DESALINATION, TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES Edited by Michael Schorr Desalination, Trends and Technologies Edited by Michael Schorr Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2011 InTech All chapters are Open Access articles distributed under the Creative Commons Non Commercial Share Alike Attribution 3.0 license, which permits to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work in any medium, so long as the original work is properly cited. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published articles. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Iva Lipovic Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer Martina Sirotic Image Copyright Tyler Olson, 2010. Used under license from Shutterstock.com First published February, 2011 Printed in India A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org Desalination, Trends and Technologies, Edited by Michael Schorr p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-311-8 free online editions of InTech Books and Journals can be found at www.intechopen.com Part 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Part 2 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Preface IX Desalination Processes and Plants 1 Electrodialysis Technology - Theory and Applications 3 Fernando Valero, Angel Barceló and Ramón Arbós Water Desalination by Membrane Distillation 21 Marek Gryta Desalination of Coastal Karst Springs by Hydro-geologic, Hydro-technical and Adaptable Methods 41 Marko Breznik and Franci Steinman Corrosion Control in the Desalination Industry 71 Michael Schorr, Benjamín Valdez, Juan Ocampo and Amir Eliezer Novel Trends and Technologies 87 Application of Renewable Energies for Water Desalination 89 Mattheus Goosen, Hacene Mahmoudi, Noreddine Ghaffour and Shyam S. Sablani Seawater Desalination: Trends and Technologies 119 Val S. Frenkel Advanced Mechanical Vapor-Compression Desalination System 129 Jorge R. Lara, Omorinsola Osunsan and Mark T. Holtzapple Renewable Energy Opportunities in Water Desalination 149 Ali A. Al-Karaghouli and L.L. Kazmerski New Trend in the Development of ME-TVC Desalination System 185 Anwar Bin Amer Contents Contents VI Environmental and Economical Aspects 215 Solar Desalination 217 Bechir Chaouachi Reject Brine Management 237 Muftah H. El-Naas DOE Method for Optimizing Desalination Systems 253 Amin Behzadmehr Impacts of Brine Discharge on the Marine Environment. Modelling as a Predictive Tool 279 Pilar Palomar and Iñigo. J. Losada Optimization of Hybrid Desalination Processes Including Multi Stage Flash and Reverse Osmosis Systems 311 Marian G. Marcovecchio, Sergio F. Mussati, Nicolás J. Scenna and Pío A. Aguirre Part 3 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Pref ac e The sustainability and prosperity of the ancient civilizations of China, Egypt, Baby- lonia, Phoenicia, Persia and Roma were based on the extensive use of water for hu- man consumption, crop irrigation, canal navigation and energy generation. Today, the worldwide scarcity of water and clean energy constitutes a central and critical prob- lem for the whole humankind. This situation is aggravated as industrial, agricultural and municipal effl uents reach the water bodies, or the coastal seawater that is used as feed for desalination plants. All these problems are linked to the actual, natural and anthropogenic changes of climate, global warming and greenhouse-gas emissions, all interrelated phenomena that aff ect our planet. In order to avoid damage to its facilities and equipment, the desalination industry in- vests considerable eff orts to deal with these changes, in particular with extreme events such as torrential rains, devastating fl oods, dry seasons with devouring fi res, as well as with extended spells of cold weather with freezing temperatures. The book chapters are arranged in an hierarchical sequence, starting with conventional and novel desalination processes and following with energy, environmental, economic and ecological issues, all aff ecting the desalination industry image and profi tability. Leading experts from academia and industry, as well as environment researchers, dis- tinguished teachers and experienced engineers have wri en special chapters for this impressive collection. The contributing authors off er a large amount of practical infor- mation, presenting it in a highly condensed yet coherent body of useful knowledge and practical expertise. Moreover, the multi-authored characteristic of this volume off ers a wide spectrum of knowledge and experience, as the authors are specialists in diff erent fi elds and express diverse approaches and orientations. The intended multi- facet content of this publication certainly contributes to enrich it. This compendium provides valuable, encyclopedic knowledge on research, develop- ment, processes, plants and technologies of this industry, from the fundamental con- cepts up to many practical cases collected from around the world. Hence, it provides a useful insight into the world of water, energy and desalination, easy to follow and to apply. This volume is an essential companion to chemists, as well as to civil and chemical engineers who design, build and operate desalination plants. It is also highly relevant to maintenance personnel, corrosion specialists, material- and mechanical engineers. X Preface Also, university lecturers and researchers will fi nd it useful for their students while preparing their thesis on subjects related to desalination processes and plants. Not less so, desalination industry executives should make sure that their fi eld managers and engineers in charge of running their plants will have access to it, and apply the built-in know-how in their daily work routine. Another strong part of this book is the wealth of references listed for each chapter, amounting to hundreds of sources of detailed information from the modern scientifi c and technical literature. Anyone interested in desalination will be thrilled by their di- verse content. All in all, this volume enables the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the state of the art of the desalination industry and to become acquainted with the most recent developments and technologies in this area. Finally, it is my pleasant duty to acknowledge with thanks each of the learned authors for contributing their chapters to this volume. December 2010 Prof. Michael Schorr Institute of Engineering University of Baja California Mexicali, Mexico . DESALINATION, TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES Edited by Michael Schorr Desalination, Trends and Technologies Edited by Michael Schorr Published by. 8 Chapter 9 Preface IX Desalination Processes and Plants 1 Electrodialysis Technology - Theory and Applications 3 Fernando Valero, Angel Barceló and Ramón Arbós Water Desalination by Membrane. Valdez, Juan Ocampo and Amir Eliezer Novel Trends and Technologies 87 Application of Renewable Energies for Water Desalination 89 Mattheus Goosen, Hacene Mahmoudi, Noreddine Ghaffour and Shyam S.