Treatment Technologies
Modular Desalination Companies
Containerized and skid-mounted desalination units for remote sites, emergency response, and rapid deployment.
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Modular Desalination Systems: Containerised RO, Capacity Scalability, and Remote Deployment
Modular desalination systems integrate all process components (membranes, pumps, energy recovery, controls) into pre-assembled, factory-tested units in ISO shipping containers or skid frames. Standard 20-foot container units produce 10 to 200 m3 per day; 40-foot containers 50 to 500 m3 per day. Skid-mounted modular systems scale to 2,000 m3 per day in a single module. Multiple modules are connected in parallel for larger capacities. Advantages over stick-built plants: factory testing eliminates site commissioning risk, rapid deployment (4 to 16 weeks from order vs 12 to 36 months for conventional construction), and flexibility to scale or relocate.
Brackish water RO (BWRO) modular systems treat groundwater or surface water at TDS 500 to 10,000 mg per L with energy consumption 0.5 to 1.5 kWh per m3. Seawater RO (SWRO) modular systems for 10 to 500 m3 per day use high-pressure pumps (55 to 70 bar), energy recovery turbines (turbocharger type for small systems, isobaric pressure exchangers above 200 m3 per day), and either polyamide spiral-wound membranes or for extreme corrosion environments, titanium-framed systems. Pretreatment in modular systems uses cartridge filters (5-micron absolute), self-cleaning disc filters, or compact UF modules. Brine disposal by sea outfall (for coastal systems) or injection/evaporation pond (for inland).
Remote and humanitarian deployment applications drive modular desalination adoption: disaster response (potable water for 500 to 10,000 people from a single 20-ft container), military forward operating bases (NATO Waterpoint requirement: 45 L per soldier per day), island and remote community water supply (no pipeline access), and temporary industrial water supply during plant construction. Power supply for remote SWRO: solar PV plus battery storage systems are matched to SWRO load; energy storage requirement is sized for 2 to 4 hours of RO operation per kWh of solar capacity. Specific energy consumption of solar-powered SWRO: 3 to 6 kWh per m3 for containerised systems without advanced ERD, 2 to 3 kWh per m3 with pressure exchanger ERD.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water can a containerised desalination unit produce?
Containerised RO desalination capacity depends on unit configuration and feed water salinity: standard 20-foot ISO container BWRO (brackish water): 50 to 200 m3 per day; SWRO (seawater): 20 to 100 m3 per day. 40-foot container BWRO: 100 to 500 m3 per day; SWRO: 50 to 250 m3 per day. Multiple containers connected in parallel scale capacity proportionally. For a remote village of 1,000 people requiring 50 litres per person per day, a single 20-foot BWRO container covers demand. Factory-tested modular SWRO systems up to 2,000 m3 per day are available from manufacturers including ACWA Power, Degremont, and IDE Technologies as skid-mounted modular blocks. Capacity is also limited by power availability: a 100 m3 per day SWRO requires approximately 10 to 15 kW of continuous power (or equivalent solar plus battery).
How long does it take to deploy a modular desalination plant?
Containerised modular desalination systems offer significantly faster deployment than conventional stick-built plants. Timeline: procurement and factory testing: 6 to 16 weeks from order to dispatch; site preparation (civil works for foundation, brine outfall, water intake): 4 to 12 weeks (can run in parallel with manufacturing); site installation and commissioning: 1 to 4 weeks (containerised units are pre-wired, pre-piped, and factory-tested; on-site work limited to inter-unit connections, power hookup, and intake/outlet installation); operator training: 2 to 5 days for basic operation. Total timeline from contract award to operational: 8 to 24 weeks. Conventional stick-built plants of equivalent capacity: 18 to 48 months. Emergency and disaster deployment: military-spec containerised units with pre-positioned inventory can be operational within 72 hours of arrival on site.
What is the energy consumption of modular desalination?
Energy consumption depends on feed water salinity and system configuration. Brackish water RO (TDS 2,000 to 5,000 mg per L): 0.5 to 1.5 kWh per m3 of permeate. Brackish water RO (TDS 5,000 to 10,000 mg per L): 1.0 to 2.5 kWh per m3. Seawater RO without energy recovery: 5 to 8 kWh per m3. Seawater RO with turbocharger energy recovery (small-scale): 3 to 5 kWh per m3. Seawater RO with isobaric pressure exchanger (medium to large scale, above 200 m3 per day): 2.5 to 3.5 kWh per m3. Solar-powered BWRO for remote communities: 1 to 3 kWh per m3 electricity from solar PV (typical levelised cost of solar electricity: $0.03 to $0.10 per kWh), making total water cost dominated by membrane replacement and O&M rather than energy.
