Low Carbon Desalination Technology

The intensifying global water scarcity has highlighted the importance of developing sustainable desalination technologies. Reverse osmosis (RO) processes dominate seawater desalination technology but are frequently criticized for their high energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. To overcome these limitations, low-energy and low-carbon desalination technologies utilizing seawater batteries (SWBs) have gained attention. Originally developed as energy storage devices, SWBs are now being applied in desalination processes through an electrochemical mechanism that removes sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) ions during the charging phase. This paper introduces the principles of SWB-based desalination technologies, their system configurations, and integration cases with membrane filtration processes such as ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF), analyzing the research trends in SWB desalination. According to key findings, SWB systems have the potential to achieve desalination with over 50% lower energy consumption (1.35kWh/m3) compared to conventional RO processes. However, challenges such as prolonged charging times and the high cost of ion-exchange membranes hinder their large-scale application. Innovative approaches, including adopting reverse osmosis membranes and redox flow systems, are being explored to address these issues. Ultimately, this study underscores the potential of SWBs as a low-carbon desalination technology and highlights the need for further research into system optimization, cost reduction, and large-scale implementation to enhance feasibility and accelerate the development of this technology.