흡착식 다중효용증발 복합공정의 개발 및 기초 성능평가

Abstract

This study developed and evaluated a novel hybrid process technology for seawater desalination and high-concentration brine treatment to address global water demand growth and tightening regulations on brine discharge. Faced with the limitations of conventional reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, specifically restricted freshwater recovery rates and brine management challenges, we proposed the Multi-effect adsorption desalination(MEAD) hybrid process. This system integrates multi effect distillation (MED) with adsorption desalination (AD) technology, which operates at low temperatures (≤40°C) and low pressures (≤10 kPa), to achieve advanced brine concentration. The performance of the MEAD process was rigorously evaluated using in-house developed mathematical and numerical analysis models, with results aligning closely with experimental performance assessments and theoretical predictions. This study demonstrates improved brine concentration capacity compared to standalone RO or MED systems, provides basic data for expanding high-recover desalination systems, and provides a sustainable pathway to water-stressed areas struggling with brine treatment constraints.