How is brine from modular desalination disposed of?
Brine disposal for modular desalination depends on location. Coastal deployments: subsurface diffuser pipe or surface discharge dilutes concentrate in receiving seawater. SWRO brine at 70,000 to 90,000 mg per L TDS must achieve rapid dilution to prevent localised hypersaline zones harmful to marine organisms; diffuser design targets dilution of minimum 10:1 (brine to seawater) within 50 m of outfall. Regulatory consent from marine environment authority required (MMO in UK, USACE in US). Inland BWRO deployments: brine at 5,000 to 20,000 mg per L TDS requires disposal by evaporation pond (land requirement 0.5 to 2 m2 per m3 per day of brine in arid climate), deep well injection (UIC Class I permit in US, Environment Agency permit in UK), or land application for low-TDS concentrate. Brine volume: BWRO at 80 percent recovery produces 250 L of concentrate per m3 of permeate; SWRO at 50 percent produces 1,000 L of concentrate per m3 of permeate.
A Category 2 resilience partner (UK Civil Contingencies Act 2004) sought a rapidly deployable water treatment capability for a 10,000-person population in the event of a prolonged mains supply failure caused by a major infrastructure incident. Existing mobile water bowsers were assessed as insufficient for more than 96 hours; no pre-positioned treatment capability existed.
Procured two 20-ft containerised BWRO systems (each 100 m3 per day capacity from local groundwater at 1,500 mg per L TDS) and two 20-ft containerised SWRO systems (each 50 m3 per day from coastal sea water). All four units were factory-tested and certified for immediate deployment. Power was provided by integrated diesel generators with 72-hour fuel storage. Annual maintenance contracts and operator training for the responsible authority's water emergency team were included.
Units successfully deployed in a live exercise simulating a 7-day supply interruption for 8,000 people. Each BWRO unit reliably produced 100 m3 per day at below 200 mg per L TDS compliant with UK drinking water standards. Operators from the local authority and fire service completed 2-day competency training. The authority satisfied its Civil Contingencies Act duty to maintain water supply resilience for vulnerable populations above the minimum of 10 litres per person per day.
Questions to Ask Shortlisted Providers
- 1
What is the guaranteed permeate TDS and the minimum production capacity at the worst-case feed water quality for our site, and has this been tested on actual site water or a characterised sample?
Modular desalination performance specifications are typically given at standard test conditions (25 degrees C, specified feed TDS). Real site water often differs in temperature (UK groundwater 10 to 14 degrees C, which reduces RO flux by 20 to 30 percent), TDS, and scaling potential. Performance at site conditions must be specified and ideally demonstrated through a pilot run or treatability test on actual site water before procurement commitment.
- 2
What is the power draw at full production and what generator or grid connection specification is required, and what is the startup power surge compared to steady-state demand?
Modular SWRO typically draws 3 to 5 kW per m3 per hr of permeate production: a 100 m3 per day unit draws 12 to 20 kW continuous. High-pressure pump startup requires 3 to 5 times the steady-state current for 2 to 5 seconds, which must be accommodated by the generator's transient response capability. Undersizing the power supply results in shutdown on startup surge, which is a common failure mode in emergency deployments using generators sized only for steady-state load.
- 3
What pretreatment is integrated in the containerised unit, and what raw water quality range (turbidity, SDI, biological load) can the unit handle without blocking the RO membranes?
Modular RO units with only cartridge filter pretreatment are appropriate for clear, low-turbidity groundwater (SDI below 5). For surface water or turbid groundwater, integrated UF or multimedia filter pretreatment is required to protect RO membranes. Deploying a cartridge-filter-only unit on river water during a flooding event (high turbidity, SDI potentially above 20) will block the cartridge filter within hours, stopping production.
- 4
What is the commissioning time from unit arrival on site to first potable water production, and what site preparation (foundations, connections, drainage) is required?
A containerised unit described as 'rapidly deployable' may still require 2 to 5 days of civil work for bunded concrete foundations (for stabilised operation), raw water intake pipework, brine discharge connection, and electrical supply. For genuine rapid deployment (72 hours to potable production), all connections must be achievable with on-unit hose connections and no civil works. Confirm exactly what site preparation is needed and how long it takes by asking for a deployment timeline from a reference exercise.
