Comparison of Pilot-Scale Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) and Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis (LPRO) for PV-Powered Brackish Water Desalination in Morocco for Irrigation of Argan Trees

The use of saline water resources in agriculture is becoming a common practice in semi-arid and arid regions such as the Mediterranean. In the SmaCuMed project, the desalination of brackish groundwater (TDS = 2.8 g/L) for the irrigation of Argan trees in Essaouira, Morocco, to 2 g/L and 1 g/L (33% a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Membranes (Basel) 2023-07, Vol.13 (7), p.668
Main Authors: Cañas Kurz, Edgardo E, Hellriegel, Ulrich, Hdoufane, Abdelkarim, Benaceur, Ibtissame, Anane, Makram, Jaiti, Fatima, El-Abbassi, Abdelilah, Hoinkis, Jan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agriculture
Arid regions
Arid zones
Brackish water
Brackish water desalination
Brine disposal
Calcium ions
Climate change
Crops
Deionization
Desalination
Electrodes
Energy consumption
Energy costs
Freshwater resources
Groundwater
Irrigation
Land degradation
Low pressure
Magnesium
membrane capacitive deionization
Osmosis
Precipitation
Reverse osmosis
Saline water
Salinity
sodium adsorption ratio
Solar energy
Specific energy
Trees
Water costs
Water quality
Water resources
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Summary:The use of saline water resources in agriculture is becoming a common practice in semi-arid and arid regions such as the Mediterranean. In the SmaCuMed project, the desalination of brackish groundwater (TDS = 2.8 g/L) for the irrigation of Argan trees in Essaouira, Morocco, to 2 g/L and 1 g/L (33% and 66% salt removal, respectively) using low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) ( < 6 bar) and membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) was tested at pilot scale. MCDI showed 40-70% lower specific energy consumption (SEC) and 10-20% higher water recovery; however, the throughput of LPRO (2.9 m /h) was up to 1.5 times higher than that of MCDI. In addition, both technologies were successfully powered by PV solar energy with total water costs ranging from EUR 0.82 to EUR 1.34 per m . In addition, the water quality in terms of sodium adsorption ratio was slightly higher with LPRO resulting in higher concentrations of Ca and Mg , due to blending with feed water. In order to evaluate both technologies, additional criteria such as investment and specific water costs, operability and brine disposal have to be considered.
ISSN:2077-0375
2077-0375
DOI:10.3390/membranes13070668