A new modelling framework evaluates the costs of using solar energy to recover water from desalination brine and oilfield wastewater

Solar energy can be used in different ways to desalinate brine and highly saline oilfield wastewater (Courtesy: iStock/lena5)

Desalination is used to produce fresh drinking water from seawater, but it also generates a highly concentrated waste stream known as brine. Disposing of this brine is a major challenge and is often achieved through deep-well injection, in which the waste is pumped underground, an approach that can be expensive. Oil and gas production creates similarly saline wastewater, which is often managed in the same way.

In this work, the researchers developed a modelling platform to evaluate different strategies for managing these waste streams and to determine whether it is more cost effective to dispose of brine or to treat it further and recover additional water using solar-powered technologies.…