seawater intake and pre-treatment/brine discharge — environmental issues

Presented at the conference on Desalination and the Environment. Sponsored by the European Desalination Society

discharge — environmental issues

Thomas Petersa*, Domènec Pintób aDr.-Ing. Peters Consulting for Membrane Technology and Environmental Engineering,

Broichstrasse 91, 41462 Neuss, Germany email: [email protected]

bCatalana de Perforacions, E-Santpedor, Spain

Received 28 March 2007; accepted 10 April 2007

Abstract

In some cases the only remaining option to satisfy the increasing demand for potable water in good quality forthe growing population, is the desalination of seawater, being used more and more the membrane process reverseosmosis. But whereas for the design and the manufacturing of the desalination units itself meanwhile are availablewell known and approved technical solutions, the intake and the pre-treatment of the seawater, as well as, thedischarge of the brine have to be adapted to the specific conditions at the construction site of each plant. Theseconditions can differ in a wide range, as beside the influences determining the raw water quality, also items likethe geological situation and details related with infrastructure or logistic are usually very different and have to beconsidered consequently during design, construction and operation of a desalination plant. The same applies forthe aspects concerning the environment, that are becoming more and more important due to changing locallegislation, increasing public awareness, growing construction density at coastal areas and also due to findingsregarding the impact on the marine environment based on long-term operation of desalination plants. Thereby oneof the most important prerequisites for reliable long-term successful operation of reverse osmosis seawaterdesalination plants is a consistent high quality pre-treatment of the feed water. One possibility to fulfil thisrequirement is the use of directed drilled horizontal drains below the seabed as seawater intake and partial pre-treatment system according to the patented Neodren technology. With these horizontal drains, that are based on animproved horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology and high efficient patented filtering devices, the rawand fine screening, as well as, the conventional filtration of seawater and the dosage of different pre-treatmentagents will not be necessary. Due to extremely low filtering velocities, this is achieved without impingement andentrainment of aquatic organism. This system, developed by Catalana de Perforacions with the first unit inoperation since 1996, can be operated in sandy and karstic seabeds as ecological and economical alternative forconventional open seawater intake systems, and has even advantages in comparison with indirect seawater intakesystems like beach well installations. Due to the modular design there is no limitation regarding the production of

*Corresponding author.

Seawater intake and pre-treatment/brine

Desalination 221 (2008) 576–584

and Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece, April 22–25, 2007.

doi:10.1016/j.desal.2007.04.0660011-9164/08/$– See front matter © 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Th. Peters, D. Pintó / Desalination 221 (2008) 576–584 577

pre-filtered water. Also based on the HDD technology have been developed systems for a controlled brinedischarge that consider the environmental conditions on site. Details of these different intake and dischargesystems and their environmental impact will be compared.

Keywords: Seawater intake; Seawater pre-treatment; Seawater desalination; Brine discharge; Reverse osmosis;Environmental impact

1. Introduction

Due to the recent and very fast evolution ofour world in terms of industrial, population, andurbanization development, water-related problemsare recurring and even more worrisome in nearlyall the regions of the globe. Water is becoming ascarce and non-renewable resource that must bemanaged efficiently in order to protect and saveit in the long term [1].

This increasing world population and expand-ing industrialization are, together with the risingliving standard, the main causes of the everincreasing demand for potable water and for waterwith high quality for industrial applications [2].The areas affected are not only the arid regionsin the world with their chronic water deficiency,but also in an increasing rate the urban agglom-erations and industrial centres, specially inthe coastal areas, in which the capacity limitsof natural supplies have almost been reached —also under consideration of the local water supplyafter optimisation of the water resources manage-ment and exhausting all possibilities of waterreuse.

In the near future it will not be possible any-more to satisfy the growing water demand byconventional methods of water procurement andprocessing. Therefore an increased utilization ofseparation techniques for the production of potableand industrial water from polluted and salinewaters is called for [3]. In some cases the onlyremaining option to satisfy the increasing demandfor potable water in good quality for a growingpopulation, is the desalination of seawater, beingused more and more the membrane processreverse osmosis.

