How does a desalination plant dispose of brine?

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1. 1

   Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies - A review.

   The Science of the total environment (Panagopoulos et al.)Published Jul 25, 2019Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “Currently, various disposal methods have been practiced, including surface water discharge, sewer discharge, deep-well injection, evaporation ponds and land application. However, these brine disposal methods are unsustainable and restricted by high capital costs and non-universal application. Nowadays, brine treatment is considered one of the most promising alternatives to brine disposal, since treatment results in the reduction of environmental pollution, minimization of waste volume and production of freshwater with high recovery. This review article evaluates current practices in brine management, including disposal methods and treatment technologies. Based upon the side-by-side comparison of technologies, a brine treatment technology framework is introduced to outline the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) approach through high freshwater recovery and wastewater volume minimization. Furthermore, an overview of brine characteristics and its sources, as well as its negative impact on the environment is discussed. Finally, the paper highlights future research areas for brine treatment technologies aiming to enhance the effectiveness and viability of desalination.”

2. 2

   Desalination (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 10, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “Desalination is the artificial process by which salt water (generally sea water) is converted to fresh water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. It is possible to desalinate saltwater, especially sea water, to produce water for human consumption or irrigation, producing brine as a by-product. Interest in desalination mostly focuses on cost-effective provision of fresh water for human use. Along with recycled wastewater, it is one of the few water resources independent of rainfall. As stress on the need for freshwater intensifies globally, desalination has become a key part of strategies for global water security. According to a 2019 review in Science of the Total Environment, around 95 million cubic meters per day of desalinated water is produced worldwide, and the demand for desalinated water is expected to grow significantly to help close the global water supply gap. Due to its energy consumption, desalinating sea water is generally more costly than fresh water from surface water or groundwater, water recycling and water conservation.”

3. 3

   A Critical Review on Desalination Technologies for High-Salinity Wastewater: Development and Challenges.

   Membranes (Wang et al.)Published Jan 3, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “This review begins by employing a bibliometric analysis to map the knowledge structure and trace the evolution of research trends, revealing that "membrane-thermal integration" has become a dominant research hotspot since 2020. It then provides a systematic examination of advanced treatment technologies, chronicling the progression from early biological methods to contemporary membrane-based and thermal desalination approaches. A specific analysis of the influence of salinity on membrane scaling is also included. Consequently, this paper critically assesses the prospects and challenges of several alternative desalination technologies and proposes that integrated processes, combining membrane-based and thermal desalination, represent a highly promising pathway for achieving zero liquid discharge (ZLD). Finally, we suggest that future research should prioritize the development of key functional materials, explore efficient hybrid physiochemical-biochemical processes, and advance emerging technologies, aimed at enhancing treatment efficiency and reducing operational costs.”

4. 4

   Impact of total dissolved solids on the environment and recent strategies for the complex industrial effluents treatment.

   Journal of environmental management (Vaidya et al.)Published Jul 14, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “While ion exchange, NF, RO, and ED can effectively remove TDS with an efficiency ranging from 85% to 98%, however, all these technologies have major disadvantage of high maintenance cost, membrane fouling, high energy consumption and brine disposal problems. Multi effect evaporator (MEE) and Multi vapor Recompression (MVR) offer almost complete removal of TDS and are being considered widely in the ZLD systems. Field-scale integrated membrane-thermal systems have also been applied by various Indian industries to lower influent TDS over 15,000 mg/L to <500 mg/L. The review highlights the impact of TDS on the environment and sustainable management of high-TDS industrial wastewater with special focus on integrated treatment strategies of pretreatment technique with membrane desalination, thermal concentration, and brine-management approaches to minimize environmental impacts and support near-zero liquid discharge (ZLD) objectives under diverse industrial operating conditions.”