Desalination Case Study

Q.1: Explain Desalination and Denitrification process? Why is each needed?

Desalination is the process of removing salt or other dissolved minerals from seawater. Seawater is pumped through filters and by reverse osmosis, salt and other dissolved minerals are removed (1). Population growth and climate change has made natural source of drinking water insufficient to meet the demand. Therefore, desalination offers an alternate source of clean drinking water.

Denitrification is the process of converting nitrate-nitrogen into nitrogen gas. Ammonia contained in wastewater is converted into nitrate through bacterial degradation (2). These nitrate compounds are harmful to sea life and must be treated or removed before being discharged back into lakes

• Poseidon Resources Corporation: Developed and financed the project.

• Kiewit Shea Desalination: A joint venture of Kiewit Infrastructure West and J.F Shea Construction Company hired to construct the desalination plant and pipelines.

• Arcadis and Simon Wong Engineering acquired by Kleinfelder: Both companies together performed structural design and other engineering work.

• IDE Technologies: Designed the reverse osmosis equipment and will operate and maintain the plant for 30 years (1).

• Barclays Capital served as the financial advisor.

• Water agencies in San Diego County: They will purchase water from Poseidon Resources.

• American water, JR Filanc construction company, PBS&J, Acciona Agua and its partners: They performed the engineering, procurement and construction of the first phase.

Back river wastewater treatment plant upgrade, Baltimore, Maryland.

• Baltimore Department of Public Works: Project owner.

• Archer Western of Atlanta: Construction associated with the plant upgrade.

• Severn Trent Services: Providing denitrification filter technology.

• Whitman, Requardt & Associates: Conducted studies related to the enhanced nutrient removal

Carlsbad Desalination project, San Diego, California.

The major challenge on this project has been overcoming the oppositions that the project faced from the public and EPA. Obtaining permits and the entire approval process was not simple. Finances, scheduling, handling logistics, and staying within budget on such a big project is never simple. Working alongside a power plant that is in operation poses a challenge both to construction workers and power plant operators

Back river wastewater treatment plant upgrade, Baltimore, Maryland.

The major current challenge on this project is upgrading the plant in a way that will facilitate future upgrades so the plant can meet future concentration discharge limits. Compliance with new permit limits is another challenge that the project will face after construction is complete. Finances, scheduling, budget, and logistics are other challenges that can never be ignored. Soft grounds poses another challenge that needed to be fixed before carrying out the plant upgrade.

Q.5: What are the criteria technical and contractual for the desalination plant? What is public-private