Análisis experimental de la difusión salina durante la desalación por congelación

Abstract

The consequences on health and low life quality caused by the problem of water scarcity, as well as the interrelation between energy and water supply, call attention to water desalination by Freezing Melting (F/M), which is a well-known technique but unfortunately, not used for this application, which is considered the most sustainable, in terms of its lower energy demand compared with commercial desalination techniques (about 70% less than thermal desalination). However, it presents some problems regarding the saline trapping in the ice, therefore, in this work, an experimental analysis is carried out to achieve a better understanding of the saline displacement, using an aqueous solution of sodium chloride, frozen at different temperatures, and configurations containers, with a F/M progressive desalination. It has been found that, at a freezing temperature of 8oC, it is possible to purify up to an average of 78.12% of the frozen salt solution, obtaining an easy-to-separate brine.