Environmental aspects of a PRO plant effluent discharge along the coast. A case-study in the Eastern Sicily (Italy)

The environmental aspects related to the effluent discharge of a Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) plant are investigated. In order to provide more realistic data the research is applied to a specific case study along the East coast of Sicily. The PRO plant design is optimized based on the characteristics of the fresh water intake from the Simeto River and the salt water intake along the coast of the Ionian Sea.The diffusion of the brackish effluent in the coastal environment has been evaluated by applying a hydrodynamic model that calculate the salinity diffusion considering a depth-averaged salinity.A strong interaction of the brackish propagation along the coast due to long shore current is observed.The aim of the present study is to gain insights on the conditions that need to be fulfilled by a specific location in order to build osmotic power plants which are sustainable also from the environmental point of view.