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Sorigué aims to make sea water drinkable with a more efficient desalination system
December 9, 2021
The Low-E project validates innovative technology to create a desalination system for more available drinking water. Sorigué has partnered with the companies Tecnalia and Tinnit GmbH and the University of Cologne on this project.
Low-E is a research project launched by Sorigué aimed at producing safe drinking water using a highly energy-efficient desalination system.
Desalination plants work to separate salts to provide safe drinking water but, according to a recent United Nations University study, these plants produce 50% more brine than previously thought. It is estimated that 1.5 litres of brine need to be pumped out in order to produce one litre of drinkable water. Low-E’s biggest challenge is lowering this level of effluent and tackling water scarcity using sustainable, efficient and financially viable technology.
Innovative materials and low-impact technology
The technology researched by Sorigué, capacitive deionisation (CDI), requires a third of the energy that conventional systems do and can produce up to 30% more drinking water. The process is finished using a crystalliser, a system for minimising the production of waste, to reach what in circular economy is known as “zero discharge”.
Adding a crystalliser means the leftover effluent’s solid salt can be recovered. This way, the waste produced is no longer liquid and provides salts suitable for industry. Water from this process can be mixed and turned completely into safe drinking water.
The studied solution will undergo first stage lab testing, and then be moved to a pilot plant to be tested for functioning in real water at the desalination plant in El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona,
Desalination plants work to separate salts to provide safe drinking water but, according to a recent United Nations University study, these plants produce 50% more brine than previously thought. It is estimated that 1.5 litres of brine need to be pumped out in order to produce one litre of drinkable water. Low-E’s biggest challenge is lowering this level of effluent and tackling water scarcity using sustainable, efficient and financially viable technology.
Innovative materials and low-impact technology
The technology researched by Sorigué, capacitive deionisation (CDI), requires a third of the energy that conventional systems do and can produce up to 30% more drinking water. The process is finished using a crystalliser, a system for minimising the production of waste, to reach what in circular economy is known as “zero discharge”.
Adding a crystalliser means the leftover effluent’s solid salt can be recovered. This way, the waste produced is no longer liquid and provides salts suitable for industry. Water from this process can be mixed and turned completely into safe drinking water.
The studied solution will undergo first stage lab testing, and then be moved to a pilot plant to be tested for functioning in real water at the desalination plant in El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona,
supported by Aigua Ter-Llobregat. The technology validated by the Low-E project was developed for seawater desalination, but it could also be used for industrial brine, or for inland desalination plants to avoid brine waste at reservoirs and landfills not designed to accept this type of waste.
This project is being developed alongside the tech hub Tecnalia, the company Tinnit GmbH and the University of Cologne. It is funded by the Government of Catalonia’s Agency for Business Competitiveness, ACCIÓ, under the international call entitled “Núcleos de investigación industrial y desarrollo experimental de componente internacional Cataluña-Alemania” (Industrial research cores and experimental international development between Catalonia and Germany), with a budget of €360,978.40 and a grant of €144,800.23.
The challenge of water scarcity
Despite covering most of the planet, only 1% of water is available for human consumption, with 97% found in the ocean and the other 3% coming from rivers and fresh water, a great deal of which is locked up in ice and glaciers. Needed by agriculture, industry and homes, water is a scarce commodity. According to studies by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), every year over 10 million people die of diseases caused by lack of clean water, and estimates suggest that by 2025 there will be 1.8 billion people without access to drinking water.
This project is being developed alongside the tech hub Tecnalia, the company Tinnit GmbH and the University of Cologne. It is funded by the Government of Catalonia’s Agency for Business Competitiveness, ACCIÓ, under the international call entitled “Núcleos de investigación industrial y desarrollo experimental de componente internacional Cataluña-Alemania” (Industrial research cores and experimental international development between Catalonia and Germany), with a budget of €360,978.40 and a grant of €144,800.23.
The challenge of water scarcity
Despite covering most of the planet, only 1% of water is available for human consumption, with 97% found in the ocean and the other 3% coming from rivers and fresh water, a great deal of which is locked up in ice and glaciers. Needed by agriculture, industry and homes, water is a scarce commodity. According to studies by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), every year over 10 million people die of diseases caused by lack of clean water, and estimates suggest that by 2025 there will be 1.8 billion people without access to drinking water.
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