Engineered solutions for high TDS wastewater streams from desalting, produced water, cooling systems and industrial processes. Achieving compliance, recovery and reuse.
CFD, P&ID, SCADA and commissioning for critical water treatment plants.
Plant layouts, piping isometrics and construction-ready engineering drawings.
Flow, mixing and thermal CFD across treatment and process equipment.
Full mechanical, physico-chemical, biological and sludge equipment range.
Comprehensive treatment approaches for high TDS effluents across refining, oil & gas, power generation and process industries.
High salinity wastewater presents some of the most challenging treatment problems in industrial water management. With total dissolved solids frequently exceeding 10,000 mg/L and reaching as high as 300,000 mg/L in concentrated brines, these streams defy conventional biological and physico-chemical conditioning and treatment. Reynolds & Bauhm engineers integrated brine management systems using membrane concentration, thermal evaporation, and crystallisation to achieve water recovery, regulatory compliance, and zero liquid discharge where required.
High salinity wastewater is defined as industrial effluent with total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeding 10,000 mg/L, far above the 1,000 – 3,000 mg/L range where conventional advanced biological treatment becomes impaired. At these elevated concentrations, ionic strength fundamentally alters water chemistry, compressing electrical double layers, changing osmotic pressure, and shifting solubility equilibria for sparingly soluble salts.
High salinity wastewater originates from numerous industrial processes. Refinery desalter effluent carries dissolved salts removed from crude oil. Oil and gas produced water brings formation brines to the surface. Cooling tower blowdown concentrates circulating water chemistry. Food processing generates brines from cheese making and pickling. Mining operations produce saline tailings water.
High salinity profoundly affects every aspect of wastewater treatment. Biological processes are inhibited by osmotic stress, with most activated sludge organisms unable to function above 10,000 mg/L TDS. Coagulation chemistry is altered by compressed double layers and ionic interactions. Scaling potential increases dramatically as sparingly soluble salts exceed saturation limits. Corrosion rates accelerate in chloride-rich environments, particularly for stainless steels susceptible to pitting and stress corrosion cracking.
Discharge limits for high salinity wastewater vary by jurisdiction and receiving water. Many inland locations prohibit brine discharge entirely, driving adoption of zero liquid discharge (ZLD) or deep-well injection. Marine discharges may be permitted with oil content limits but face increasing scrutiny. Salt recovery and reuse is incentivised where environmental taxes on brine disposal exceed per tonne. Emerging regulations on total dissolved solids, chloride, and specific ions are tightening limits across Europe and North America.
Each contaminant category in high salinity wastewater demands specialised treatment technology and careful process integration.
Total dissolved solids in industrial brines range from 50,000 to 300,000 mg/L, creating ionic strengths that fundamentally alter physical chemistry. At these concentrations, activity coefficients deviate substantially from unity, affecting solubility product calculations and chemical equilibria. Osmotic pressures can exceed 200 bar, requiring specialised high-pressure reverse osmosis membranes or thermal processes for concentration.
Concentrated brines are supersaturated with respect to multiple sparingly soluble salts. Calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate, barium sulphate, strontium sulphate, and silica all present scaling risks that vary with temperature, pH, and concentration factor. Scale deposits on heat exchanger surfaces reduce thermal efficiency and increase pressure drop. Membrane scaling irreversibly damages RO and NF elements. Antiscalant dosing, softening pre-treatment, and controlled pH management are essential mitigation strategies.
Chloride-rich brines accelerate corrosion of carbon steel, stainless steels, and even high-nickel alloys. Chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking affects austenitic stainless steels above 60°C at chloride concentrations above 100 mg/L. Pitting corrosion initiates at localised chloride concentration cells. Galvanic corrosion is exacerbated in conductive brine electrolytes. Materials selection must consider duplex stainless steels, titanium, nickel alloys, or fibre-reinforced plastics for wetted components.
Conventional activated sludge organisms experience severe osmotic stress above 10,000 mg/L TDS, with cell dehydration, enzyme denaturation, and reduced metabolic rates. Halophilic organisms adapted to saline environments can treat wastewater up to 100,000 – 150,000 mg/L TDS but require specialised inoculation, longer acclimation periods, and different operating parameters. Biological treatment of high salinity wastewater is therefore more costly, less robust, and produces sludge with unique dewatering characteristics.
Our integrated approach reduces brine volume, recovers water, and produces manageable solids for disposal or beneficial reuse.
pH adjustment, antiscalant dosing, and solids removal protect downstream concentration equipment. Oil and grease are removed by DAF or coalescing separation. Hardness reduction through lime softening or ion exchange prevents scaling. Temperature adjustment ensures membrane compatibility.
Reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, or electrodialysis reduce brine volume by 50 – 75%, recovering permeate water for reuse. Specialised seawater RO or brine concentrator membranes operate at pressures up to 80 bar. Desalination technologies adapted for wastewater service achieve high recovery with antiscalant protection.
Mechanical vapour recompression (MVR), multiple effect distillation (MED), or conventional evaporation further concentrate brine to near-saturation. MVR achieves the lowest specific energy consumption at 15 – 25 kWh/m³. Falling film evaporators handle scaling-prone brines with controlled circulation and cleaning cycles.
Forced circulation crystallisers or spray dryers convert concentrated brine into solid salt products. Mixed salt crystallisers produce sodium chloride, sodium sulphate, or calcium sulphate depending on brine composition. Product purity determines whether salts are saleable, require further refining, or are disposed of as hazardous waste.
