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Abstract: Global desalination quadrupled in the last 15 years and the relative importance of seawater desalination by reverse osmosis (SWRO) increased as well. While the technological aspects of SWRO plants are extensively described, studies on the environmental impact of brine discharge are lacking, in particular in situ marine environmental studies. The Ashqelon SWRO plant (333,000 m3 d−1 freshwater) discharges brine and backwash of the pre-treatment filters (containing ferric hydroxide coagulant) at the seashore, next to the cooling waters of a power plant. At the time of this study brine and cooling waters were discharged continuously and the backwash discharge was pulsed, with a frequency dependent on water quality at the intake. The effects of the discharges on water quality and neritic microbial community were identified, quantified and attributed to the different discharges. The mixed brine-cooling waters discharge increased salinity and temperature at the outfall, were positively buoyant, and dispersed at the surface up to 1340 m south of the outfall. Nutrient concentrations were higher at the outfall while phytoplankton densities were lower. Chlorophyll-a and picophytoplankton cell numbers were negatively correlated with salinity, but more significantly with temperature probably as a result of thermal pollution. The discharge of the pulsed backwash increased turbidity, suspended particulate matter and particulate iron and decreased phytoplankton growth efficiency at the outfall, effects that declined with distance from the outfall. The discharges clearly reduced primary production but we could not attribute the effect to a specific component of the discharge. Bacterial production was also affected but differently in the three surveys. The combined and possible synergistic effects of SWRO desalination along the Israeli shoreline should be taken into account when the three existing plants and additional ones are expected to produce 2 Mm3 d−1 freshwater by 2020. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Japan''s diversified materials manufacturer Nitto Denko Corp and its US-based water treatment technology subsidiary Hydranautics have been contracted to supply their 16-inch (40-cm) SWC-1640 and ESPAB-1640 elements for use in one of the world''s largest sea-water desalination plants, which is to be constructed near the coastal city of Ashkelon, Sorek, Israel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Israel, Environmental Protection Technologies (EPT) is using technology from Desalitech Ltd, a supplier of water production and wastewater treatment systems, to increase the production rate of its reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment operations by 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the construction of a desalination facility designed to process 330,000 m³ of seawater per day in Ashkelon, Israel. The facility has more than 40,000 reverse osmosis membrane elements. The cost for water produced at Ashkelon is only $0.52/m³ because of the enhancements achieved by making the membrane and component materials more efficient. The costs of energy can be also be reduced by lowering the net driving pressure of the membrane and by increasing the membrane's active area. The plant has strict targets for low boron levels as required for both human consumption and for some agricultural crops.