Title of Process/ Know-how/ Product/Design/Equipment
A high recovery ED-RO hybrid process for water purification/desalination with high water recovery
Application/Uses/Problem being addressed
Hybrid electrodialysis-reverse osmosis domestic desalination unit for high recovery of product water
Salient Technical Features including Competing Features/ Impact
Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane-based domestic water desalination/purification units have gained wide acceptance even in India. Unfortunately, the recovery of product water from these units varies between 30 and 60% depending on total dissolved solid (TDS) of the feed water. Such low recovery of product water during desalination is a serious problem, in view of water scarcity. Further, the problem of tap water salinity is increasing owing to groundwater depletion. Alternatively, electrodialysis (ED)-RO hybrid process offers high recovery of product water from brackish water without compromising on water quality. In hybrid process, ED unit operates in high TDS region (low system resistance and thus high efficiency), and RO system operates in low TDS region, to reduce salinity load on membrane.
TRL Level & Scale of Development:
-
Business scope & opportunity (in terms of scale, cost, market etc.):
The technology scalable with productivity of desalinated water from 10 LPH to 500 LPH, and suitable for domestic as well as societal uses. Cost of such units will vary with productivity and feed water quality.
Environmental Considerations:
Eco-friendly
Status of Licensing:
Ready for licensingStatus of Commercialization:
Not applicableMajor Raw Materials Needed
Surface/ground water
Major Plant Equipment and Machinery Required
RO and electrodialysis units.
Techno-Economics
Depends on the scale of manufacturing; Will be available on request
Technology Package
Process configuration of ED and RO systems for desalination with higher water recovery efficiency (>60% cumulative) Design of ED-RO hybrid domestic desalination unit
