Desalination brines as a potential vector for CO2 sequestration in the deep sea

Yitzhak Jacobson, Or M. Bialik, Jacob Silverman, Boaz Lazar, Debora Burd-Villanova, Einat Galilove, Eyal Rahav, Guy Sisma-Ventura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Freshwater scarcity, driven by population growth and climate change, is increasingly mitigated by seawater desalination, globally. As an energy-intensive process, desalination is a substantial source of atmospheric CO2. Nevertheless, desalination may hold a potential for ocean-based atmospheric carbon removal. Here we describe, for the first time, the carbonate chemistry of desalination brines near the submerged marine outfalls of a large desalination plant, their unique CO2 buffering capacity, and potential for deep sea carbon sequestration. We show that reverse osmosis acts as a carbon concentration factory and that the high-density brine plumes could create a vector for long-term CO2 removal to the deep sea below the seasonal thermocline. At present desalination capacity, we estimate that Desalination Assisted Carbon Concentration (DACC) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) could potentially remove 3.8 Mton CO2/year globally, with a negligible contribution to ocean acidification. This mechanism partially mitigates the high carbon print associated with desalination. Synopsis: Desalination reject brines pose environmental challenges upon disposal to sea, but due to their unique properties, may become an opportunity for long-term carbon sequestration.

Original languageEnglish
Article number117234
JournalDesalination
Volume574
DOIs
StatePublished - 6 Apr 2024
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Funding

We thank the captain and crew of the R/V Mediterranean Explorer (Eco-Ocean) for help at sea. This study was supported by the Israeli Ministry of Energy grants: to G.S.-V. 221-17-020 and to Y.J. 221-17-024 . We thank the captain and crew of the R/V Mediterranean Explorer (Eco-Ocean) for help at sea. This study was supported by the Israeli Ministry of Energy grants: to G.S.-V. 221-17-020 and to Y.J. 221-17-024.

FundersFunder number
Ministry of Energy, Israel221-17-020, 221-17-024

    Keywords

    • Alkalinity
    • Carbon capture
    • Desalination brine

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