Geothermal desalination
Geothermal desalination is an experimental process under development for the production of fresh water using heat energy extracted from underground rocks. Claimed benefits of this method of desalination are that it requires less maintenance than reverse osmosis membranes and that the primary energy input is from geothermal heat, which is a low-environmental-impact source of energy.
Around 1995, several entrepreneurs came together with an idea to use geothermal water directly as a source for desalination. The experiment was moved to northern Nevada. It was moderately successful, and was a proof of concept. The developers, Douglas Firestone and Adjunct Professor Ronald A. Newcomb, have designed a series of prototypes.
A total of five prototypes and three modifications proved that with water approaching 210 Fahrenheit (99 Celsius) for process water and a chill source about 35 F (2 C) the device, when made full size, would produce about one-half acre foot of water each day, about 160,000 gallons per day. Salt concentration in the wastewater would only be about 10% above the level of the original water, thus, from, say, 35,000 to about 38,000 parts per million, well within the ability of osmoregulators to adjust.
External links
- Aqua Genesis
- European Renewable Energy Council - Geothermal Desalination
- ScienceDirect - Heat Transfer and Evaporation in Geothermal Desalination Units
Categories
Water treatment