Environmental Challenges of Seawater Desalination Plants

Parizi, Esmaeel; Hamzei, Samad; Mossa Hosseini, Seiyed

Environmental Challenges of Seawater Desalination Plants

Document Type : Promotion Article

Authors

Esmaeel Parizi ¹

Samad Hamzei ¹

Seiyed Mossa Hosseini ²

¹ Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science (INIOAS), Tehran 1411813389, Iran

² Physical Geography Department, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The growing global demand for freshwater—particularly in arid and semi-arid regions—has underscored the necessity of adopting sustainable water supply solutions, making seawater desalination a strategic, economic, and technological option. A comprehensive review of emerging technologies reveals that significant advancements have been achieved in recent years in both membrane and thermal methods, including improved membrane selectivity and permeability, reduced energy consumption, optimization of reverse osmosis processes, and the development of hybrid and multi-stage systems. However, key challenges such as high energy consumption, dependence on fossil fuels, the generation and discharge of highly concentrated brine, and extensive chemical use continue to limit the sustainability of these systems. Integrating renewable energy sources—particularly photovoltaic, solar-thermal, and wind energy systems—offers significant potential to reduce the carbon footprint and enhance environmental performance, though operational issues such as cooling, scaling, dust accumulation, and equipment durability must be managed. Environmental impact assessments indicate that brine discharge remains the most critical ecological challenge, and the use of advanced modeling, modern diffusers, resource recovery strategies, and minimal-discharge technologies can help mitigate its negative effects. The development of advanced fouling-resistant membranes, hybrid energy systems, and optimized energy consumption strategies is considered essential for achieving a sustainable and practical future in seawater desalination.

Keywords

Renewable energy

Brine

Reverse osmosis

Hybrid technologies

Environmental sustainability

[1]. International Desalination Association, “The IDA water security handbook.” 2019.

[2]. N. Ghaffour, T. M. Missimer, and G. L. Amy, “Technical review and evaluation of the economics of water desalination: Current and future challenges for better water supply sustainability,” Desalination, vol. 309, pp. 197–207, Jan. 2013.

[3]. E. Jones, M. Qadir, M. T. Van Vliet, V. Smakhtin, and S. Kang, “The state of desalination and brine production: A global outlook,” Science of the total environment, vol. 657, pp. 1343–1356, 2019.

[4]. A. Al-Karaghouli and L. L. Kazmerski, “Energy consumption and water production cost of conventional and renewable-energy-powered desalination processes,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 24, pp. 343–356, 2013.

[5]. J. Williams, “Desalination in the 21st century: a critical review of trends and debates,” Water Alternatives, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 193–217, 2022.

[6]. G. Prashanth, H. N. Akolkar, A. Haghi, and S. Rao, Seawater Desalination. Springer, 2026.

[7]. A. B. Stambouli and S. Flazi, “A review of the water-energy nexus,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 65, pp. 319–331, 2016.

[8]. I. Ihsanullah, M. A. Atieh, M. Sajid, and M. K. Nazal, “Desalination and environment: A critical analysis of impacts, mitigation strategies, and greener desalination technologies,” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 780, p. 146585, 2021.

[9]. V. G. Gude, “Geothermal source potential for water desalination–Current status and future perspective,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 57, pp. 1038–1065, 2016.

[10]. B. Moossa, P. Trivedi, H. Saleem, and S. J. Zaidi, “Desalination in the GCC countries-a review,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 357, p. 131717, 2022.

[11]. G. K. Prashanth, A. Hemantkumar N, H. A. K., and R. Srilatha, Seawater Desalination Technologies and Environmental Impact. Springer, 2026.

[12]. D. A. Miller and M. Gil, “Spray-drying technology,” in Formulating poorly water soluble drugs, Springer, 2011, pp. 363–442.

[13]. X. Chen and N. Y. Yip, “Unlocking high-salinity desalination with cascading osmotically mediated reverse osmosis: energy and operating pressure analysis,” Environmental science & technology, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 2242–2250, 2018.

[14]. A. S. Goudie, Human impact on the natural environment: Past, present and future. John Wiley & Sons, 2018.

[15]. M. Ahmed, D. Hoey, W. Shayya, and M. F. Goosen, “Brine disposal from inland desalination plants: current status, problems, and opportunities,” Environmental Sciences and Environmental Computing, vol. 2, 2004.

[16]. I. Sola et al., “Review of the management of brine discharges in Spain,” Ocean & Coastal Management, vol. 196, p. 105301, 2020.

[17]. T. M. Missimer and R. G. Maliva, “Environmental issues in seawater reverse osmosis desalination: Intakes and outfalls,” Desalination, vol. 434, pp. 198–215, 2018.

[18]. A. Panagopoulos and K.-J. Haralambous, “Environmental impacts of desalination and brine treatment-Challenges and mitigation measures,” Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 161, p. 111773, 2020.

[19]. C. M. Galanakis and E. Agrafioti, Sustainable water and wastewater processing. Elsevier, 2019.

[20]. T. Alharbi, H. Alfaifi, S. A. Almadani, and A. El-Sorogy, “Spatial distribution and metal contamination in the coastal sediments of Al-Khafji area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia,” Environmental monitoring and assessment, vol. 189, no. 12, p. 634, 2017.

[21]. N. Ahmad and R. E. Baddour, “A review of sources, effects, disposal methods, and regulations of brine into marine environments,” Ocean & coastal management, vol. 87, pp. 1–7, 2014.

[22]. T. M. Remaili et al., “Assisted natural recovery of hypersaline sediments: salinity thresholds for the establishment of a community of bioturbating organisms,” Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 1244–1253, 2018.

[23]. M. Omerspahic, H. Al-Jabri, S. A. Siddiqui, and I. Saadaoui, “Characteristics of desalination brine and its impacts on marine chemistry and health, with emphasis on the Persian/Arabian gulf: a review,” Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 9, p. 845113, 2022.

[24]. A. H. Al-Kaabi and H. R. Mackey, “Environmental assessment of intake alternatives for seawater reverse osmosis in the Arabian Gulf,” Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 242, pp. 22–30, Jul. 2019.

[25]. E. T. Sayed, A. G. Olabi, K. Elsaid, M. Al Radi, R. Alqadi, and M. Ali Abdelkareem, “Recent progress in renewable energy based-desalination in the Middle East and North Africa MENA region,” Journal of Advanced Research, vol. 48, pp. 125–156, Jun. 2023.

[26]. Veolia, “Veolia inaugurates largest solar power plant for a desalination plant in the Middle East.” 2023.

[27]. A. Panagopoulos, “Techno-economic assessment and feasibility study of a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) desalination hybrid system in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification, vol. 178, p. 109029, Aug. 2022.