Four students on the Specialized Advanced Master Of Science in Maritime Project Management support the Finistère département's Sea Val Water start-up in its development. The company operates in the drinking water market with the particularity of using sea water as a resource. The desalination process used makes it possible to use 80% drinking water and 20% brine (very salty water): two fields that offer many opportunities.
Large-scale distribution via public networks: Emmanuel and Arona's project
Now that the process has demonstrated its capabilities for the production of bottled water, this first project has to identify the potential for larger volumes.
This first project that we are undertaking aims to identify opportunities (volumes) for applications involving the supplementing of the public network, either by increasing the capacity of the Penmarc’h unit (x10), or by using a very large unit (x400) the possible locations of which are to be defined on the basis of distribution network needs, characteristics and organization.
Challenge: the challenge is to reduce water stress (summer seasonality, climatic uncertainties and pollution) in networks through an inexhaustible resource, while maintaining the aim of technical and economic viability.
Recycling brine, by Florent and Félix
The desalination of sea water produces fresh water and brine. As the reverse osmosis desalination technique usually used makes extensive use of chemicals (phosphoric and sulfuric acid derivatives) to maintain the membranes, the brine produced is consequently polluted.
Sea Val Water's ethical choice of not using chemicals was made possible by the development of an innovative process for the maintenance of its equipment. This allows the company to consider recycling the brine it produces. With the increase in the volume of seawater treated, the problem of recycling this brine will arise, as the company has chosen not to discharge it back into the sea.
There is an environmental benefit in not discharging brine into coastal waters. There is also a financial challenge, namely the need for increased profitability in the brine recycling system.
In order to carry through this project successfully, several meetings took place between the students and the start-up. They carried out bibliographic studies and studies on the identified solutions, and also made recommendations. The project is to be defended on February 24-25, 2022.
