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From residual heat to drinking water, minerals and energy
There is a growing need for energy and drinking water on the one hand, and a surplus of residual heat and salt water sources on the other. Wageningen University & Research has developed an answer that combines these issues into one smart technology: residual heat and salt water are the input for a solution that generates drinking water as well as minerals and electricity.
There is an increasing need for drinking water and an increasing shortage of drinking water. Periods of prolonged drought and rising demand regularly put pressure on the availability of drinking water. Based on current projections, there will be a 5% shortage of drinking water by 2032 due to a lack of fresh water sources. A salient but not insignificant detail: if we start producing green hydrogen in the future, these shortages could even exceed 30%.
This is not a hypothetical scenario because the Netherlands, and the rest of the world, has a growing need for electricity. Moving away from fossil energy sources, such as gas and coal, requires electricity and a lot of it.
We also see industries struggling with surplus residual heat. This residual heat needs to be cooled. And that uses a lot of water and energy. This in turn puts pressure on the needs of these scarce resources. Moreover, low-grade residual heat now remains largely unused.
Finally, many large companies face a challenge in managing their brine, salt water streams. Discharging this to surface water is not only very harmful to the environment, it is also subject to increasingly strict regulations.
One solution for 4 issues: residual heat, brine, water and electricity
At first glance, these issues may not seem to have much in common. But with Wageningen University & Research's heat-water energy nexus, they come together to generate a single solution. The surplus of residual heat and salt water is the input for a system to generate drinking water, minerals and electricity in a more sustainable way.
On-site and regional
Residual heat is the energy source for a membrane distillation technology that generates drinking water from salt water. This could be from seawater, for example, but also brine. Precious minerals can then be recovered by means of membrane distillation crystallisation. Finally, this technology can be used to generate electricity for applications in the region or far beyond. These are very attractive options for on-site applications in industry.
One specific application is in hydrogen production, because this nexus solution makes this process many times more efficient and sustainable. Much less electricity and water is needed to cool the released residual heat. In fact, this residual heat also serves as an energy source. And the pure water produced is more than enough for hydrogen production as well as providing a source of drinking water, for example, in agriculture or industry in the region. This reduces costs and leads to a lower carbon footprint.
More sustainable and more profitable
Combining salt water and residual heat in this way increases the availability of drinking water, reuses residual heat, reduces brine discharge and releases valuable minerals and energy. In this way, many processes in industry and energy production can become much more sustainable and profitable. By recovering minerals from salt water streams, industries can tap new sources of income while having a less negative environmental impact. Overall, a win-win-win situation!
Want to learn more about the possible applications? Get in touch with us.