Brine extraction is a promising strategy for the management of increased reservoir 2 pressure, resulting from carbon dioxide (CO 2) injection in deep saline reservoirs. The extracted brines usually have high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and various contaminants, and require proper disposal or treatment. In this article, first by conducting a critical review, we evaluate the applicability, limits, and advantages or challenges of various commerciallyavailable and emerging desalination technologies that can potentially be employed to treat the highly saline brine (with TDS values greater than 70,000 ppm) and those that are applicable to a ~200,000 ppm TDS brine extracted from the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a potential CO 2 storage site in Illinois, USA. Based on the side-by-side comparison of technologies, evaporators are selected as the most suitable existing technology for treating Mt. Simon Brine. Process simulations are then conducted for a conceptual design for desalination of 454 m 3 /h (2,000 gpm)pretreated brinefor near-zero liquid discharge by multi-effect evaporators. The thermal energy demandis estimated at 246 kWh per m 3 of recovered water, of which 212 kWh/m 3 is required for multiple-effect evaporation and the remainder for salt drying. The process also requires additional electrical power of ~ 2kWh/m 3 .

A new class of robust carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes is developed using a scalable chemical vapor deposition method by direct growth of the CNT on a nickel alloy (Hastelloy) mesh with micrometer-sized openings. The developed membranes have a dense, entangled network of CNT with 50-500 nm pore openings and are superhydrophobic. These CNT membranes are resistant to air oxidation up to ~500 °C and chemical corrosion in concentrated HCl or NaCl solutions. Adhesion and utrasonication tests suggest that the developed CNT membranes are resistant to delamination and demonstrate a high interfacial bonding of the grown CNT with the alloy substrate. Potential application of the developed CNT-Hastelloy membranes for separation is explored by conducting membrane distillation tests using a 10,000 mg/L NaCl solution. The developed membranes show similar salt rejection performance compared with a carbon bucky paper membrane. These robust carbon nanotube membranes are reusable and expected to be less susceptible to fouling because of their superhydrophobic properties. Furthermore, if fouled, they can be regenerated by heating in air or using an acid wash.

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