts led by Professor Ngai Yin Yip has developed a new inexpensive and effective approach to hypersaline brines called temperature swing solvent extraction (TSSE).

“We think TSSE will be transformational for the water industry,” said Professor Yip. “It can displace the prevailing practice of costly distillation for desalination of high-salinity brines and tackle higher salinities that RO cannot handle.”

“This will radically improve the sustainability in the treatment of produced water, inland desalination concentrate, landfill leachate, and other hypersaline streams of emerging importance. We can eliminate the pollution problems from these brines and create cleaner, more useable water for our planet.”

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: Jane Nisselson/Columbia Engineering

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