Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.14249/eia.2018.27.1.17

Environmental Impacts of Brine from the Seawater Desalination Plants  

Park, Seonyoung (Korea Environment Institute)
Seo, Jinsung (Korea Environment Institute)
Kim, Taeyun (Korea Environment Institute)
Publication Information
Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment / v.27, no.1, 2018 , pp. 17-32 More about this Journal
Abstract
The need for seawater desalination is increasing in terms of securing various water resources, but few studies are available as for the environmental impact of hypersaline concentrated water (brine) discharged from desalination plants. Domestic studies are concentrated mainly on toxicity evaluation that phytoplankton, zooplankton larvae and green algae (Ulva pertusa) are negatively affected by concentrated water. The mortality of Paralichthys olivaceus showed a linear relationship with increasing salinity, and Oryzias latipes died 100% at concentrations above 60 psu. Foreign studies included monitoring cases as well as toxicity evaluations. The number of species decreased around the area where the concentrated water discharged. The hypersaline concentrated water affects the pelagic and benthic organisms. However, the fishes escaped when exposed to salinity, and the pelagic and benthic organisms resistant to salinity survived the hypersaline environment. The salinity limit and distance from the outlet was presented as the regulatory standard for bine discharge. There were differences in regulatory standards among country and seawater desalination plants, and these regulatory standards have been strengthened recently. In particular, California Water Boards were revised to ensure that the maximum daily salinity concentration does not exceed 2 psu above the ambient salinity level within 100 m of the outlet.
Keywords
Seawater Desalination; Brine; Hypersalinity; Marine Environmental Impact;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 3  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 ANZECC/ARMCANZ. 2000. Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality. Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, www.mincos.gov.au(last accessed on 12.09.2009).
2 Basson PW, Burchard JE Jr, Hardy JT, Price ARG. 1977. Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf; marine life and environments of Saudi Arabia.
3 Bilyard GR. 1987. The value of benthic infauna in marine pollution monitoring studies. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 18(11): 581-585.   DOI
4 Bleninger T, Jirka GH, Lattemann S. 2010. Environmental planning, prediction and management of brine discharges from desalination plants. Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC): Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
5 California Regional Water Quality Control Board. 2006. Waste discharge requirements for the Poseidon Resources Corporation, Carlsbad desalination plant project, discharge to the Pacific Ocean via the Encina power station discharge channel. NPDES No. CA0109223.
6 California Water Boards. 2015. California Oean Plan 2015. State Water Resources Contral Board in California EPA. http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ocean/desalination/(last accessed on 09.15. 2017).
7 Cambridge ML, Zavala-Perez A, Cawthray GR, Mondon J, Kendrick GA. 2016. Effects of high salinity from desalination brine on growth, photosynthesis, water relations and osmolyte concentrations of seagrass Posidonia australis. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 115(1): 252-260.   DOI
8 Chesher RH. 1971. Biological impact of a largescale desalination plant at Key West, Florida. Elsevier oceanography series.
9 City of Carlsbad and Poseidon Resources. 2005. Environmental impact report for the Carlsbad seawater desalination facility.
10 Cooley H, Ajami N, Heberger M. 2013. Key issues in seawater desalination in California: marine impacts. Pacific Institute Oakland, CA, 32.
11 Cooley H, Gleick P, Wolff G. 2006. Desalination with a grain of salt: a california perspective. Pacific Institute Oakland, CA.
12 Dawoud MA, Al Mulla MM. 2012. Environmental impacts of seawater desalination: Arabian Gulf case study. International Journal of Environment and Sustainability. 1(3): 22-37.
