Concentrate Management and Disposal Practices in Australia

This paper summarises the concentrate management and disposal methods currently used and proposed in studies in Australia based on publically available information. Concentrate disposal considerations for desalination facilities in Australia include the potential environmental impacts and regulatory permitting requirements, including concentrate water quality, receiving water quality, stakeholder perception and issues, costs of the disposal system and other site specific issues. The operating 143,000 m³/day Perth seawater desalination facility and the coastal facilities under development use ocean outfalls with diffuser systems for mixing the concentrate with the receiving waters for disposal. However, the inland desalination plants have limited options for concentrate disposal. The disposal methods are often further limited by locally endangered and/or fragile habitat. The most common methods of concentrate disposal for inland facilities include surface water discharge, mixing with process or wastewater and concentration/evaporation. There may be other disposal methods that are unique to a particular facility and situation.