Review of water desalination methods and technologies for drinking water supply
Purpose: review of existing technologies and methods of seawater desalination for drinking water supply. Discussion. Based on modern research methods using statistical data and a review of domestic and foreign literature, a review of methods and technologies for desalination and desaltation of highly mineralized natural waters was carried out. The use of sea water for domestic purposes is impossible due to the high content of minerals, however, after desalination, such water can be used for drinking. The choice of technologies and methods of desalination is primarily determined by the quality of source water, as well as the requirements for the quality of treated water, plant productivity and technical and economic calculations. For the drinking water supply purposes, the most efficient and cost-effective method is desalination using reverse osmosis technology, used for both sea and groundwater with high salinity. Reverse osmosis technology has significant advantages over thermal desalination, especially when applied to small-scale plants of small domestic water supply systems. The use of reverse osmosis plants will significantly increase productivity of drinking water output per watt of electricity consumed. Conclusions. The introduction of modern technologies and careful attention to water consumption play a significant role in maintaining water balance in different countries. The most cost-effective and efficient method is seawater desalination using reverse osmosis plants. Despite the fact that water desalination and desaltion plants are very expensive, the conservation of natural waters is a priority nowadays.