Water quality depends on remineralization’s method in the desalination plant

Abstract

Desalination of seawater is an alternative solution in arid zones to provide potable water. In south Morocco, the National Office of Electricity and Water (ONEE) has built many desalination factories. However, the osmosis water (permeate) is unbalanced and has a corrosive character. Therefore, a post-treatment of remineralization is necessary to return to water its calcio-carbonic equilibrium and to protect the distribution pipelines from corrosion degradation. Following the performance on limestone bed remineralization in Daoura plant in comparison with other methods, this article evaluates this technique, by checking the effect of parameters on water quality on the laboratory scale using a calcite bed pilot. We tested E.B.C.T (Empty Bed Contact Time), the upward speed, the bed length, the effect of water debit and the residence time on the treated water quality. Monitoring these parameters on the laboratory scale is indeed essential for optimal remineralization process. With the results of this study as well as economic consideration, it is possible to optimize the choice of the conditions needed for remineralization operation through limestone bed to minimize its costs with sizing and extrapolating to the industrial scale.