13 Fernandez-Torquemada Y, Sanchez-Lizaso JL. 2006. Effects of salinity on growth and survival of Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson and Zostera noltii Hornemann. Biologia Marina Mediterranea. 13(4): 46-47
14 Delft Hydraulics. 2007. Eco-marine reconnaissance survey Al Qair (Saudi Arabia). Report Z3974.
15 Dupavillon JL, Gillanders BM. 2009. Impacts of seawater desalination on the giant Australian cuttlefish Sepia apama in the upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia. Marine Environmental Research. 67(4): 207-218.   DOI
16 Fernandez-Torquemada Y, Sanchez-Lizaso JL, Gonzalez-Correa JM. 2005. Preliminary results of the monitoring of the brine discharge produced by the SWRO desalination plant of Alicante (SE Spain). Desalination. 182(1-3): 395-402.   DOI
17 Gacia E, Invers O, Manzanera M, Ballesteros E, Romero J. 2007. Impact of the brine from a desalination plant on a shallow seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadow. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 72(4): 579-590.   DOI
18 GCD Alliance. 2006. Material change of use application, Gold Coast desalination project. www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au (last accessed on 12.09.2009).
19 Hoepner T, Lattemann S. 2002. Chemical impacts from seawater desalination plants? a case study of the northern Red Sea. Desalination. 152(1-3): 133-140.   DOI
20 Hoepner T. 1999. A procedure for environmental impact assessments (EIA) for seawater desalination plants. Desalination. 124(1-3): 1-12.   DOI
21 Hopner T, Windelberg J. 1997. Elements of environmental impact studies on coastal desalination plants. Desalination. 108(1): 11-18.   DOI
22 Einav R, Lokiec F. 2003. Environmental aspects of a desalination plant in Ashkelon. Desalination. 156(1-3): 79-85.   DOI
23 Koch MS, Schopmeyer SA, Kyhn-Hansen C, Madden CJ, Peters JS. 2007. Tropical seagrass species tolerance to hypersalinity stress. Aquatic Botany. 86(1): 14-24.   DOI
24 Iso S, Suizu S, Maejima A. 1994. The lethal effect of hypertonic solutions and avoidance of marine organisms in relation to discharged brine from a destination plant. Desalination. 97(1-3): 389-399.   DOI
25 Jenkins S, Paduan J, Roberts P, Schlenk D, Weis J. 2012. Management of brine discharges to coastal waters recommendations of a science advisory panel. Southern California coastal water research project. Costa Mesa, CA.
26 Kim SH. 2016. Transforming brines from seawater desalination plants to resources. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering. 64(2): 25-29. [Korean Literature]
27 Kwon SH, Lee JH, Yu OH. 2017. Environmental effects on the benthic polychaete communities around the power plant areas in the East Sea of Korea. The Sea. 22(1): 18-30. [Korean Literature]   DOI
28 Latorre M. 2005. Environmental impact of brine disposal on Posidonia seagrasses. Desalination. 182(1-3): 517-524.   DOI
29 Lattemann S, Hopner T. 2008. Environmental impact and impact assessment of seawater desalination. Desalination. 220(1-3): 1-15.   DOI
30 Lattemann S, Kennedy MD, Schippers JC, Amy G. 2010. Global desalination situation. Sustainability Science and Engineering. 2: 7-39.
31 Lee SH. 2016. Seawater desalination technology for diversification of water source. Magazine of Korea Water Resources Association, 49(1): 29-38. [Korean Literature]   DOI
32 Kastner C. 2009. Meerwasserentsalzungsanlagen. Ableitung umweltrelevanter Standards. Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Diplom-Geookologin
33 MOLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport). 2016. The long-term comprehensive plan for water resources(2001-2020) 3rd revision plan. p.131. [Korean Literature]
34 Maeng JH, Kim TY, Seo DH, Seo J, Son MH, Kang TS. 2013. A Study on measures to predict and mitigate marine environmental impacts of cooling water discharges from power plants. Korea Environmental Institute. [Korean Literature]
35 Mandelli EF. 1975. The effects of desalination brines on Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Water Research. 9(3): 287-295.   DOI
36 Masini RJ, Anderson PK, McComb AJ. 2001. A Halodule-dominated community in a subtropical embayment: physical environment, productivity, biomass, and impact of dugong grazing. Aquatic Botany. 71(3): 179-197.   DOI
37 Naser H A. 2013. Effects of multi-stage flash and reverse osmosis desalinations on benthic assemblages in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf. Journal of Environmental Protection. 4(2): 180-187.   DOI
38 Naser H A. 2014. Marine ecosystem diversity in the Arabian Gulf: Threats and conservation. In Biodiversity-The dynamic balance of the planet. InTech.
