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Aquifer Treatment of Sea Water to Remove Natural Organic Matter Before Desalination
Author(s) -
Dehwah Abdullah H. A.,
AlMashharawi Samir,
Ng Kim Choon,
Missimer Thomas M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/gwat.12476
Subject(s) - aquifer , organic matter , carbonate , reverse osmosis , desalination , seawater , water treatment , geology , environmental science , environmental engineering , chemistry , groundwater , membrane , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , biochemistry , organic chemistry
An investigation of a sea water reverse osmosis desalination facility located in western Saudi Arabia has shown that aquifer treatment of the raw sea water provides a high degree of removal of natural organic matter (NOM) that causes membrane biofouling. The aquifer is a carbonate system that has a good hydraulic connection to the sea and 14 wells are used to induce sea water movement 400 to 450 m from the sea to the wells. During aquifer transport virtually all of the algae, over 90% of the bacteria, over 90% of the biopolymer fraction of NOM , and high percentages of the humic substance, building blocks, and some of the low molecular weight fractions of NOM are removed. Between 44 and over 90% of the transparent exopolymer particles ( TEP ) are removed with a corresponding significant reduction in concentration of the colloidal fraction of TEP . The removal rate for TEP appears to be greater in carbonate aquifers compared to siliciclastic systems. Although the production wells range in age from 4 months to 14 years, no significant difference in the degree of water treatment provided by the aquifer was found.