- 5
What are the consumable requirements (membrane replacement, filter cartridges, anti-scalant, biocide) and what lead time applies in an emergency procurement context?
A modular desalination unit deployed in a prolonged emergency (30 to 90 days) will require consumable replenishment: cartridge filter replacement (typically weekly for turbid source water), anti-scalant (continuous dosing), and biocide. If consumables are proprietary and available only from the unit manufacturer, supply chain risk in an emergency is significant. Confirm that standard-sized replacement cartridges and commonly available chemicals can be used in the unit.
What Drives Cost in This Category
Containerised BWRO unit (1,000 to 5,000 mg per L TDS, 100 m3 per day): 60,000 to 180,000 GBP purchase or 800 to 2,500 GBP per month rental. Containerised SWRO unit (35,000 mg per L TDS seawater, 50 m3 per day): 120,000 to 350,000 GBP purchase or 1,500 to 4,000 GBP per month rental. The SWRO unit costs approximately 2 to 3 times more than an equivalent-volume BWRO unit due to higher operating pressure (55 to 70 bar vs 8 to 20 bar), energy recovery requirements, and seawater-rated materials.
An integrated diesel generator for 100 m3 per day BWRO (15 kW steady-state): 15,000 to 35,000 GBP capital, diesel consumption 4 to 8 L per hr (600 to 1,200 GBP per week at 1.50 GBP per L). For SWRO with 3.5 kWh per m3 energy consumption at 50 m3 per day: 7.3 kW demand, 175 kWh per day = 26.25 GBP per day in energy at 0.15 GBP per kWh (grid) or 210 GBP per day from a diesel generator. Grid connection reduces energy cost by 85 percent versus diesel for long-term deployments.
Coastal SWRO brine disposal through a temporary flexible hose to a tidal discharge point: 1,000 to 5,000 GBP. Inland BWRO brine at 80 percent recovery (250 L concentrate per m3 of permeate): a 100 m3 per day unit produces 25 m3 per day of brine at 5,000 to 8,000 mg per L TDS requiring tanker collection (400 to 800 GBP per day for 25 m3 tanker) or temporary lined pit. Brine disposal is often the most expensive ongoing operational cost for inland modular deployments.
Modular desalination units require a trained operator for monitoring, consumable replenishment, and process adjustment. For a 24-hour operation (continuous production), 3 operators on rotating shifts cost 90,000 to 150,000 GBP per year in labour. For intermittent (day shift only) production, 1 to 2 operators cost 40,000 to 80,000 GBP per year. Operator training for personnel without prior RO experience: 2 to 5 days at 500 to 1,500 GBP per person from the unit supplier.
Key Regulations & Standards
Category 1 responders (water companies) under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 have a statutory duty to maintain emergency water supply plans and to provide minimum water supply (at least 10 litres per person per day) during incidents affecting the public water supply. Modular desalination units are a recognised emergency supply measure. Ofwat's C-MeX framework penalises water companies for supply interruptions above 12 hours; modular units reduce the duration of interruptions during infrastructure recovery.
Emergency water supply provided by temporary or modular treatment must comply with WS(WQ)R 2016 parametric values for drinking water quality. DWI may grant temporary authorisations for specific parameters during genuine emergencies (e.g. turbidity or chlorine residual outside normal limits) where public health risk is managed. However, TDS, microbiological parameters (E. coli, Enterococci), and nitrate must still comply without derogation. Monitoring of emergency supply must be conducted and results reported to DWI.
Temporary brine discharge from a modular RO unit to surface water or coastal waters requires an Environmental Permit or de minimis exemption from the Environment Agency. EA has simplified procedures for emergency water supply brine discharge (temporary activity exemption, typically available for up to 30 days without full permit). Longer-duration deployments require a standard activity environmental permit. Brine characteristics (TDS, chloride, sodium) must comply with permit conditions to protect receiving water quality.
Temporary modular desalination units connected to the public water supply distribution system (e.g. to inject treated water into an isolated zone) must comply with WRAS Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 including backflow prevention (Type AA or BA air gap at the connection point to prevent contamination of the public supply). The water company must approve any direct connection. Membrane units certified to WRAS or NSF 61 for materials in contact with drinking water should be used.
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