Recycling of brine in desalination plants – extracting valuable chemicals

High energy consumption and brine discharge are two ongoing issue with the construction of desalination facilities. The issue of brine discharge and the reuse of brine resources has been a continuous concern of fishermen and environmental protection groups. To this end, the NYCU Environmental Techonology & Smart System Research Center (ETSS) signed an industry-academia cooperation plan with the Taiwan Green Productivity Foundation to execute the research and analysis of magnesium extraction from seawater brine and evaluate the feasibility of extracting magnesium-based chemicals from seawater brine. During the process, it was found that the resource utilization of fresh sea brine has become an international trend, that magnesium has a higher market value than calcium or sodium, and that all domestic magnesium raw materials are imported from abroad. Therefore, the extraction of high-purity magnesium-based chemicals from brine can not only meet the needs of the domestic market, but also reduce the risk of global instability affecting supply from foreign manufacturers. At the same time, it can create new industries and job opportunities and may reduce the environmental impact of brine salinity and discharge on surrounding waters.