2. Desalination of seawater with reverse osmosis

But whereas for the design and the manufac-turing of the desalination unit itself meanwhileare available well known and approved technicalsolutions, the intake and the pre-treatment of theseawater, as well as, the discharge of the brinehave to be adapted to the specific conditionsat the construction site of each plant. These candiffer in a wide range, as beside the influencesdetermining the raw water quality, also items likethe geological situation and details related withinfrastructure or logistic are usually very differentand have to be considered consequently duringdesign, construction and operation of a desali-nation plant.

This includes the systems for dosage andhandling of agents for pre-treatment, needed dur-ing operation, and for the cleaning of membranes,but also the treatment and discharge of the wastewater streams generated during these activities.For the specification and evaluation of correlatedinterdependencies has been developed thescheme that summarises the main operationalareas of a desalination plant according to theoverview in Fig. 1.

Under consideration of aspects related withthe environment, the areas “seawater intake andpre-treatment”, as well as, “brine discharge” arethose with the biggest effects concerning generalconsiderations and public discussion regardingthe decision about the installation of new desalina-tion plants. It can be deduced from the develop-ment in the last years, that they are becoming moreand more important due to changing local legis-lation, increasing public awareness [4], growing

578 Th. Peters, D. Pintó / Desalination 221 (2008) 576–584

construction density at coastal areas and also dueto findings regarding the impact on the environ-ment based on long term operation of desalinationplants [5,6].

3. Seawater intake

The extraction of seawater to feed a reverseosmosis system is always critical with regardsto limitation of suspended solids, variation ofseawater temperature, contamination by pollutantsand particularly oil, as well as, marine biologicalmatter, which all individual and/or togetherpresent a great challenge for pre-treatment ofthe reverse osmosis (RO) process with regardsto performance and operation cost. Many years ofexperience have shown, that the pre-treatmentis the most critical area of a seawater RO desali-nation plant, and, that long-term successful ROplant operation is greatly influenced by the combi-nation of pre-treatment and intake method [2,7].

3.1. Conventional open seawater intake systems

The conventional method of intake is the openintake of seawater by active or passive screensof different kind, which are of course subject to

marine biological activity and suspended matter,which needs to be removed or reduced by thepre-treatment. Particularly with active screen openintake, chlorination is widely used, which posesan additional problem to the process due to accel-eration of biological fouling risk in the system,which has negative effects on operating costsand availability of plant. Use of chemicals andpower consumption (particularly when multistagedesigns of pre-treatment are used) are the maincost factors.

The pre-treatment of the seawater for classicopen intake methods ranges — behind the screen-ing and sand trap — from single & double stagemultimedia filtration and combination with clar-ification or dissolved air flotation to ultrafiltrationand it is obvious, that all such designs of pre-treatment require a great deal of experience onrunning systems to opt for the most effective buteconomic design [7].

The construction of a classic open intake,being this long submarine pipelines installed onthe ocean floor with up to few hundred or eventhousand m of length from the shore into the off-shore area, or intake wells with pumps in deeperwater and pipelines installed on a jetty, or a openconveying channel dredged between breakwater,has a great impact on coastal and marine environ-ment and must be carefully studied to minimisethe same. This applies also for systems, were thewater is extracted from cooling water at powerstations.

Hence a method to reduce the direct impact ofseawater intake installations on the environmentby indirect intake systems should be preferred.

3.2. Indirect seawater intake with beach wells

The most well known indirect intake system isthe beach well intake, where seawater is abstractedfrom the sand below the beach and below theseabed near the shore, that is acting as a filter andthus improving mechanical quality of seawaterand for elimination of marine biological and

2.2

1.0Seawater

intake pre- treatment

3.0Permeate

post-treatment

4.0

Brinedischarge

2.0Reverseosmosis(RO) unit

1.2

Treatmentrinsing

effluents

Treatmentcleaningeffluents

2.1 3.1Handling

CIP, rinsing,cleaning

Handlingdisinfection

1.1Handling

pre-treatm.agents

5.0 Infrastructure, logistic

Fig. 1. Main operational area of a reverse osmosisseawater desalination plant.


other pollution, found in open seawater intakes.The seawater is collected in conventional wells andpumped to the plant. Or it is collected in horizontalwells screens that are connected to a verticalwell with an integrated pump and a pump houseon the beach, like the Ranney system [8].

