Page 159 - CW E-Magazine (12-3-2024)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

COLLABORATION Trevi Systems have successfully deve-
Nippon Shokubai’s materials help US fi rm demonstrate loped a draw solution with the capabi-
lity of improving water production by
feasibility of forward osmosis technology in seawater 30% compared with the previous pro-
duct. The FO system is under considera-
desalination tion to be introduced for seawater
desalination in areas with high demand
for water, such as the Middle East,
Japanese chemicals fi rm, Nippon as well as for brine concentration to
Shokubai, has combined forces with achieve zero liquid discharge. Nippon
US-based Trevi Systems in the deve- Shokubai said it will make further
lopment of the draw solution as a key efforts to improve the performance and
component in the forward osmosis (FO) functions of the draw solution with a view
system, which is a next generation system Fig. 2 toward future expansion of the FO system.
for seawater desalination and water treat- LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
ment. Trevi Systems recently celebrated
the successful completion and operation ‘Products made from crude oil have a signifi cantly
of its 500m /day renewable seawater
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desalination plant at the Natural Energy higher CO footprint than previously assumed’
Laboratory of Hawaii (NELHA) site in Fig. 1 2
Hawaii, US. This project, made possible For years, the life cycle assessment
by a $4-mn US Department of Energy (LCA) community has been discussing
grant awarded to NELHA in 2022 with how to make a fair comparison between
Trevi as the technology provider, is products made from crude oil and those
being seen as an important development made from biomass, from Carbon Cap-
in renewable desalination. ture and Utilisation (CCU) and from
recycling. A regularly critically empha-
The initiative, aimed at demonstrat- sised aspect is that while all possible
ing the feasibility and effi cacy of for- Photo 1 environmental impacts of – often novel –
ward osmosis technology in seawater The FO system is focused on as a vered water using low grade thermal renewable carbon-based products are
desalination for agricultural applica- means that will resolve this issue. The heat (see Photo 1). analysed at great expense and inclu-
tions, surpassed expectations during its FO system utilises the osmosis, which ded in the LCA, for crude oil the scru-
operation from June 2022 to September is a natural process and occurs when The key elements of Trevi Systems’ tiny appears to be less stringent. Here,
2023. By harnessing solar power, Trevi’s liquids of differing solute concentra- FO system are the use of retrograde standard values are frequently applied
forward osmosis system accomplished tions are separated by a semi-permea- thermolytic solute draw solution and that do not fully account for regional
a fi rst in renewable desalination, pro- ble membrane and water moves by the recycling of the draw solute back to differences, lack granularity and trans-
ducing potable water without reliance process of osmosis from the solution the FO membrane (see Figure 2). Trevi parency, and do not take into account Source: nova-Institute GmbH
on an external energy grid for support. of lower concentration to that of higher Systems conducted a pilot test to demon- a number of impacts on similar level Empa, Agroscope, and the Paul Scherrer vant database in Sphera (GaBi) is also
Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used concentration. In the seawater desalina- strate the production of fresh water at a of detail than what is requested for Institute, with the aim to create a working on updating their data accord-
in the seawater desalination for agri- tion, the FO system utilizes the differ- volume of 50 m per day from seawater non-fossil alternatives. comprehensive, consistent, and trans- ingly, as per nova-Institute.
3
cultural and drinking water use and for ence in solute concentration in sea- in the UAE in 2016, which confi rmed parent Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data-
treatment of industrial water. The RO water and draw solution, and the natural that the use of the FO system was able According to German research base for environmental assessment. The ecoinvent v3.9 introduces an
system is a technology that involves the osmotic pressure as a result of the draw to reduce electric power consumption institute, nova-Institute GmbH, new extensive overhaul of the data on natu-
pressurisation of seawater or wastewater solution on one side of a FO membrane to about 1/3 compared to that of the RO data sets from the Swiss ‘ecoinvent’ The two latest updates (3.9 and 3.10 ral gas and crude petroleum oil supply,
over an RO membrane to remove salts (a semi-permeable membrane) to pull/ system. However, the improvement in database have substantial implications of end-2023 versions) of the ecoinvent while in the 3.10 update, the chemicals
(such as NaCl) and impurities. While transport fresh water from seawater into the amount of water production is nece- for the comparison of renewable car- database, which is the basis for many sector is updated to improve the data
this system enables the acquisition of the draw solution with everything tak- ssary for the widespread utilisation of bon-based and fossil crude oil-based European LCAs, have new data on the representation for essential chemical
high-quality water, the large amount of ing place under low pressure and energy the FO system at full scale, and the plastics. supply of crude oil and natural gas, and precursors and their derivatives, such
electric power consumed by the pressu- conditions (Figure 1). Nippon Shokubai improvement in the function of the draw for the fi rst time include unintended as short-chain alkenes (ethylene, pro-
rising pump is considered an issue (see and Trevi Systems developed the draw solution as the key component is crucial ecoinvent was founded by the methane emissions during extraction pylene, butene, and butadiene), mono-
Figure 1). solution to be separated from the reco- for realising this. Nippon Shokubai and Swiss research institutions ETH, EPFL, and processing. Another highly rele- cyclic aromatics (benzene, toluene, and

158 Chemical Weekly March 12, 2024 Chemical Weekly March 12, 2024 159

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