ABSTRACT
The growth in demand for freshwater is partially satisfied by desalination plants that increasingly use membrane technologies and, among them, reverse osmosis (RO), to produce purified water. Seawater desalination offers a seemingly unlimited, steady supply of high-quality water, without impairing natural freshwater ecosystems. The desalination of brackish groundwater provides another option towards increasing water supplies for inland regions. RO is a membrane technology widely applied in water desalination, the production of potable water, and more recently in tertiary wastewater treatment. There are some seawater RO (SWRO) plants coupled with renewable energies on the Canary Islands (photovoltaic and wind), and islands of Croatia and Norway (wind energy); there are also similar projects in Jordan, the Egyptian desert, Australia, and Saudi Arabia among others. Research on sustainable treatments applicable to RO concentrates has continually grown in recent years. Several review articles about traditional and emerging technologies for RO concentrates have been published recently.
