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What is brackish water treatment?
Water with a salinity between freshwater and seawater is called “brackish”. Brackish water can be found as both surface and groundwater. Brackish water can contain a range of contaminants including heavy metals, suspended solids and microbiological species. Brackish water treatment systems therefore are not “one size fits all”, instead each brackish water system needs to be designed for the specific water that is being treated. Due to the presence of salt, brackish water treatment systems will include membrane filtration systems such as reverse osmosis or nanofiltration. Brackish water treatment systems will run at high recovery to ensure that the volume of concentrate for disposal is kept to a minimum. Due to the high recovery rate, chemicals must be added to the feedwater to prevent the membranes fouling.
- Remove suspended solids, heavy metals and biological contaminants
- Produce potable water from almost any source
- Lower energy requirement than seawater desalination
- Cost effective to scale
- Climate independence and drought resilience when treating groundwater
- Lower volume of concentrate produced than seawater desalination
How does a brackish water treatment system work?
A brackish water treatment system begins with a thorough analysis of the water. Once all of the contaminants of concern are identified, different treatment methods are combined to create an overall treatment system. Examples include the use of aeration/oxidation if dissolved iron is found, physical filtration if there is a high degree of dissolved solids and chemical adjustment if the hardness or silica level is high in the feedwater. The final step of the brackish water treatment system is membrane treatment which will reduce the salt level of the final product water to an acceptable level.
When should brackish water treatment be used?
Brackish water treatment is ideal for water with salinity between fresh water and seawater. Brackish water can contain a wide range of contaminants including suspended solids, heavy metals, salts, microbiological contamination, pesticides and fertiliser run-off. A full water analysis is always recommended for the design of a brackish water treatment unit.
Our Brackish Water Desalination Projects
Burracoppin Sheep Farm Water Treatment
A farm east of Perth with 3000 sheep was running low on water after an read more...
- Farming & Agriculture
Cranmore Farm Bore Water Treatment
Two common contaminants in groundwater in Western Australia are salt and dissolved iron. A sheep read more...
- Farming & Agriculture
Piggery Membrane Desalination
The owner of a piggery south west of Perth drilled a series of bores to read more...
- Farming & Agriculture
Cattle Farm Water Treatment
A cattle farm north east of Perth used dams to supply cattle with water and read more...
- Farming & Agriculture
Brackish Water Treatment System Applications
Our treatment plants are individually designed to meet the specific requirements to create a supply of water that is safe for drinking or use in commercial and industrial situations.
Agriculture & Horticulture
Moerk Water leads the industry in delivering solar-powered reverse osmosis solutions to the Australian agriculture industry. Australian farmers face increasing salt levels in their water sources due to drought, vegetation loss and unreliable weather patterns, all of which cause water tables to rise. Our expert engineers have the experience and expertise to understand your farm’s unique conditions and work with you to develop the right solution.
Tourism, Resorts & Hospitality
Moerk Water units are constructed from quality materials and are built to last ensuring that resorts never run out of clean water. We have extensive experience operating in remote locations. Our units not only provide a decentralised water supply solution, they are powered by solar and wind energy, which removes the need to rely on diesel generators. Our desalinator technology allows coastal resorts can make use of abundant ocean water as a water supply option. They also allow eco-resorts to operate chemical-free, thus minimising their environmental impact.
Food & Beverage Processing
Food and Beverage processors can face numerous water challenges including supply quality, trade waste volumes, treatment failures and contamination risks in treatment and distribution systems. Our water treat technology has been designed to ensure a secure and reliable water treatment solution.
Government & Municipal
Government of all levels not only needs projects to come in on time and on budget, but to meet increasing community expectations for sustainability. We have a wide range of council and government experience when it comes to design and construction of water treatment technology. Procurement staff, project and executive managers can rest easy with Moerk Water’s commitment to being upfront about treatment system costs and ensuring budgets are not exceeded.
Industrial & Mining
Reducing the volume of trade waste and the cost of scheme water use, as well as improving on-site water metrics are among the significant challenges faced by industry. Industry also faces the needs to ensure that water treatment systems can be integrated into existing control systems, are easily operated and meet safety standards. This is where Moerk Water’s significant experience and expertise in design and construction plant and systems comes into play.
Remote Communities
We provide desalination equipment and consulting services in countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Kiribati. At Moerk Water we’re proud that our treatment plants have helped communities achieve increased health, socio-economic and environmental outcomes. We work with local communities to empower them to take ownership of the systems we build. This allows often remote communities to maintain and operate their new water treatment technology by providing them with technical training and education. By training local people to maintain and operate the technology, employment opportunities are created in addition to the other health, economic and social benefits that result from our water treatment plants.
Indigenous Australian Communities
Australia’s often harsh environment and extreme climate requires robust water treatment solutions. Out water treatment systems are built to withstand the most rugged conditions Australia has to offer. Our technology provides our clients with reliable water supply, a source of clean water to improve community health, decentralised systems that allow water production where it is needed, solar-powered water treatment systems that remove reliance on diesel fuel, and training programs to build local expertise in water treatment and solar power. Our holistic solutions help our clients reach their organisational objectives and key KPIs, create local jobs, promote local business development, and work to strengthen and equip local communities.
WATER SOURCES WE TREAT WITH BRACKISH WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS
Moerk Water’s brackish water treatment technology can remove a wide range of contaminants from brackish water and create safe drinking water that meets World Health Organisation water quality standards.
River Water
Rivers are an extremely valuable source of water for agricultural use. But they are also easily contaminated by debris, runoff, pollution, bacteria and parasites, as well as human and animal waste. We can help you to make this most of this resource through water treatment technology that will remove contaminants.
Creek Water
Creek water, like dam and river water, is prone to pollution from runoff, human and animal waste, chemicals, bacteria, parasites and viruses. We can design and build a treatment system to suit your specific needs and convert creek water into a clean, safe water source.
Brackish Water
Brackish water may have lower salt levels that sea water but is still unsuitable for use in agriculture or for stock to drink. Moerk’s desalination technology, encompassing reverse osmosis, provides a simple to use, reliable solution to brackish water. Our team can design and construct a system that will convert brackish water to a useful resource.
Dam Water
Dam water, like other surface water sources, is vulnerable to contamination from ground runoff, pollution, contamination by human and animal waste as well as algal blooms. Our expert engineers can design a dam water treatment system that will enable you to use dam water safely for agriculture and stock.
Bore Water
Bore water can contain high levels of minerals including sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, and iron. This not only makes it unsafe for human and animal consumption, but also for irrigation. Moerk’s water treatment technology can turn bore water into a safe, useful asset.
Surface Water
Surface water, including rivers, dams and stream, is extremely vulnerable to contamination by pollutants including chemicals, bacteria, parasites and viruses. Like ground water, it can be easily treated and made safe for use by our specially designed treatment systems.