Such design however needs to care to protectsweet water lenses at low depths and to abstractseawater only. Due to permeability of soil anddraw-down of water table around the well, thedistance and depth of beach wells requires along stretch along the beach parallel to the sea,and this is often a problem or sometimes impos-sible. The location of wells more inland poses agreater risk of abstraction of sweet water and thusposing a great impact to ground water resourcesif not well designed and maintained or monitoredrespectively. This must be avoided [7].

The advantage of a well intake in comparisonwith an open seawater intake is also a more uni-form seawater temperature, which allows for amore efficient process design and running costat considerable reduced chemical consumption.

Due to changing geological strata, beachwells cannot be constructed everywhere and theuse of an open intake has been the only practicalway in the past and in all cases for very largeplant capacities.

The construction of an indirect intake by beachwell has no marine environmental impact duringoperation, but may disturb the environment dur-ing construction and afterwards with installationslike pump houses or cover of collection wells onthe beach or nearby.

Also it has to be considered, that these instal-lations can not be installed at places, where theaccess to seashore is prohibited or there are pro-tected or recreational areas. Furthermore they maybe damaged in some areas of this world that arethreatened by natural catastrophes like hurricane,tsunami etc., or are affected by changes in theshoreline by erosion or wave induced transport ofsand away from the beach as consequence ofan increasing sea level, like it is happening actually

in coastal areas in the Mediterranean Sea [9]. Asconsequence some installations, formerly buriednot visible in the beach, appear exposed (Fig. 2).

3.3. Indirect seawater intake with seabed filtration based on buried pipes

Usually subsurface seawater intake installa-tions consist of a submerged slow sand mediafiltration system located at the bottom of theocean in the near-shore surf zone, which is con-nected to a series of intake wells located on theshore. Thereby the ocean floor has to be excavatedto install the intake piping of the wells, beingthese pipes buried at the bottom of the oceanfloor in excavation pits [8]. Sized and configuredusing the same criteria as slow sand filters, thesesystems are constructed using several layer likecrushed stone, gravel, replaced sand and originalsand (Fig. 3).

The excavation of a strip with rather importantsize needed for the installation of such a seabedfilter for the supply of seawater for bigger desali-nation plants will result in a very significant impacton the marine flora and fauna in this locationand on the surrounding environment includingthe beach, as this system requires also installationsfor collecting the intake water prior to transferringit to the seawater desalination plant for furthertreatment. Depending on the location, also lowdissolved oxygen concentration and high bacte-riological contamination of the seawater in thearea near to the shore have to be considered, aswell as, the necessity to clean or change the sandlayer after few years of operation [8].

3.4. Indirect seawater intake with HDD-based Neodren technology

The Neodren technology — explained herein more detail because of its interesting technicalapproach — is based on horizontal drains, con-sisting of patented special porous filter pipes,that are acting as wells. They are installed in bore


holes, drilled with the horizontal directional drill-ing (HDD) method in the stratum below theseabed, few meter below the ocean floor andseveral hundred meter in length. Thereby it is useda patented special drilling aid material becauseof technical and environmental reasons.

The seawater is extracted indirectly throughthe sub-seabed area, that is acting as a naturalfilter (Fig. 4).

In this way however, only seawater will becollected without any impact on ground waterresources, not only due to the distance to thesweet water lenses, but specially because theseawater in the stratum surrounding the drains isextracted with very low velocity. These extremelylow filtering velocities do not influence the marine

flora and fauna, so that there is no impingementand entrainment of aquatic organism.

Even during construction and installation nonegative impact on the environment is to beexpected, as the working area is limited to twopoints with reduced space, one onshore behindthe beach area or further away from the coastline for the drilling rig and peripheral machinery,and one offshore at the end of the drains at theseabed [2,10].

