Ecosystems - Biology - Animals

Desalination Produces 50 Percent More Toxic Brine Than Previously Thought

The world’s desalination plants, which use energy intensive processes to remove salt from water, produce enough toxic brine each year to cover all of Florida under a foot of water.

Factories around the world are pumping out toxic brine at a rate much higher than previously estimated and dumping it back into the ocean, according to a report published on Monday.

This super-salty brine is toxic to marine life, and as many nations become more dependent on desalination to supply drinkable water to their citizens, the report argues that this form of water purification could be a serious environmental hazard.

According to the report, which is part of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health ’s project on Unconventional Water Resources, the amount of toxic brine produced at desalination plants—which convert salt water into drinkable fresh water—is 50 percent higher than previously estimated. Roughly 16,000 desalination plants around the world produced about 141.5 million cubic meters of brine each day, the report says.

To put that in perspective, that’s equal to about two-thirds of the average daily water flow over Niagara falls and results in enough brine each year to submerge the state of Florida under a foot of the toxic waste.

Most of the world’s desalination plants are concentrated in the Middle East and northern Africa, where water resources are increasingly scarce. According to the […]

More about salt water and desalination:

Opinion: Desalination plant in Southern California is important to water security

66-year-old Alan Turing paper inspires new water-purification technique

Preparing for climate change: California’s huge investment in water storage

Pioneering solar-powered greenhouse to grow food without fresh water

Summary
Article Name
Desalination Produces 50 Percent More Toxic Brine Than Previously Thought
Description
Super-salty brine is toxic to marine life, and more depend on desalination for drinkable water, this could become a serious environmental hazard.
Author
Publisher Name
Motherboard
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

1 day ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

1 day ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

2 days ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

1 week ago

Developing state water roadmaps is essential

New turnout facility from the California Aqueduct on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Officials say the…

1 week ago

Migration Matters: Breaking Down Barriers to Migration

Over the past century, humans have constructed major transportation infrastructure like highways, bridges, railroads, and…

3 weeks ago