Antiscalants used in the desalination industry impact the physiology of the coral Montipora capricornis

Marques, Joseane Aparecida; Gafni, Almog; Adler, Osher; Levy, Oren; Bar‐Zeev, Edo

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2022.119411

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…To date, little attention has been paid to the specific impacts of brine discharge on benthic organisms, ,,,,, and only a handful of papers have reported impacts on porewater chemistry. ,, Nearly all (∼93%) of these studies addressed the effects of salinity or brine effluent, while only a very few focused on the chemical additives used in the desalination process. ,, By compiling the latest literature, we provide a detailed overview of benthic organisms that were reported to be impacted by SWRO brine (Table ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, Fungia granulosa were found to be resilient to rapid and prolonged changes in salinity units (25 to 50), and their algal symbionts also exhibited wide plasticity with regard to salinity changes (pipeline discharge) . An ex-situ experiment involving polyphosphonate and polymer-based antiscalants showed negative impacts on Montipora capricornis , including decreased polyp activity (25%), increased tissue damage (41% for polymer-based and 30% for polyphosphonate), increased bacterial abundance (∼40%), and decreased photosynthetic efficiency (∼3–6%) . Specifically, the polyphosphonate antiscalant caused a 39% decrease in the endosymbiotic algae, increased chlorophyll a concentrations, and upregulated the host’s antioxidant capacity by 45% .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An ex-situ experiment involving polyphosphonate and polymer-based antiscalants showed negative impacts on Montipora capricornis , including decreased polyp activity (25%), increased tissue damage (41% for polymer-based and 30% for polyphosphonate), increased bacterial abundance (∼40%), and decreased photosynthetic efficiency (∼3–6%) . Specifically, the polyphosphonate antiscalant caused a 39% decrease in the endosymbiotic algae, increased chlorophyll a concentrations, and upregulated the host’s antioxidant capacity by 45% . The polymer antiscalant also decreased the productivity of symbiotic bacteria .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, the polyphosphonate antiscalant caused a 39% decrease in the endosymbiotic algae, increased chlorophyll a concentrations, and upregulated the host’s antioxidant capacity by 45% . The polymer antiscalant also decreased the productivity of symbiotic bacteria . Similarly, the combination of polyphosphonate antiscalants and brine significantly impaired the physiology of three coral species and their associated symbionts with decreased calcification rates (20–90%, species dependent), reduced associated algal and bacterial abundance, increased bacterial productivity, and decreased protein concentrations in two of the three coral species …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Sirota,

Winters,

Levy

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination facilities produce freshwater and, at the same time, discharge hypersaline brine that often includes various chemical additives such as antiscalants and coagulants. This dense brine can sink to the sea bottom and creep over the seabed, reaching up to 5 km from the discharge point. Previous reviews have discussed the effects of SWRO desalination brine on various marine ecosystems, yet little attention has been paid to the impacts on benthic habitats. This review comprehensibly discusses the effects of SWRO brine discharge on marine benthic fauna and flora. We review previous studies that indicated a suite of impacts by SWRO brine on benthic organisms, including bacteria, seagrasses, polychaetes, and corals. The effects within the discharge mixing zones range from impaired activities and morphological deformations to changes in the community composition. Recent modeling work demonstrated that brine could spread over the seabed, beyond the mixing zone, for up to several tens of kilometers and impair nutrient fluxes from the sediment to the water column. We also provide a possible perspective on brine's impact on the biogeochemical process within the mixing zone subsurface. Desalination brine can infiltrate into the sandy bottom around the discharge area due to gravity currents. Accumulation of brine and associated chemical additives, such as polyphosphonate-based antiscalants and ferric-based coagulants in the porewater, may change the redox zones and, hence, impact biogeochemical processes in sediments. With the demand for drinking water escalating worldwide, the volumes of brine discharge are predicted to triple during the current century. Future efforts should focus on the development and operation of viable technologies to minimize the volumes of brine discharged into marine environments, along with a change to environmentally friendly additives. However, the application of these technologies should be partly subsidized by governmental stakeholders to safeguard coastal ecosystems around desalination facilities.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Sirota,

