This project will develop and evaluate a polymeric membrane that can withstand high temperature, high salt concentration, and the presence of oxygen for use with hot waste-gas streams as a membrane sweep within the hot gas sweep membrane brine separation (HASMBS) process for high-salinity brine treatment. The developed membrane process will enable water removal from the brine stream, thereby concentrating the brine and reducing its volume for re-injection or disposal. The water vapor in the gas sweep stream can either be exhausted into the environment or utilized in a subsequent unit operation.

Whereas reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most energy-efficient technology for desalination, it is inherently limited to lower-salinity brines such as those encountered in sea water treatment. Current commercial technologies for treating high-salinity brine streams for reuse applications, (e.g., evaporative crystallization and mechanical vapor compression) are often considered too costly and energy inefficient to warrant their use.