Reducing Carbon Dioxide and Securing Magnesium through Desalination

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources Develops Technology for Resource Recovery of Seawater Desalination Brine and Simultaneous CO₂ Treatment

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (Director Lee Pyeong-gu) announced on the 30th that Dr. Bang Jun-hwan's research team at the Carbon Dioxide Utilization Research Center has developed a 'Seawater Desalination Brine Resource Recovery and CO₂ Simultaneous Treatment Technology' that can reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) while securing magnesium resources by utilizing high-concentration brine generated during the seawater desalination process.

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has announced the discovery of a new mineral species in the Seokbong area of Jeollanam-do. Photo by Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources

The Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources reported that through joint research with Sungkwang ENF, they succeeded in constructing and commissioning the world's largest pilot plant, proving the possibility of commercialization.

Generally, in the seawater desalination process, about 1.8 kg of CO₂ is emitted to produce 1 ton of freshwater from 2 tons of seawater. Additionally, the salt removed during desalination accumulates in the brine and is discharged into the ocean, causing fatal impacts on marine ecosystems, presenting another problem.

To address these issues, the research team focused on waste brine and developed an eco-friendly integrated resource recovery technology that recovers valuable magnesium through CO₂ mineralization of the brine discharged as wastewater, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions.

The CO₂ emissions from the construction sector are increasing rapidly, raising concerns about environmental impact.

Based on this achievement, the institute plans to actively promote the commercialization of seawater desalination brine resource recovery technology and seek overseas market entry through international cooperation with countries such as Canada and Indonesia.

Dr. Bang Jun-hwan stated, "By recycling brine that was previously discarded as waste into useful resources through the pilot plant facility, we expect to establish a circular resource economy and strengthen industrial competitiveness by domesticating key materials such as magnesium."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.