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Recovering saleable minerals from reject brine

Desalination and industrial brines carry magnesium, potassium, bromine, lithium, and salts. Osmosys concentrates them to the strength at which selective recovery becomes economic.

Aerial view of salt crystallization ponds
Concentration ahead of recovery
220–280kmg/L
Water recovered alongside the product
99%+
Specific energy, against 25–60 thermal
5–12kWh/m³

The challenge

Most reject brines are treated as a disposal cost. The materials in them are too dilute to extract economically, and concentrating them thermally consumes the margin.

  1. Dilute feed

    Selective recovery processes need the target material at a workable concentration.

  2. Disposal cost

    Brine disposal is priced by volume and rising where permits are most restrictive.

  3. Critical minerals

    Demand for magnesium, potassium, bromine, and lithium continues to grow.

Approach

Concentration first, then selective recovery

SAMRO pre-concentrates and recovers clean water; the MemBrine Concentrator takes the stream to crystallization strength. Selective extraction and crystallization are integrated from qualified technology partners under one design basis.

  1. 01

    SAMRO pre-concentration

    Concentrates the dilute brine and recovers clean water at low specific energy.

  2. 02

    MBC final concentration

    Takes the stream to 220,000–280,000 mg/L without thermal evaporation.

  3. 03

    Selective recovery

    Extraction and crystallization from qualified partners, on the same design basis.

  4. 04

    Products and water

    Saleable salts and minerals, with clean water returned at every stage.

Recoverable products

Seawater desalination brine
Recovered products: Sodium chloride, magnesium hydroxide, potassium salts, bromine
Route: SAMRO + MBC + partner crystallization
Chlor-alkali and drilling brines
Recovered products: Barium sulfate, strontium, calcium chloride
Route: MBC + selective precipitation
Oilfield, geothermal, and mining brines
Recovered products: Lithium, with co-products from the matrix
Route: DLE + MBC

What it delivers

  1. Product streams

    Industrial sodium chloride, magnesium hydroxide, calcium chloride, potassium salts, and bromine.

  2. Lower disposal volume

    What leaves as product no longer leaves as brine.

  3. Water

    Clean water recovered for reuse at every stage of the train.

  4. One performance basis

    Recovery, product quality, and energy guaranteed for the complete train.

Project

King Salman Park: zero liquid discharge at municipal scale

King Salman Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Treating 10,800 m³/day of CCRO® brine at 36,772 mg/L TDS to over 200,000 mg/L, in a footprint 70% smaller than conventional systems, for the world’s largest urban park.

Brine treated
10,800m³/day
Water recovery
82%
Smaller footprint
70%
Read the case study

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