Author(s): Francesca De Serio; Diana De Padova; Mouldi Ben Meftah; Ginacarlo Chiaia; Michele Mossa
Linked Author(s): Mouldi Ben Meftah, Francesca De Serio, Diana De Padova, Michele Mossa
Keywords: Desalination brackish waters turbulent mixing
Abstract: Given the significant environmental challenges posed by the discharge of wastewater from desalination plants into coastal basins, particularly in heavily urbanized areas, this study explores the impacts of such discharges on a sensitive coastal environment. The focus is on a highly urbanized area of Southern Italy, where coastal springs could be utilized as an alternative water source for an innovative desalination plant. Unlike traditional seawater-fed facilities, this approach produces brackish water effluent with considerably lower salinity levels. We use numerical modelling to examine the impact of the brackish plume on the coastal site. The results indicate that the discharge, characterized by very low salinity content, affects only a limited portion of the receiving water body in typical seasonal meteomarine conditions and that transient and local hydrodynamics induced by variable wind or wave contributes to the turbulent mixing of the plume.
Year: 2025