Solar-Driven Integrated Ro/Nf For Water Desalination

This article presents an experimental study where two different modules are integrated, i.e. a reverse osmosis (RO) module, and a nanofiltration (NF) module, for brackish water desalination unit. Photovoltaic (PV) panels power the setup. The performance for each of the modules was evaluated separately. Then both modules were integrated together, either in series or in parallel. The performance of the integrated setup is investigated using various feed solutions. Separately, the RO module exhibits higher retention (RT) for divalent ions, than that for the mono valence ions. The retention of the RO was higher than that for the NF. The NF module exhibits higher flux and lower specific energy consumption (SEC) than that of the RO module. Results of the integrated arrangement showed that, for a given feed solution, the series arrangement, would offer an opportunity to operate the desalination unit at higher recovery ratio (RR), and low SEC. The parallel arrangement, presents a reasonable solution for desalinating saline brackish water, with a lower risk of scale formation on the RO membrane.