Final residuals are managed through deep-well injection, engineered landfill, or beneficial reuse as saleable salt products. Deep-well injection requires suitable geological formations and regulatory permits. Dewatering systems prepare solids for transport and disposal. Recovered water returns to process or cooling applications.
Engineering design basis and performance targets for brine management and zero liquid discharge systems.
| Parameter | Typical Range | Treatment Target | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|
| TDS | 10,000 – 300,000 mg/L | < 1,000 mg/L (reuse) / ZLD | RO + Evaporation |
| Chlorides | 5,000 – 180,000 mg/L | < 250 mg/L | Ion Exchange / RO |
| Sodium | 3,000 – 100,000 mg/L | < 200 mg/L | Electrodialysis / RO |
| Calcium Hardness | 500 – 10,000 mg/L | < 50 mg/L | Softening / RO |
| Silica | 20 – 500 mg/L | < 20 mg/L | Precipitation / RO |
| Sulphate | 500 – 50,000 mg/L | < 250 mg/L | Precipitation / RO |
| Oil & Grease | 10 – 5,000 mg/L | < 15 mg/L | DAF / Coalescing |
| Temperature | 25 – 90 °C | < 40 °C (membrane) | Cooling / Heat Recovery |
Brine management systems adapted to diverse industrial effluents with high total dissolved solids.
High salinity wastewater from crude oil desalting operations containing dissolved salts, oil, and metals. TDS levels of 50,000 – 300,000 mg/L require specialised brine concentration and disposal strategies integrated with refinery water management.
Formation water co-produced with oil and gas contains dissolved salts, trace hydrocarbons, and minerals. Salinity varies from near-freshwater to saturated brine depending on reservoir geology. Treatment targets range from reinjection quality to surface discharge or reuse.
Blowdown from recirculating cooling systems concentrates dissolved solids through evaporation cycles. High calcium, magnesium, chloride, and silica concentrations create scaling and disposal challenges. Volume reduction and salt recovery reduce chemical consumption and discharge volumes.
Cheese brines, pickle solutions, and curing liquors contain high sodium chloride with organic loading from food residues. Brine recovery through filtration, pasteurisation, and concentration extends brine life, reduces salt purchases by annually, and minimises disposal requirements.
Process water from mineral extraction and tailings management accumulates dissolved salts through recycle and evaporation. Acid rock drainage, process reagents, and ore dissolution contribute to elevated TDS, metals, and sulphate requiring integrated treatment before discharge or recycle.
Flue gas desulphurisation blowdown contains high chloride, total dissolved solids, and heavy metals from coal combustion. Regulatory mandates in multiple jurisdictions require treatment to very low metals limits, with ZLD systems eliminating liquid discharge entirely through evaporation and crystallisation.
Purpose-built solutions that deliver water recovery, compliance assurance, and operational efficiency improvement.
Recover 75 – 95% of incoming wastewater as treated water suitable for process reuse, cooling tower makeup, or irrigation. High recovery reduces freshwater withdrawal and discharge volumes simultaneously.
Meet stringent discharge limits for TDS, chloride, sulphate, and specific toxic ions. ZLD configurations eliminate liquid effluent entirely, removing discharge liability and permit constraints.
Produce saleable sodium chloride, gypsum, or mixed salt products from concentrated brine. Salt recovery transforms waste disposal into output generation, improving project feasibility and circularity.
Achieve 85 – 95% waste volume reduction through membrane concentration and thermal evaporation. Reduced disposal requirements directly lower transport, landfill, and deep-well injection costs.
MVR evaporation achieves specific energy consumption of 15 – 25 kWh/m³, roughly one-third of conventional single-effect evaporators. Heat integration with process streams further reduces operating overheads.
Containerised skids enable rapid deployment, factory testing, and minimal site installation. Modular capacity expansion matches treatment capacity to growing production without large capital commitments.
Discover complementary water treatment applications and industries with high salinity wastewater challenges.
Specialised treatment systems for refinery desalter wastewater containing extreme salinity, oil, and dissolved metals from crude oil desalting operations.
Explore DesalterComprehensive treatment for formation water from oil and gas extraction, delivering oil separation, solids removal, and salinity management.
Explore Produced WaterTreatment of refinery utility wastewater including cooling tower blowdown, boiler blowdown, and ion exchange regenerant streams.
Explore UtilitiesReverse osmosis, thermal distillation, and brine management systems for seawater and brackish water desalination projects.
Desalination Plant SolutionsWater treatment for mining operations including tailings water, process streams, and acid mine drainage with high dissolved solids.
Mining & Minerals SolutionsComprehensive water treatment solutions for upstream production, midstream terminals, and downstream refining operations.
Oil & Gas SolutionsTreatment systems for refinery coking unit wastewater including delayed coking and fluid coking effluents with high phenol, COD.
View PageSpecialised treatment systems for refinery desalter effluent containing high salinity, oil, solids, and dissolved metals from.
View PageTreatment systems for oily process area runoff from petroleum refineries.
View PageTreatment systems for stripped sour water from refinery amine and sulphur recovery units.
View PageSpecialised treatment systems for refinery tank cleaning wastewater and tank bottoms containing concentrated oil, sludge and heavy solids.
View PageTreatment systems for refinery utilities wastewater including cooling tower blowdown, boiler blowdown and utility drainage across the refinery.
View PageContainerised MVR evaporation and crystallisation for ZLD, extreme TDS, saline wastewater.
View Containerised OptionContact our experts to design a brine management system tailored to your industrial requirements.
Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.