Maintenance of Brine Transparency in Salinity Gradient Solar Ponds

Abstract

Experience with maintenance of brine transparency during the more than eight years of operation of the 1000 m2 Research Salinity Gradient Solar Pond (RSGSP) at Argonne National Laboratory suggests that, in many sodium chloride brines, algal growth may be readily curtailed by minimizing the phosphate content of the brine. The addition of modest amounts of aluminum sulfate (<5 g m−2 yr−1) to precipitate soluble phosphate in the RSGSP has resulted in a reduction of the amount of chlorine used from 13 g m−2 yr−1 to 2.8 g m−2 yr−1, while still maintaining good transparency in the pond brine.