ABSTRACT
Desalination, also known as desalinization or desalting, is the process of removing dissolved salts and minerals from saline water to produce fresh potable water. Desalination was explored very early in history and its use goes back to ancient times, where simple distillation techniques were employed. Nowadays, brackish water and seawater desalination is becoming a common practice to meet fresh water needs in many parts of the world, especially in the arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa, and in many island communities such as the Canary Islands and Malta. Desalination technology is also used to treat wastewater effluents for reuse and to improve the quality of fresh water for potable and industrial uses. Most desalination processes are based either on thermal distillation or membrane separation technologies. Among the technologically proven and commercially utilized desalination processes are: reverse osmosis (RO), electrodialysis (ED), electrodialysis reversal (EDR), multieffect distillation (MED), multistage flash distillation (MSF), and vapor compression [mechanical (MVC) or thermal (TVC)]. Key issues associated with the use of desalination include cost, energy use, and environmental impacts of brine disposal and feedwater intake.
DESALINATION PROCESSES