One aspect in the Mediterranean area is forexample the impact of seawater intake systemson the poseidonia prairies, that are highly pro-tected by the environmental legislation. Drainsinstalled in the subsoil below the seabed surfacedo not affect the ecosystem.

Fig. 2. Exposed part of an indirect seawater intake system (Photo: K. Peters, 2006).


With these horizontal drains, that are basedon an improved HDD technology and the highefficient filtering devices, the conventional pre-treatment with different treatment steps like rawand fine screening, as well as, sand filtration

of the seawater, and the dosage of differentpre-treatment agents will not be necessary. Thetechnological advantage compared to the clas-sic intake method is the reduction of suspendedmatter and pollutants by 90% and more, and a

Fig. 3. Cross-section of seabed intake system based on a filter bed (source: [8]).

Fig. 4. Schematic of the drains of the Neodren system (source: Catalana de Perforacions).


more uniform temperature curve throughout theseasons, which allows for a more effective andcost efficient pre-treatment compared to openintake methods. So it is possible to simplify thepre-treatment to conventional fine filtrationlike dead-end ultrafiltration without advancedand cost intensive methods, and to reduce alsothe chemical consumption significantly. Undercertain circumstances, and operating with adaptedprocess and module technology, desalinationis possible avoiding the use of pre-treatmentagents. Therefore the direct cost for the Neodrensystem, if compared to classic open intake, hasto be evaluated always for individual locationsand considering the indirect cost as well.

The Neodren technology, developed byCatalana de Perforacions with the first unit inoperation since 1996, can be operated in sandyand karstic seabeds as ecological and economicalalternative for conventional open seawater intakesystems and has even advantages in comparisonwith all other indirect seawater intake systems,like for example beach well installations.

Actually are in operation 10 Neodren installa-tions with a total capacity of nearly 300,000 m3/d(status March 2007). Based on projects underdevelopment it is expected an increase of fewhundred thousand m3/d in the next years.

The Neodren technology also allows for largerplant capacities due to grouping of drains andallows for construction of intake systems atplaces, where access to the beach for constructionmeasures is prohibited and where seawater qualitycould be very bad; e.g. at port basins, dredgingareas and other permanent or seasonal problematicseawater conditions [7].

Due to its positioning below the seabed thesystem is not affected by dynamic action inthe sea, as consequence for example during andafter natural catastrophes like hurricane, tsunamietc., nor affected by changes in the shoreline byerosion.

This system is also a valuable option for sea-water intakes at critical locations and where the

seabed is very shallow and requires long distancepiping into the sea for open intakes and the relatedgreat impact on environment.

It is a convincing solution for the seawaterintake for desalination plants that can help to savecosts and does meet the most stringent environ-mental regulations.

4. Seawater outfall system

The outfall system discharges the rejectsproduced in the desalination plant into the sea.Depending from the local conditions, the rejectwater is discharged in the coastal area [11], dis-charged together with cooling water [12] ortransported with submarine pipelines installedon the ocean floor few hundred meter offshore,where the salt concentration is reduced withdiffuser [13], if it is not diluted already before.These diffusers should promote rapid mixingwith surrounding seawater in order to not disturbthe local ecosystem.

In any case it is necessary the realisation ofan intensive investigation regarding the environ-mental impact and the positioning of the intakeand outfall systems to avoid brine recirculationinto the seawater intake, based between otheron mathematical recirculation assessment anddetailed bathymetric survey.

An alternative for seawater outfall systems isthe use of directed horizontal drilling for the firstsection, installing a pipeline below the oceanfloor that is coming to the seabed surface at fewhundred meter offshore. The second section com-prises the installation of a usual diffuser at theend of this pipeline, or a pipeline with a numberof diffusers, connected to the first pipeline sec-tion and placed on the ocean floor, as usual withballast units.

Depending on the conditions on site, alsothe inversed operation of the Neodren technol-ogy could be used for the brine discharge, as ithas been successfully realized for backwashwater [14].


