Diffusion Driven Desalination for Simultaneous Fresh Water Production and Desulfurization

Abstract

The diffusion driven desalination (DDD) process has been previously introduced as a process for distilling water using low-grade waste heat. Here, a configuration of the DDD process is introduced for simultaneously distilling water and scrubbing sulfur dioxide (SO2) out of heated air streams, which is also known as flue gas desulfurization (FGD). This novel DDD/FGD process utilizes the low-grade waste heat carried in industrial discharge air streams. There are many applications, where the industrial air discharge also contains SO2, and in order to utilize the waste heat for the DDD process, the SO2 must be scrubbed out of the air stream. The two major components of the DDD process are the diffusion tower and the direct contact condenser. In the present work, a thermal fluid transport model for the DDD/FGD process, that includes SO2 scrubbing, is developed. It is an extension of the heat and mass transport model previously reported for the DDD process. An existing laboratory scale DDD facility was modified and tested with SO2 in the air stream and with seawater as the feed water to the diffusion tower. The experimental investigation has been completed to evaluate the fresh water production and SO2 scrubbing potential for the DDD/FGD process. The experimental results compare favorably with the model predictions. Chemical analysis on the condenser water demonstrates the capability of the DDD/FGD process to produce high quality fresh water using seawater as the input feed water to the process.