{"id":7125,"date":"2020-01-16T12:45:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T07:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=7125"},"modified":"2020-01-24T12:50:32","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T07:50:32","slug":"hot-rocks-cleanse-salty-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=7125","title":{"rendered":"Hot rocks cleanse salty water"},"content":{"rendered":"

An underground source of hot-rock energy may have the potential to produce low-cost fresh water, according to the University of Queensland’s Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Centre’s research has found that Queensland has ample geothermal energy resources to power thermal desalination plants and provide clean water for small towns suffering from water shortages.<\/p>\n

Centre Director Professor Gurgenci said the geothermal-powered desalination systems could play a pivotal role in helping ease the water crisis facing small towns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis may not be the solution for large-scale desalination needed for cities like Brisbane, but should have a significant contribution in smaller towns like Dalby and Maleny, which have recently experienced extreme water shortages,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverseas experience suggests that these systems can be scaled up to provide 10 to 20 kilolitres of water per day while also helping greenhouse plant growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Queensland’s geothermal resources range from high-temperature Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) of the Cooper, Eromanga and possibly Drummond Basins to Hot Sedimentary Aquifiers (HSA) of the Great Artesian Basin.<\/p>\n

Professor Gurgenci said that while some of these resources may not be hot enough for electricity generation, they would be a perfect fit for thermal desalination of underground brackish aquifers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralian emphasis so far has been on large-scale desalination using reverse osmosis technology although an overwhelming fraction of desalination around the whole is done by thermal means,\u201d Professor Gurgenci said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies indicate that for plants in the range of one to 100 megalitres per day, thermal desalination technologies are more suitable than reverse osmosis especially if there is a cheap and abundant supply of heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cA geothermal-powered desalination plant in that range can easily provide the entire fresh water needs for an outback city at the cost of around 80 cents to $1.60 per kilolitre.\u201d<\/p>\n

The estimated cost developed by the Centre’s researchers significantly undercuts the 2010\/2011 bulk water prices of $1.00 to $2.00 per kilolitre outlined by the Queensland Water Commission.<\/p>\n

Professor Gurgenci said the technology could also be used in smaller-scale applications, and in particular in agricultural settings.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeothermal heat can be used to heat and humidify a greenhouse and produce fresh water at the same time,\u201d Professor Gurgenci said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a clever combination where desalination is coupled with an agricultural function which is both cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence is funded by the Renewable Energy Fund and the Climate Change Fund established as part of Queensland’s ClimateSmart 2050 climate change strategy.<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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