Eco-Friendly Integration of Seawater Desalination With Carbon Mineralization of Brine Wastes

Abstract

Challenges of insufficient freshwater for domestic and industrial uses in different parts of the world necessitate the development of desalination technology. However, brine wastes and CO2 emitted from the desalination process are of detrimental effects to the environments and living beings, owing to high-level of alkalinity and presence of toxic levels of various chemicals. This study acknowledged efforts being made by scientists to integrate carbon mineralization of brine wastes with desalination system to generate various carbonates: nesquehonite, ragonite, calcite, dolomite, etc. However, the carbonation process behaves differently under the effects of impurities in the CO2 stream. Studying and analyzing the process using PHREQC simulation software, the carbonation of brine using pure CO2 shows high drop in pH of the solution, thereby increasing the level of the acidity. The presence of impurity in the CO2 further worsens the acidity problem in the presence of N2 and O2.