39 NRC (National Research Council). 2008. Desalination: a national perspective. National Academies Press.
40 Okinawa Bureau for Enterprises. 1997. Environmental impact assessment report for the seawater desalination project in Okinawa, Japan, executive summary.
41 Palomar P, Losada IJ. 2011. Impacts of brine discharge on the marine environment: modelling as a predictive tool. In Desalination, trends and technologies. InTech.
42 Raventós N, Macpherson E, Garcia-Rubies A. 2006. Effect of brine discharge from a desalination plant on macrobenthic communities in the NW Mediterranean. Marine Environmental Research. 62(1): 1-14.   DOI
43 Pillard DA, Dufresne DL, Tietge JE, Evans JM. 1999. Response of mysid shrimp (Mysidopsis bahia), sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), and inland silverside minnow (Menidia beryllina) to changes in artificial seawater salinity. Environmental toxicology and chemistry. 18(3): 430-435.   DOI
44 Miri R, Chouikhi A. 2005. Ecotoxicological marine impacts from seawater desalination plants. Desalination. 182(1-3): 403-410.   DOI
45 POSCO. 2012. Environmental review report for seawater desalination plant projects in Gwangyang Works. [Korean Literature]
46 Riera R, Tuya F, Sacramento A, Ramos E, Rodriguez M, Monterroso O. 2011. The effects of brine disposal on a subtidal meiofauna community. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 93(4): 359-365.   DOI
47 Ruso YDP, De la Ossa Carretero JA, Gimenez- Casalduero F, Sanchez-Lizaso JL. 2007. Spatial and temporal changes in infaunal communities inhabiting soft-bottoms affected by brine discharge. Marine Environmental Research. 64(4): 492-503.   DOI
48 Ruso YDP, De la Ossa Carretero JA, Gimenez- Casalduero F, Sanchez-Lizaso JL. 2008. Effects of a brine discharge over soft bottom polychaeta assemblage. Environmental Pollution. 156(2): 240-250.   DOI
49 Sanchez-Lizaso JL, Romero J, Ruiz J, Gacia E, Buceta JL, Invers O, Fernandez-Torquemada Y, Mas J, Ruiz-Mateo A, Manzanera M. 2008. Salinity tolerance of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica: recommendations to minimize the impact of brine discharges from desalination plants. Desalination. 221(1-3): 602-607.   DOI
50 Shalom-Gordon N, Dubinsky Z. 1993. Diurnal pattern of salt secretion in leaves of the black mangrove, Avicennia marina, on the Sinai coast of the Red Sea. Pacific Science. 47(1): 51-58.
51 Sultanate of Oman. 2005. Ministerial Decision No: 159/2005, Promulgating the bylaws to discharge liquid waste in the marine environment. Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources.
52 Talavera JP, Ruiz JQ. 2001. Identification of the mixing processes in brine discharges carried out in Barranco del Toro Beach, south of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). Desalination. 139(1): 277-286.   DOI
53 Walker DI, McComb AJ. 1990. Salinity response of the seagrass Amphibolis antarctica (Labill.) Sonder et Aschers.: an experimental validation of field results. Aquatic Botany. 36(4): 359-366.   DOI
54 Watereuse Association. 2011. Seawater concentrate manatement. p.38.
55 WEC (Welker Environmental Consultancy). 2002. Perth metropolitan desalination proposal environmental protection statement. Prepared by Welker Environmental Consultancy for the Water Cooperation.
56 Wetterau G. 2011. Desalination of Seawater: M61 (Vol. 61). American Water Works Association.
57 Yoon SJ, Park GS. 2011. Toxicity and behavioral changes of Medaka (Oryzias latipes) by brine exposure. The Sea. 16(1): 39-51. [Korean Literature]   DOI
58 Busan. 2010. Statement on the sea area utilization for 10MIGD seawater desalination plant project. [Korean Literature]