A method includes: (1) using a chelating agent, extracting divalent ions from a brine solution as complexes of the chelating agent and the divalent ions; (2) using a weak acid, regenerating the chelating agent and producing a divalent ion salt solution; and (3) introducing carbon dioxide to the divalent ion salt solution to induce precipitation of the divalent ions as a carbonate salt. Another method includes: (1) combining water with carbon dioxide to produce a carbon dioxide solution; (2) introducing an ion exchanger to the carbon dioxide solution to induce exchange of alkali metal cations included in the ion exchanger with protons included in the carbon dioxide solution and to produce a bicarbonate salt solution of the alkali metal cations; and (3) introducing a brine solution to the bicarbonate salt solution to induce precipitation of divalent ions from the brine solution as a carbonate salt.

A universal water purification system and method that can desalinate salt water or just filter fresh water. Preferably, the system is portable and relatively lightweight and provides for emergency or recreational safe power and water accessibility. The components of the system can be installed on an aluminum frame and preferably include one or more of a waterproof front control panel, four pre-filters, a reverse osmosis membrane or graphene filter, or electrical process of separating chloride ions from water, ultraviolet (UV) LED lamp, ultrasonic frequency generator, chlorinator or disinfecting gas infusion, a high pressure reverse osmosis (RO) pump, or other desalination process and a low pressure water supplying pump, an electro valve preferably with a manual override in case of power loss and can be activated based on the content of total dissolved solids of incoming water. The system may be removably inserted into a suitcase that can be carried by an individual, or housed in a frame with wheels.

A system and method for converting non-potable water into potable water. Non-potable water, such as sea water or non-potable ground water, and the like, is fed down a conduit into a deep underground enclosure. Due to its extreme depth, the enclosure is geothermally heated above the boiling point of water at the pressure within the enclosure. The water boils and creates water vapor. The water vapor rises and can be drawn up through a vapor conduit to the surface. The water vapor can be condensed (and further purified, if necessary) into potable water. The steam can be used in a hybrid system, and condensed after being used for heating purposes or electrical production. Prior to being sent down into the enclosure, the source of non-potable water can be used in counter current heat exchange to reduce the temperature of the water vapor rising through the vapor conduit.

The purpose of the present invention is to effectively reduce the corrosion fatigue of an evaporating tube in a boiler which occurs in association with a corrosive environment or repeated application of stress due to the presence of scales. A method for reducing the corrosion fatigue of an evaporating tube in a boiler, in which each of the concentration of chloride ions and the concentration of sulfate ions in the boiler water is managed at 10 mg/L or less. It is preferred to manage each of the concentration of chloride ions and the concentration of sulfate ions in boiler water by subjecting boiler feed water to a desalination treatment with an ion exchange device, a reverse osmosis membrane device or an electrodeionization device or by increasing the collection rate of boiler condensed water.

A sea-groundwater source is piped via a multi-barreled pipeline system into an affected area having increased salinity. Some of the water will be used for desalination efforts, and as those are coming online, the water will be used to refill and stabilize the affected area. The system of the present invention also includes a return Brine-Line that conveys brine residuals from desalination and ongoing reclamation efforts responsibly and safely into the sea where it is diluted, blended and aerated in a deep water offshore array that utilizes tidal and persistent regional currents to ultimately convey the outfall into the ocean.

The invention relates to a generator and its operation and use for generating toroidal and spatial vortices in a liquid. It comprises a rotationally symmetrical stator housing with an inlet opening and an eccentric outlet opening. It further comprises a rotor rotatably arranged in the stator housing with radially outwardly extending channels in constant fluid connection to the inlet opening. The rotor comprises a rotor disc, radially outside of the rotor with a side surface with inner notches in fluid connection to the rotor channels. The stator housing comprises a stator disc comprising a side surface with stator notches. When these notches face each other due to rotation of the rotor disc, a periodical liquid flow from the inner notches to the stator notches is formed and toroidal vortices are generated in the portioned liquid by shear stress as the portions of liquid move back and forth in the notches.

Zero liquid discharge systems, processes, and techniques for treating a saltwater without evaporative crystallization. The saltwater is treated by a fluidic circuit comprising a high-pressure reverse osmosis (“HPRO”) unit configured to operate at a hydraulic pressure of at least 1,500 psi, a cooling crystallizer, and a solids-liquid separator. The saltwater is first concentrated by the HPRO unit to produce an HPRO brine, which is subsequently cooled to a designated crystallization temperature by the cooling crystallizer. The cooling crystallizer crystallizes salt crystals from the cooled HPRO brine and produces a salt-diminished brine. The solids-liquid separator separates the salt-diminished brine from the salt crystals. The salt-diminished brine from the solids-liquid separator is returned to the HPRO unit for further treatment, which allows additional salts to be crystallized from the returned salt-diminished brine.

A solvent extraction process for desalination of seawater. The process uses a special class of polar organic solvents to preferentially dissolve salt-free water from salty water, which exhibits a reverse solubility-temperature behavior (i.e., the solubility of water in the solvent is high at room temperature but significantly lower at higher temperatures). The desalination process includes adding these special class of solvents to sea or salty water at room temperature, separating the solvent-water phase (organic phase) from the remaining mass of salt-rich water (aqueous phase), heating the solvent-water phase to a higher temperature and recovering the relatively salt-free water that separates out. The process is simple, fast, ecologically safe and energy efficient.

A method of evaporating a fluid is provided. The method comprises forming a flow with toroidal vortices in the fluid, such that the fluid is exposed to alternating flow velocities and alternating pressures, thereby increasing evaporation of the fluid. A method of precipitating salt out of an aqueous solution is also provided. The method comprises forming a flow with toroidal vortices in the aqueous solution, such that the aqueous solution is exposed to alternating flow velocities and alternating pressures, thereby initiating precipitation of salts from the solution.

The direct solar desalination system with enhanced desalination has a main chamber having a slanted transparent top and vertical sidewalls. Saltwater is fed to the top of a series of plates, with the top plate and every other plate slanting into the chamber, while the intervening plates slant back toward the chamber wall. The lower edge of the plates that are slanted into the chamber have a plurality of copper channels or wires extending between the plate's edge and the opposite chamber wall. Saltwater that does not flow down the channels/wires drips down to the next plate and so forth, and any remaining saltwater is collected at the bottom of the chamber. The channels/wires are coated with a photothermal layer to enhance evaporation. The fresh water condenses on the bottom surface of the slanted top, flows down the surface, and is collected at the bottom of the shortest sidewall.