Current brine management strategies are based on the disposal of brine in nearby aquifers, representing a loss in potential water and mineral resources. Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a possible strategy to reduce brine rejection while increasing the resource recovery from desalination plants. However, ZLD substantially increases the energy consumption and carbon footprint of a desalination plant. The predominant strategy to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of ZLD is through the use of a hybrid desalination technology that integrates renewable energy. Here, we built a computational thermodynamic model of the most mature electrified hybrid technology for ZLD powered by photovoltaic (PV). We examine the potential size and cost of ZLD plants in the US. This work explores the variables (geospatial and design) that most influence the levelized cost of water and the second law efficiency. There is a negative correlation between minimizing the LCOW and maximizing the second-law. And maximizing the second-law, the states that more brine produces, Texas is the location where the studied system achieves the lowest LCOW and high second-law efficiency, while California is the state where the studied system is less favorable. A multiobjective optimization study assesses the impact of considering a carbon tax in the cost of produced water and determines the best potential size for the studied plant.

中文翻译：

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电气化太阳能零液体排放：探索美国 PV-ZLD 的潜力

目前的盐水管理策略是基于附近含水层中的盐水处理，这意味着潜在的水和矿产资源的损失。零液体排放（ZLD）是一种可能的策略，可以减少盐水排斥，同时提高海水淡化厂的资源回收率。然而，ZLD 大大增加了海水淡化厂的能源消耗和碳足迹。 ZLD 减少能源消耗和碳足迹的主要策略是使用集成可再生能源的混合海水淡化技术。在这里，我们为光伏 (PV) 供电的 ZLD 构建了最成熟的电动混合动力技术的计算热力学模型。我们研究了美国 ZLD 工厂的潜在规模和成本。这项工作探讨了对水的平准化成本和第二定律效率影响最大的变量（地理空间和设计）。最小化 LCOW 和最大化第二定律之间存在负相关关系。最大化第二定律，即产生更多盐水的州，德克萨斯州是所研究系统实现最低 LCOW 和高第二定律效率的地区，而加利福尼亚州是所研究系统不太有利的地区。多目标优化研究评估了考虑碳税对采出水成本的影响，并确定了所研究工厂的最佳潜在规模。