A game-changing approach to salinity and total organic carbon treatment

In a recent Water Innovations magazine article, Carollo Engineers‘ experts—Rosa Yu, Melanie Pickett, Eva Steinle-Darling, and Vincent Hart—introduce a groundbreaking solution for addressing the challenges of salinity and total organic carbon (TOC) treatment in water systems. The team highlights the development of XBAT (ion exchange-based advanced treatment), which has the potential to transform how utilities manage salinity in drinking water, wastewater, and reuse applications.

In the article, they talk about how salinity removal relies on reverse osmosis (RO), a process that generates significant waste in the form of brine, posing challenges for inland communities without ocean discharge options. XBAT offers a revolutionary alternative by combining suspended ion exchange (SIX®) and lime softening processes. This new approach dramatically reduces the volume of waste produced—only 0.8% of the total feed water flow—while enhancing the treatability of the waste stream itself.

They go on to explain how lab-scale testing has demonstrated XBAT’s effectiveness in removing TOC and key contaminants, including sulfate, nitrate, and chloride. The system achieves a remarkable 50% reduction in TOC, a 99% reduction in sulfate, and significant reductions in other salinity-related compounds. These promising results indicate that XBAT could significantly improve water treatment outcomes and enable potable reuse in inland regions, where RO waste issues make it less viable.

Carollo is currently scaling up XBAT testing with projects in Tampa, Florida, and Aurora, Colorado, where the technology could help pave the way for sustainable water reuse in inland communities that face salinity challenges.

To learn more about XBAT and its game-changing approach to salinity and TOC treatment, read the full article.