Impacts of ZERO BRINE can be described in different fields. In the technology development field, the perspectives for operational use of the different combinations of technologies in several industrial sectors had been demonstrated and technology levels have been raised accordingly. At the Botlek Site the following products have been recovered from brine: (i) high purity Mg (OH)2 and Ca(OH)2 crystals (80-90% of total feed) and Na2SO4, to be sold to market, (ii) Clean Water (60-70%v of MED feed) and NaCl Solution (30-40%v of MED feed) for regeneration of IEX membranes of the demineralized water producer. Economic Benefits at full scale implementation include: (i) positive impact on annual revenues (3000-8000 K€/year), (ii) avoiding environmental penalties due to brine discharge (4000 €/year), (iii) Internal valorisation of NaCl solution. Environmental Benefits include: (i) Eliminating brine discharge (100-150 m3/day), (ii) Demineralized water recovery (60-100 m3/day), increasing production capacity of DWP with the same water withdrawal rate, (iii) 14% of CO2 reduction; NaCl solution recovery contributes to a decrease of the carbon footprint of Rotterdam Port, as currently 2000-3000 ton salt/year is brought in from sources 300 km away. In the Polish pilot: the following results and impacts can be reported: (i) reduction in energy consumption – 11.2 kWh/m3 for treated brine whilst 16.7 kWh/m3 for reference technology, (ii) Salt recovery – 92.8%, (iii) Magnesium hydroxide recovery – 94.9%, and (iv) demineralized water recovery – 90.6%. In the Spanish pilot the following results and impacts have been obtained (i) 90% water recovery, (ii) 60% reduction of Na2SO4 in wastewater providing 20,000 tons/yr to sell, (iii) energy reduction of 72% by EFC and waste heat recovery,(iv) CO2 reduction 6000 tons/yr, (v) economic benefits through re-use of membranes and (vi) 100% plant production growth potential through effective reduction in waste water volume. In the Turkish pilot NaCl recovery up to 60% and clean water recovery up to 95 % can be reported. Five Brine Excellence Centres have been established, promoting the sharing of technologies and fostering replication projects and further technology development. For the replicability of case studies three business plans have been developed. Two replication case studies have been selected: in the Netherlands and in Italy. Two replication case studies have been selected: in the Netherlands and in Italy. Four follow-up projects have been granted: SEA4VALUE, BRINE-MINING, WATER-MINING, and SEArcularMINE. For further promotion, development and implementation of ZERO BRINE technologies, a Framework agreement has been signed in April 2020 between the following partners: ARVIA, EURECAT, LENNTECH, SUT, TITANSALT. TUDELFT, TYPSA, UNIPA, SEALEAU and ResourSEAs. This group of technology suppliers forms the Brine Consortium Task Force (BCTF). Throughout the project duration, ZERO BRINE saw representation at over 96 different conferences and event gatherings, reaching all stakeholders. ZERO BRINE had media coverage in over 139 press articles tracked by Meltwater analytics, estimating an outreach of the project to over 45 million readers spanning 15 countries and 11 languages, including industry experts and policy-makers. ZERO BRINE matchmaking workshops brought together over 91 industry experts and potential end-users, initiating a solid basis for activities within WP10 to engage additional industry stakeholders and help ensure the uptake of project tools and results to over 750 stakeholders at capacity building events.
