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It’s toxic only because of concentration. AKAIK, there aren’t any compounds in the brine that weren’t present in the seawater to begin with. The solution is dil

It’s toxic only because of concentration. AKAIK, there aren’t any compounds in the brine that weren’t present in the seawater to begin with. The solution is dilution, but I’m sure it’s easier for me to type that than it is to achieve in a desalination plant. But, why not really-long-pipe-with-small-holes-along-the-length? That seems to me like a simple mechanism to send the brine back into the ocean without causing a local disaster on the sea floor. Is there maintenance required that makes it more expensive than I realize?

Timshel 3y ago
I believe I had read just dilute it until concentration is ok then release. But might be more tricky than that ^^ : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969719334655 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...
- dylan604 3y ago
  dilute it with what? the clean water you just removed the salt from?
  - function_seven 3y ago
    No, the salt water you're about to discharge it into. Have a pump that draws in 10L of ocean water for every 1L of brine you need to dispose of, mix 'em up, and discharge the 11L of only-slightly-saltier water back into the sea. Not sure when it makes more sense to do that vs. having a leach-field type of brine discharge. They both ultimately do the same thing, but one requires more mechanicals, the other requires more piping and "passive" infrastructure.
  - VintageCool 3y ago
    Or a large amount of regular saltwater.
  - toast0 3y ago
    Sewage treatment outflows maybe? Wouldn't be enough in a community where all the freshwater is coming from desalination, because not all of the freshwater goes into the sewage system, but it might be workable in communities where desalination is augmenting other sources of freshwater.
kibwen 3y ago
> But, why not really-long-pipe-with-small-holes-along-the-length? The OP mentions that this is common in practice, although it's easier to tell in the video that this is what is being described.

Timshel 3y ago

I believe I had read just dilute it until concentration is ok then release. But might be more tricky than that ^^ : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969719334655 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...

dylan604 3y ago
dilute it with what? the clean water you just removed the salt from?
- function_seven 3y ago
  No, the salt water you're about to discharge it into. Have a pump that draws in 10L of ocean water for every 1L of brine you need to dispose of, mix 'em up, and discharge the 11L of only-slightly-saltier water back into the sea. Not sure when it makes more sense to do that vs. having a leach-field type of brine discharge. They both ultimately do the same thing, but one requires more mechanicals, the other requires more piping and "passive" infrastructure.
- VintageCool 3y ago
  Or a large amount of regular saltwater.
- toast0 3y ago
  Sewage treatment outflows maybe? Wouldn't be enough in a community where all the freshwater is coming from desalination, because not all of the freshwater goes into the sewage system, but it might be workable in communities where desalination is augmenting other sources of freshwater.

kibwen 3y ago

> But, why not really-long-pipe-with-small-holes-along-the-length? The OP mentions that this is common in practice, although it's easier to tell in the video that this is what is being described.