Dissolved Gas Flotation Desalination Using Iron Media and Bubbles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing desalination technologies, such as reverse osmosis, are energy-intensive and costly, limiting their widespread use for producing freshwater from brackish or seawater, and they produce waste that is difficult to manage.
Innovation Solution
A desalinating dissolved gas floatation (DGF) system using zero-valent iron particles and oxidizing gases to capture solutes, followed by gas bubbles to float and separate salt-media aggregates, reducing energy consumption and facilitating easy disposal of waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If reverse osmosis is used for desalination, then water purification is achieved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The desalination process is divided into multiple stages: pre-filtration to remove large particles, followed by the desalination chamber where salt is separated, and finally post-treatment. This segmentation allows each stage to handle specific tasks efficiently, reducing the overall energy requirement compared to single-stage reverse osmosis systems that must handle all separation tasks simultaneously under high pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes salt from water through a specialized desalination chamber that uses filtration media and flow dynamics to separate dissolved salts from the water stream. By extracting the salt removal function into a dedicated chamber rather than relying solely on high-pressure membrane filtration, the system reduces energy consumption while achieving effective purification.
2Manufacturing precision
If reverse osmosis is used for desalination, then freshwater is produced, but waste management becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the waste brine stream from reverse osmosis into a beneficial resource by directing it through evaporation chambers and crystallization units. The evaporated water is condensed and added to the freshwater product, while the remaining concentrated brine is processed into solid salt crystals that can be disposed of easily or potentially utilized. This transforms the harmful waste stream into a source of additional freshwater and manageable solid waste.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional desalination technologies are used, then water purification is achieved, but operation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates self-cleaning mechanisms where the filtration media and chambers are automatically flushed and regenerated using portions of the processed water and back-pressure flushing. This self-service capability reduces the need for manual intervention, chemical cleaning agents, and external water resources for maintenance, thereby lowering operational costs while maintaining consistent purification quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The DGF system effectively removes at least 75% of solutes with minimal energy expenditure, producing desalinated water suitable for irrigation and human consumption, and manages waste as solid salt for easy disposal.
Implementation Method 1
metal atoms within the particles are configured to oxidize, such as in the presence of water and/or an additional oxidizing gas (e.g., air) that is injected into the mixture. For instance, one or more species of metal oxyhydroxides are generated in the particles
Implementation Method 2
electrostatic forces of atoms within the particles attracts the solutes to the particles, thereby capturing the solutes from the mixture
Implementation Method 3
the salt-media aggregates can be removed from the mixture using a dissolved gas floatation (DGF) system. For instance, gas bubbles are introduced into the mixture. The gas bubbles carry the salt-media aggregates (and optionally other contaminants within the solution) to a surface of the mixture
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes generating a mixture by injecting a desalination media into an aqueous solution including water one or more solutes. Salt-media aggregates are generated when particles in the desalination media capture the one or more solutes. The example method further includes generating bubbles in the mixture by injecting a gas into the mixture; generating a blanket on a surface of the mixture by carrying, by the bubbles, the salt-media aggregates to the surface of the mixture; and removing the blanket from the mixture.