Filtration technology to avoid the impact of algal bloom on desalination plants [BLOOM PROJECT]

In this video we answer some important question as:

✅ What is a harmful algal bloom (HAB)? Microalgae are uni-cellar organisms that under certain conditions are able to grow out of control and to invade their environment producing harmful effects. This is what we know as a harmful algal bloom. While we know many factors that contribute to HABs, how these factors come together to create an algal bloom is not well understood. Then, nowadays HABs are unpredictable.

✅How do HABs impact on desalination plants? The main negative impact of HABs on desalination plants is economic. This is due to the high charge of suspended solids that arrives to the system with the influent water as well as to the nature of this material since it is composed by deformable and sticky particles.

✅HABs have high negative economic impact on desalination plants On a desalination plant HABs will have a negative impact both during the pretreatment stage and the reverse osmosis stage.

✅Biofouling increase on RO membrane Regarding to reverse osmosis stage the problem is that, during an algal bloom, biological fouling is accelerate on the membranes. This generates a progressive increase of the energy consumption as well as a higher requirement of chemical cleanings. All of these are translated into costs, note that we are talking about specialized staff, chemicals, equipment replacement, energy costs. Bloom Project aims to develop a new specific filtration technology to avoid negative impacts of HABs on desalination plants AZUD and D&B Tech together with the University of Sevilla are working on the develop of a specific and robust filtration system with a high self-recovery efficiency to protect desalination plants against HABs.

Bloom Project (RTC-2017-6080-5) co-funded by FEDER and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) at RETOS Colaboración Project developed to promote Technological Development, Innovation and Research of high quality.

SOURCE AZUD

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Taxonomy

• Algae
• Sustainable Desalination
• Desalination