Chinese desalination plant cuts 60% energy use by turning waste brine to industrial salt
Por Dannie Peng — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Science China Science Chinese desalination plant cuts 60% energy use, turns waste brine into industrial salt
Technology may help to solve the global problem of discharging concentrated by-products of drinking water production into the sea
3 -MIN READ 3 -MIN 1 Listen
Dannie Peng in Beijing Published: 12:15pm, 12 Oct 2026 Updated: 12:51pm, 12 Oct 2026 A large desalination plant on Bohai Bay has achieved an energy efficiency breakthrough , slashing electricity consumption by more than half while converting millions of tonnes of toxic waste brine into high-value chemical salt.
Situated in the Caofeidian industrial zone of Tangshan, Hebei province, the facility recently entered its trial production stage, the state-run Science and Technology Daily reported last month.
This technology provides a viable pathway to solving the global challenge of discharging concentrated seawater into the sea, according to the report.
The facility processes waste brine at a three-to-one ratio, yielding 1 tonne of refined concentrated seawater – with a salinity of 120 grams per litre – alongside 2 tonnes of fresh water.
Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
