Deep Injection Well Disposal of Desalination Concentrate at Inland Sites: Opportunities and Challenges

Economical and environmentally sound disposal of desalination concentrate can be the critical feasibility issue for inland desalination projects where a surface water outfall is not possible. Deep well injection can be a viable means to permanently remove concentrate and other liquid wastes from the biosphere. However, deep well injection requires suitable hydrogeological conditions, which may not be locally present. It is imperative to appreciate that deep injection well system design requires a high degree of technical sophistication, especially where low to
moderate transmissivity injection zones are being used. There are ample experiences, knowledge, and technologies for saline-water injection that can be drawn upon from the oil and gas industry, including in the areas of formation characterization and testing and well completion technologies can enable improved well design and construction.