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37 בריאות, חקלאות וסביבה The IDRA Award for Lowest Carbon Footprint in Desalination IDE , אביטל דרור-אהרה A world leader in water treatment and desalination solutions, IDE aims to reduce the environmental impact of their Sorek II – the company’s flagship SWRO desalination facility – using advanced technologies and methodologies.With the corebelief that: “You cannot manage what you cannot measure”, IDE implemented a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool at Sorek II for evaluating the overall environmental impact of seawater desalination plants. This proactive approach enables IDE to quantify the carbon emissions generated during all operation stages and assess their impact using measurable parameters such as kgCO2/m3. Testing the LCA model in desalination facilities indicated that the main potential for reducing the carbon footprint lies around high-pressure (HP) pumps, which are the primary energy consumers. To address this issue, IDE has developed a patented direct-steam-drive solution for operating high-pressure pumps, utilizing steam that directly powers a steam turbine through residual heat. If residual heat does not exist in the facility, it can be generated from green energy sources such as biomass/biogas or others, eliminating the inherent generator, motor, variable frequency drives (VFD), and transmission- related inefficiencies. The renewable energy used to drive the steam turbines, powers the desalination facility, reducing plants’ power consumption and associated emissions. The LCA study that was applied for Sorek II at השפעות התפלה על הסביבה 3 מושב 200,000,000 m3/year capacity, also provided IDE with the relevant insight for improving their carbon footprint. Sorek II constitutes the world’s first steam-driven SWRO plant. The facility uses the residual heat generated from its natural gas-powered plant and Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) to turn residual heat into the steam that operates the turbines driving the HP pumps. Additionally, Sorek II operates an independent power station and is not dependent on the peak and off-peak hours of the electricity grid. The Sorek II facility reduced its Specific Energy (SE) consumption by about 10% compared to similar facilities. As part of its comprehensive sustainable solution, IDE has implemented additional technologies to minimize desalination carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions in Sorerk II. The plant employs partial carbon capture from the flue gas streams of the facility’s power plant. The CO2 emitted at the plant is captured, stored at the onsite Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) system, and “recycled” back into the facility’s remineralization process. The CO2 used in the post-treatment process saves money on transportation and resources can be also capitalized for carbon credit. Additionally, Sorek II produces Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) used in the plant’s post-treatment process to further decrease the plant’s reliance on external resources and significantly reduce energy costs. The facility’s self-production of green chemicals aligns with the circular economy model. Using IDE’s LCA method to measure carbon footprint parameters, IDE compared the results from Sorek II facility to another mega-size facility – Hadera SWRO plant at 137,000,000 m3 /year capacity – operated at similar water and energy sources. Sorek II showed immensely improved emission > 12 המשך בעמוד