A comprehensive overview of environmental footprints of water desalination and alleviation strategies

Potential Environmental Impacts of Coastal Desalination Intake Structures: Urgent Data Gaps and Policy Needs

“…Generally speaking, entrainment in desalination intakes is expected to pose a much larger direct risk to population size than impingement or entrapment, due to the potentially high density of planktonic organisms that utilize shallow coastal waters as habitat. ,,, Planktonic biota, such as periphyton, phytoplankton, and zooplankton (e.g., passively floating larval fish, shrimp, crabs, bivalves, copepods, jellyfish), are typically too small to be excluded by intake screens and are unlikely to have the swimming capacity needed to successfully avoid the zone of hydraulic influence associated with the intake, even when flow velocities are low. ,,, Collectively, these factors are expected to increase the degree of ecological risk associated with desalination intakes sited in coastal systems characterized by restricted water exchange/long water residence times (e.g., protected bays and estuaries), relative to those sited in open-ocean coastlines . However, additional site-specific factors (e.g., general water circulation patterns, currents, nutrient recycling) also act as important determinants of risk. ,, Despite the scientific consensus warning against the operation of desalination facilities in semienclosed/enclosed bay systems or other similar environments with restricted water exchange, there are a small number of existing/operational facilities located in such areas, with a growing number of developers seeking permits to operate within semienclosed bay systems, particularly off the coast of Texas (USA). − …”

“…Though mechanical clearing of intake screens (e.g., via high pressure bursts of air in reverse of the intake flow) avoids potential ecotoxicological risks associated with the release of antifouling chemicals, it may adversely impact ecosystem health through other mechanisms. For example, the release of large pulses of colored organic matter (C-OM) from intakes can reduce the photosynthetic capacity of primary producers by compromising water clarity and decreasing penetration of sunlight into the water column. ,,,, Intake sites with long water residence times may experience a browning effect if high levels of C-OM are routinely cleared from intakes, potentially reducing the availability of sunlight for photosynthesizers. , Such effects on energy production can be important at highly biologically productive sites, due to impacts on the baseline level of energy available to support the entire food web …”

“…Importantly, phytoplankton grazing communities (e.g., copepods) are crucial food items for the early life stages for the many economically important fisheries species that use estuaries as nursery grounds. ,,,− Moreover, the potential adverse impacts associated with the entrainment of primary producers are not limited to the direct removal of these organisms from the water column. Rather, intake structures may also impact the productivity of waters hydrologically connected to the zone of influence via indirect mechanisms arising from degradation of water quality, changes in light penetration, and/or altered flow dynamics. , …”

Roof tile-inspired 3D arch evaporators based on Ti3C2Tx/MoSe2 photothermal nanocomposites for efficient solar desalination

“…Due to rapid population growth and continuous expansion of industrial and agricultural activities, water shortage has become a challenging global issue. [1][2][3] Seawater accounts for about 97% of global water resources while fresh water for human consumption accounts for only 2.5%. [4][5][6] Therefore, there is an urgent need for technologies that can extract clean water from seawater and wastewater.…”

Electrochemical Synthesis of Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for the Photo‐Fenton oxidation of Rhodamine B

“…The irradiation of Fe 2+ +H 2 O 2 , also called photo‐Fenton reaction, enhances the reaction rate of oxidation organic contaminants through the generation of ⋅OH which direct attack the organics [26] . The additional use of light in the Fenton process enhances the energy of chemical processes by promoting additional photochemical reactions, such as photo‐reduction of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ and photolytic decomposition of H 2 O 2 to ⋅OH [27] . Homogeneous Fenton has some disadvantages, such as high efficiency only in acidic conditions and the precipitation of Fe 2+ as sludge [28] .…”