Scribd
Upload
327 views3 pages

Brine Evaporation Ponds

The document discusses brine evaporation ponds, which are shallow lined basins that allow brine to evaporate naturally, leaving salts behind. There are two main types - conventional ponds for brine disposal and solar ponds for generating electricity. Evaporation ponds work best in warm, dry climates with high evaporation and low rainfall and humidity. They must be properly lined and monitored to prevent groundwater contamination. The feasibility and costs depend mainly on the local climate, brine volume, land costs, and liner costs, with construction expense rising with higher evaporation rates and concentrate flows.

Uploaded by

Mohamed Tally
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
327 views3 pages

Brine Evaporation Ponds

The document discusses brine evaporation ponds, which are shallow lined basins that allow brine to evaporate naturally, leaving salts behind. There are two main types - conventional ponds for brine disposal and solar ponds for generating electricity. Evaporation ponds work best in warm, dry climates with high evaporation and low rainfall and humidity. They must be properly lined and monitored to prevent groundwater contamination. The feasibility and costs depend mainly on the local climate, brine volume, land costs, and liner costs, with construction expense rising with higher evaporation rates and concentrate flows.

Uploaded by

Mohamed Tally
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Brine Evaporation

Ponds

Brine is allowed to evaporate in ponds while the remaining salts Advantages (+) Disadvantages (-)
accumulate in the base of the pond

Easy implementation High footprint and


1. Potential Environmental Impacts
and operation costs
2. Criteria and Methods for Feasibility Assessment
Inland and coastal use Limited to small plants
3. Evaporation Pond Costs

Evaporation ponds are shallow, lined earthen basins in which concentrate evaporates naturally
as a result of solar irradiation. As fresh water evaporates from the ponds, the minerals in the
concentrate are precipitated in salt crystals, which are harvested periodically and disposed off-
site. Evaporation ponds could be classified as,

1) conventional

2) solar salinity gradient

Conventional evaporation ponds are designed solely for brine disposal, while solar ponds
generate electricity from solar energy.

1. Potential Environmental Impacts

Usually quality regulations demand for the evaporation ponds to be constructed with
impervious lining for the protection of underlying aquifers. If the brine contains high
concentrations of toxic contaminants (e.g. high levels of trace metals), then a double-lined
pond may need to be constructed.
If the ponds are not lined or the point liner is damaged, a portion of the brine may percolate to
the water aquifer beneath the
pond and deteriorate its water
quality. So an underground
leak-detection systems that are
installed beneath the liner or
use a minimum 3 groundwater
monitoring well system, one
installed up-gradient to the
groundwater flow, one down-
gradient, and one in the middle
of the pond system with
monthly readings.

2. Criteria and Methods for Feasibility Assessment

Evaporation ponds are climate dependent with higher local temperature and solar irradiation
providing us with higher evaporation rates and making this brine disposal option more viable. In
general solar evaporation is a feasible only in relatively warm, dry climates with,

1) high evaporation rates


2) low precipitation rates
3) low humidity

We also need a flat terrain and low land cost. This brine disposal method isn’t applicable for
regions with an annual evaporation rate < 1.0 m/y and annual rainfall rate >0.3 m/y (high
rainfall rate reduces evaporation rates).

The higher the humidity, the lower the evaporation rate. When the average annual is >60%,
evaporation ponds aren’t a viable brine disposal option.

Evaporation rate decreases as solids and salinity levels in the ponds increase so minimization of
brine volume is beneficial.

3. Evaporation Pond Costs

The main factors affecting the cost of evaporation ponds are,

1) the evaporation rate (local climate)


2) brine volume and salt concentration
3) land and earthwork costs
4) liner costs
Figure 1 gives a rough approach for the construction cost of an evaporation pond system as a
function of the evaporation rate and the concentrate flow.

Figure 1, Construction cost for an evaporation brine disposal pond system

Lenntech
info@lenntech.com Tel. +31-152-610-900
www.lenntech.com Fax. +31-152-616-289

You might also like