Winters,

Levy

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Moreover, phosphonate compounds also exhibit toxicity to aquatic organisms. Marques et al discovered that polyphosphonate-based antiscalants could cause tissue damage, reduce polyp activity, and increase bacterial abundance and oxidation stress to corals . Therefore, properly treating phosphonate-laden wastewater before discharge is in high demand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient Treatment of Phosphonate-Laden Wastewater by CaO₂/UV: Partial Oxidation, Complexation, and Coprecipitation

Zhang,

Song,

Zhan

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Unlike the case for inorganic phosphate (Pi), removing organic phosphorus (Po) is more challenging. Conventional methods for removing Po involve a two-step route, where Po is first converted to Pi by an advanced oxidation process, followed by subsequent chemical precipitation/coagulation. Here, we propose a one-step CaO2/UV method for simultaneous conversion and coprecipitation of phosphonates, a representative type of organic phosphorus compound. We discovered that the total P removal (82.0%) is much higher than the conversion efficiency of Po to Pi (26.7%) under a dose of 1.5 mM CaO2 and 4 h UV irradiation for nitrilotris-methylene phosphonic acid (NTMP) treatment, providing new directions for treating Po compounds without completely breaking down the molecular structure. We further found that a CaO2/Po molar ratio of 1.5 is ideal for inducing the partial breakdown of the NTMP structure, Ca-phosphate formation, and coprecipitation of NTMP and its degradation intermediates. Beyond that, we noted that the presence of Ca2+ enhances the reactivity of NTMP with hydroxyl radicals, as supported by the improved conversion efficiency of Po to Pi, i.e., 37.4% vs 9.1% under pH i 11. We also demonstrated the preliminary feasibility of the CaO2/UV system in treating the reverse osmosis concentrate. Our study offers a robust one-step approach and sheds new insights on the synergistic role of partial oxidation, complexation, and coprecipitation in dealing with phosphonate-laden wastewater.

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Significant dark inorganic carbon fixation in the euphotic zone of an oligotrophic sea

Reich,

Belkin,

Sisma‐Ventura

et al. 2024

Limnology & Oceanography

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Estimates of primary productivity have traditionally disregarded dark inorganic carbon fixation by marine microorganisms. Currently, only limited data are available from different systems on this potentially ecologically important process. We present monthly dark inorganic carbon fixation and photosynthetic rates from the euphotic layer of the northern Gulf of Aqaba collected over a decade between 2010 and 2020. Averaged dark inorganic carbon fixation rates from surface to 100 m depth, ranged from 99 to 173 mg C m−2 d−1, which corresponds to ~ 43% of the annual primary productivity at this location. The lowest dark inorganic carbon fixation rates were found during winter, contributing ~ 7.5% of the integrated primary productivity. During the oligotrophic summer, dark inorganic carbon fixation comprised a larger fraction of the integrated primary productivity estimated as ~ 12%. In accordance, dark inorganic carbon fixation contributed ~ 6% to the particulate organic carbon flux during the winter and ~ 30% during summertime. Complimentary nutrient‐enrichment bioassays of seawater from 5 m show that dissolved organic nutrient enrichment (P and C based) significantly elevates dark inorganic carbon fixation, whereas addition of dissolved inorganic nutrients (, , or both) significantly increased photosynthesis but to a lesser extent dark inorganic carbon fixation. These results suggest that dark inorganic carbon fixation may be an important biochemical process throughout the euphotic zone of oligotrophic seas, and thus should be incorporated into oceanic carbon production estimates.

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Antiscalants used in the desalination industry impact the physiology of the coral Montipora capricornis

Cited by 13 publications

References 60 publications

Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Efficient Treatment of Phosphonate-Laden Wastewater by CaO₂/UV: Partial Oxidation, Complexation, and Coprecipitation

Significant dark inorganic carbon fixation in the euphotic zone of an oligotrophic sea

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Antiscalants used in the desalination industry impact the physiology of the coral Montipora capricornis

Cited by 13 publications

References 60 publications

Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems

Efficient Treatment of Phosphonate-Laden Wastewater by CaO2/UV: Partial Oxidation, Complexation, and Coprecipitation

Significant dark inorganic carbon fixation in the euphotic zone of an oligotrophic sea

Contact Info

Product

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Efficient Treatment of Phosphonate-Laden Wastewater by CaO₂/UV: Partial Oxidation, Complexation, and Coprecipitation