Abstract

CHAMBLAS, Octavio  and  PRADENAS, Lorena. Multi-criteria optimization for seawater desalination. Tecnol. cienc. agua [online]. 2018, vol.9, n.3, pp.198-212.  Epub Nov 24, 2020. ISSN 2007-2422.  https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2018-03-09.

In this study, the decision-making process for seawater desalination and its possible use in industry are addressed. Six desalination technologies were considered: multistage instantaneous distillation, multiple effect distillation, vapor compression distillation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, and nanofiltration. The problem was analyzed from several perspectives, including the evaluation of environmental, technical, and economic criteria, which were broken down into eight sub-criteria. The alternatives were evaluated considering three different multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies: AHP, ELECTRE, and TOPSIS. The results show that the best option for desalinating seawater is reverse osmosis, followed by nanofiltration, thermal desalination methods, and lastly, electrodialysis. The results for the different methods showed the same ranking and no major discrepancies. It is concluded that desalination using membranes is a good option that could be used to supply water for various purposes, such as in industry.

Keywords : Multiple-criteria decision making; MCDM; AHP; ELECTRE; TOPSIS; seawater desalination.