A Review on Engineering Approaches to Reverse Osmosis Brine Management: Disposal, Volume Reduction and Emerging Resource Recovery
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2026
Yazarlar: Oluwasegun Emmanuel Babajide, Mustafa Burak Doğanay, Aydın CİHANOĞLU, Mehmet Kamil MERİÇ, Nalan Kabay
Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology, Uluslararası, 2026, cilt 30, ss 52-90
Özet
Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination generates concentrated brine streams whose management remains a primary technical and regulatory constraint on system performance and sustainability. This review evaluates current and emerging RO brine management strategies with emphasis on operational feasibility, energy demand, and compliance drivers. Conventional disposal options remain dominant in practice but are increasingly limited by discharge regulations and environmental impact. Membrane-based, thermal, and hybrid processes can achieve significant brine volume reduction and support near-zero liquid discharge; however, these gains come with substantial energy penalties, fouling risks, and operational complexity. Resource recovery from seawater RO brines has progressed for major ions such as magnesium, calcium, and bulk salts, yet most pathways remain at laboratory or pilot scale, while recovery of trace elements is constrained by low concentrations, selectivity limits, and unfavorable process economics. Across all advanced options, the lack of long-term performance data, uncertain cost structures, and site-specific regulatory requirements continue to impede scale-up. The review concludes that near-term brine management is best achieved through incremental integration of volume reduction, energy recovery, and compliant discharge within existing treatment trains, rather than through standalone recovery systems.