Desalination technology has undergone quantum improvements in the last 15 years. So much so that desalination energy costs have been halved, largely due to the use of pressure recovery devices. As we get closer now to the theoretical mini-mum energy required (circa 1kwhr at 50% recovery) it will be increasingly difficult to make additional gains on the reverse osmosis membrane and many are now focusing on better pre-treatment and the use of Pressure Retarded Osmosis to claw back some of the energy from thermodynamic energy stored in the brine concentrate.

Follow the link below to read the full article authored by Paul O’Callaghan & Stefan Urioc, BlueTech Research.

This article appeared in the IWA’s USANC Notes Newsletter.

Nanotechnology and the Future of Desalination