LIFE Project: Desalination and denitrification of brackish groundwater for sustainable irrigation: net-zero waste and energy
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2020 -2024
- Assigned Budget 1.614.051,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Autonomous community Castilla - La Mancha
- Main source of financing LIFE
- Project website Web del proyecto
LIFE DESIROWS is a demonstration project to reduce first osmosis brine, crystallize salts, eliminate nitrates, and recover water resources.
Water scarcity, a typical impact of climate change, affects at least 10.4% of the EU territory and 14.3% of the EU population, mainly in Southern Europe. Desalination, applied in 150 countries, is one of the most common solutions explored to address the problem, with more than 18,500 desalination plants producing freshwater from seawater and brackish water. It is one of the technologies, according to Spanish Law RD1627, for obtaining reclaimed water. However, the technology raises environmental concerns related to the residual brine, which can represent up to 25% of the collected water. The brine has a high salinity and contains potential contaminants, such as pathogens and nitrates from agriculture and other human activities.
- Improve the quality of reclaimed water for use in the agricultural sector at an affordable price, while eliminating discharges into the protected area of the Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon.
- Reduce the negative impact of pollutants on the area's flora and fauna ecosystems.
- Recycle brine salts for use as fertilizers and for de-icing roads.
- Promote the technology among key stakeholders and define its potential replicability and transferability
- High-quality reclaimed water for reuse in agricultural irrigation from the brine effluent of the Arcosur desalination plant.
- Production of 600 kg of salt/day, which will be largely used to manufacture inorganic fertilizers (calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate, potassium sulfate and magnesium sulfate, up to 180 kg/day) and the remainder for road de-icing (mainly crystallized Cl- and Na+, up to 420 kg/day).
- Improved energy efficiency in brine evaporation by reducing energy consumption from 695 kWh/m3 under normal conditions to 40 kWh/m3.
- Reduction of emissions by 9% by integrating several renewable energy solutions to create an energy-independent system.
- Coordinator/entity name: Francisco David Gallego Martínez
Postal address: C/Mayor 55, Pol. Ind. Camposol, 30006, Murcia
- REGENERA LEVANTE SL
- ARCOSUR(COMUNIDAD DE REGANTES ARCO SUR MAR MENOR)
- HIDROGEA(HIDROGEA, GESTIóN INTEGRAL DE AGUAS DE MURCIA, S.A.)
- HIDROTEC(HIDROTEC TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS S.L.)
- UPCT(UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE CARTAGENA)
Related projects