5. Evaluation criteria

As it is obvious that the intake and pre-treatment of seawater, as well as, the dischargeof the reject water produced in a desalinationplant have to be adapted to the specific conditionsat the construction site of each plant, the elabora-tion of evaluation criteria that help to select thebest available technology and the optimal solutionfor the intake and outfall system at a plant underdiscussion is mandatory. Thereby the most impor-tant items with equal value as commercial detailsare aspects related with the environment, to beconsidered in the construction phase and duringthe long-term operation.

Important items regarding the environmentalimpact requirements that should be consideredfor different options are between other: • Wastewater discharge standards • Air pollution control requirements • Noise control standards • Land use • Public services and utilities • Aesthetics, light and glare

In the frame of a risk assessment should bechecked and compared: • Design and development risk • Construction risk • Operating risk • Hazardous materials risk • Revenue risk • Financial risk • Force majeure risk • Insurance risk • Environmental risk, as mentioned above.

6. Conclusion

The increasing world population, the risingliving standard and the expanding industrializa-tion are the causes of the ever growing demandfor potable water and for water with high qualityfor industrial applications. The areas affected

are not only the arid regions in the world, but, inan increasing rate, also the urban agglomerationsand industrial centres, specially in the coastalareas, in which the capacity limits of naturalsupplies have been reached in many cases.

One possibility to resolve this problem —with fast growing importance and in some casesthe only remaining option to satisfy the increasingdemand for potable water in good quality fora growing population — is the desalination ofseawater. Thereby is used more and more themembrane process reverse osmosis. But even ifin the last two decades numerous importanttechnological improvements helped to create areliable and cost effective process, the seawaterintake and pre-treatment, as well as, the brinedischarge are still areas with technological devel-oping potential, as they have to be adapted caseby case. Thereby environmental related consid-erations are becoming more and more important.In consequence, more detailed investigation andintensive risk assessment are necessary in orderto identify the suitable solution for each case. Inthis regard, the innovative Neodren technologybased on HDD is one interesting option withincreasing importance.

References

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water intake and pre-treatment system based onNeodren technology, Desalination, 203 (2007)134–140.

[3] Th. Peters, Improving seawater desalination withreverse osmosis, in: Proceedings, InternationalConference FILTECH 2007, Wiesbaden, 27.002/01.03. 2007.

[4] V. Hennessey, Proposal threatens desalinationplants, Monterey Herald, 15.02.2006.

[5] S. Lattemann and Th. Höpner, Seawater desalina-tion — impacts of brine and chemical dischargeon the marine environment, Balaban DesalinationPubl., L´Aquila, 2003.

[6] F.M.A. Al-Awadhi, The year of the ocean andits crucial importance to the Gulf, in: Fourth


Gulf Water Conference, Bahrain, February,1999.

[7] R. Edlinger, Aqua Engineering, Technical eval-uation, 2007.

[8] Poseidon Resources Corporation, SeawaterDesalination Project at Huntington Beach, April 5,2005, in: www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us/files/users/planning/sec07.pdf.

[9] South Costa Brava, Archives of Catalana dePerforacions, 2006.

[10] Th. Peters and D. Pintó, Sub-seabed drains provideintake plus pre-treatment, Desalination WaterReuse, 16 (2) (2006) 23–27.

[11] M. Fariñas, La desaladora de Javea — dos añosvertiendo la salmuera de rechazo, Preprints,DESALACIÓN´04, Madrid, 2004.

[12] N. Voutchkov, Innovative method to evaluatetolerance of marine organism, Desalination WaterReuse, 16 (2) (2006) 29–34.

[13] B. Marín, Aplicación de eductores para diluciónde salmuera con agua de mar en instalacionesdesaladoras, VI Congreso Nacional AEDyR,Palma de Mallorca, 2006.

[14] System for discharge of backwash water,Comunidad de Regantes, Águilas, Catalana dePerforacions, personal information, 2006.

seawater intake and pre-treatment/brine discharge — environmental issues

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