Economic assessment of the desalination of the Guarani Aquifer System by reverse osmosis to produce potable water in southern Brazil

Abstract

Brazil, contrary to what many people believe, is a country that is suffering from water shortage. The inland regions of the country have experienced drought periods and must be prepared for this reality. Brackish groundwater from the Guarani Aquifer System treated by reverse osmosis (RO) could be used for the water supply, but the cost of the produced water must be competitive. We designed a RO facility for supplying water to a small city and made an economic assessment using different scenarios. The predicted cost of the water was in the range of 0.25–0.39 US$/m³.

Keywords:

• Brackish
• Brazil
• Groundwater
• Drinking water

Acknowledgments

The corresponding author (VBB) would like to thank FAPERGS-Brazil for financial support (process number 12/3129-6).