XtremeRO & OARO—Membrane Brine Concentrators

High pressure reverse osmosis, nanofiltration and osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) systems for demanding applications

Our next-generation reverse osmosis (RO), osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO), and nanofiltration (NF) systems provide industry-leading recovery and reliability. They concentrate brine, reduce volumes, recover freshwater, separate divalent and monovalent ions, and reduce the size and cost of downstream thermal brine management.

Next-Generation Membrane Concentrators

Reverse Osmosis (RO)—the world’s dominant desalination technology—uses pressurized, semi-permeable membranes to remove dissolved salts from water. Nanofiltration (NF) uses a slightly more porous membrane and can separate divalent and monovalent dissolved ions.

 

RO should be considered first in all industrial wastewater and desalination applications as the primary water recovery device for its scalability and low cost. NF has specialty applications such as softening or purifying monovalent salts such as lithium, sodium, and chloride.

A photo of a Saltworks XtremeRO advanced reverse osmosis plant.
A Saltworks XtremeRO advanced reverse osmosis plant.
Photo of a Saltworks advanced membrane desalination pilot treating cooling tower blowdown at a customer site
An XtremeRO on-site pilot that achieved 99% recovery on cooling tower blowdown

UHP-RO and OARO

Recent technological improvements allow the achievement of higher freshwater recoveries, further reductions in brine volumes, and the treatment of more challenging waters such as those with scalants and organics. Ultra-high pressure RO (UHP-RO) membranes can reach brine concentrations of up to 130,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS).

 

Osmotically assisted RO (OARO) can elevate brine concentration up to 200,000 mg/L by using cascading RO circuits with membranes that allow controlled permeation of salt in final stage(s).

Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) Systems

Saltworks is a pioneer in the field of membrane brine concentrators and is experienced with complex chemistries. We package unit operations into complete, integrated minimal liquid discharge (MLD) solutions that are fully automated, scalable, and ready-to-operate. We maximize uptime and minimize operating costs by designing systems with the best RO or NF membranes for your project.

 

Our systems maximize recovery, minimize fouling risk, and enhance membrane longevity and reliability by controlling scaling ions and foulants, and using sound hydraulic engineering and intelligently automated digitized diagnosis and self-cleaning. For example, our BrineRefine and XtremeUF solutions remove scaling ions such as silica and calcium, thereby enabling RO recoveries to reach osmotic pressure limits.  

 

The selection of RO operating pressure or OARO varies with brine concentration goals. Saltworks’ membrane concentrator systems are available in four pressure classes:

  • XtremeRO 600 operates at 600 psi (41 bar) and concentrates brine to ~40,000 mg/L TDS
  • XtremeRO 1200 operates at 1,200 psi (80 bar) and concentrates to 80,000 mg/L TDS
  • XtremeRO 1800 (UHP-RO) operates at 1,800 psi (120 bar) and concentrates brine up to 130,000 mg/L TDS
  • OAROoffers the next level of brine concentration built around commercially available spiral wound membranes and can concentrate brines up to 200,000 mg/L TDS
Photo of a Saltworks employee inspecting a full-scale XtremeRO skid.
A Saltworks employee inspects a full-scale XtremeRO skid employed in the mining industry
Photo of reverse osmosis vessels in a Saltworks XtremeRO plant
Reverse osmosis vessels up close in a full-scale Saltworks XtremeRO plant

Membrane Concentrator Services

We provide a full suite of XtremeRO™ services to help you achieve the optimal solution for your project, including industrial desalination, brine treatment, volume reduction, lithium refining, and chemical recovery applications.

    • Initial consultation and technical advice to understand treatment options, residuals management, and balancing capital and operating costs.
    • Process design for maximum recovery and optimal integration with your other treatment process.
    • Engineering and design services to build and quality assure your full-scale plant.
    • Bench and pilot testing services, including mobile systems for rapid on-site deployment.
    • Comprehensive support including testing and remote monitoring.
    • R&D capability for unique applications.

Start Your RO or NF Project

All systems are thoroughly factory-tested and delivered with comprehensive on-site commissioning, training, and support. We provide custom process design and engineering, including post-treatment options for specialized applications.

 

Take advantage of our comprehensive pilot testing program including our fleet of mobile units ready for rapid dispatch. We can also set you up with remote operation capability, remote support for your operators, and spares management.

 

Contact us to get started on your project.

A photo of a Saltworks XtremeRO reverse osmosis plant
A Saltworks XtremeRO reverse osmosis plant employed in the oil and gas industry

Related Resources

Photo of RO vessels in an XtremeRO plant
News

Ultra-High Recovery at Full-Scale: RO & EDR Plants Shipped

Saltworks is excited to announce the shipment of two ”competing” membrane-based industrial wastewater treatment plants. Although electrodialysis reversal (EDR) and reverse osmosis (RO) may be viewed as competing desalination technologies, Saltworks offers both and helps clients navigate the fit case for each.

A photo of a bank of reverse osmosis units at a public water utility plant.
Article

RO Brine Treatment: Why Maximizing Reverse Osmosis Recovery Matters

Treating RO brine optimally begins with utilizing lower-cost membrane systems to minimize volume for downstream processing. Clients must then decide between the available thermal treatment options that allow for brine concentration or treating down to solids for disposal.