Water Desalination & Treatment
is a compact, zero-discharge system that extracts sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃, soda ash) from seawater, brines, or wastewater as part of ARBOK's evaporative separation platform, while co-producing freshwater, technical salt, and other mineral fractions.
Technology brief
is a compact, zero-discharge system that extracts sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃, soda ash) from seawater, brines, or wastewater as part of ARBOK's evaporative separation platform, while co-producing freshwater, technical salt, and other mineral fractions.
The challenge
Primary use cases: soda-ash recovery from seawater, industrial brine, or lake brine; combined desalination + mineral recovery.
Industries and users: glass and detergent makers, chemical producers, water utilities, desulfurization operators.
Scale: 200 m³/day per 20-ft module; scalable by unit count; suited to brine-rich coastal sites.
ARBOK solution
ARBOK-SODA is a compact, zero-discharge system that extracts sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃, soda ash) from seawater, brines, or wastewater as part of ARBOK's evaporative separation platform, while co-producing freshwater, technical salt, and other mineral fractions. It replaces the energy- and chemical-intensive Solvay process and trona mining — which generate large CO₂ and brine waste — with a low-energy, modular, reagent-free unit ideal for coastal or brine-rich regions.
Brine or seawater enters a vertical vacuum module with integrated separation, crystallization, and condensation stages; water evaporates at ambient temperature and condenses as freshwater, while soda ash, technical salt, and mineral fractions crystallize out. Fully enclosed, no external reagents, no discharge.
Limitations: soda yield scales with feed composition; crystallized-product handling per fraction.
Market and application
Global soda-ash demand exceeds 60 million tons/year and is growing (glass, detergents, chemicals). Brine-integrated recovery opens low-carbon supply, especially where desalination or saline discharge already exists.
OPEX driven by ~0.8 kWh/ton energy; no reagents. Revenue stacks soda ash + freshwater + salt. CAPEX modular per 200 m³/day unit; payback site-specific (feed soda concentration). (Detailed economics to be modelled per site.)
Use cases
Primary use cases: soda-ash recovery from seawater, industrial brine, or lake brine; combined desalination + mineral recovery.
Industries and users: glass and detergent makers, chemical producers, water utilities, desulfurization operators.
Scale: 200 m³/day per 20-ft module; scalable by unit count; suited to brine-rich coastal sites.
Steps: brine assay → unit sizing → container install → commissioning. Open-air, ambient temperature, renewable-compatible. Continuous, automated, minimal staffing.
Co-locates with desalination and brine operations; SCADA/PLC ready; cascades with other ARBOK brine-recovery units (boron, salt, lithium).
ARBOK-SODA is a compact, zero-discharge system that extracts sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃, soda ash) from seawater, brines, or wastewater as part of ARBOK's evaporative separation platform, while co-producing freshwater, technical salt, and other mineral fractions. It replaces the energy- and chemical-intensive Solvay process and trona mining — which generate large CO₂ and brine waste — with a low-energy, modular, reagent-free unit ideal for coastal or brine-rich regions.
Primary use cases: soda-ash recovery from seawater, industrial brine, or lake brine; combined desalination + mineral recovery.
Industries and users: glass and detergent makers, chemical producers, water utilities, desulfurization operators.
Scale: 200 m³/day per 20-ft module; scalable by unit count; suited to brine-rich coastal sites.
Brine or seawater enters a vertical vacuum module with integrated separation, crystallization, and condensation stages; water evaporates at ambient temperature and condenses as freshwater, while soda ash, technical salt, and mineral fractions crystallize out. Fully enclosed, no external reagents, no discharge.
Limitations: soda yield scales with feed composition; crystallized-product handling per fraction.
Energy: ~0.8 kWh/ton of processed input.
Soda ash yield: seawater ~1.8–2.3 kg/m³; soda-rich brine up to 15–25 kg/m³.
Freshwater recovery: 60–85 % (input-dependent). Salt recovery: ~35 kg/m³ average.
Unit capacity: 200 m³/day; 20-ft vertical module, 9 m² footprint.
Vertical 20-ft vacuum module with separation, crystallization, and condensation stages; freshwater collection; soda-ash and salt extraction; control system (PLC/automation). Compact, mobile, scalable by unit count.
Technical: reagent-free; co-produces water + salt + soda ash; enclosed, no discharge.
Economic: ~0.8 kWh/ton energy; multi-product revenue from one stream; modular CAPEX.
Environmental: avoids Solvay/trona CO₂ and brine waste; zero discharge.
Strategic: domestic soda-ash supply from owned brine/seawater; fits brine-rich regions lacking infrastructure.
Co-locates with desalination and brine operations; SCADA/PLC ready; cascades with other ARBOK brine-recovery units (boron, salt, lithium).
Steps: brine assay → unit sizing → container install → commissioning. Open-air, ambient temperature, renewable-compatible. Continuous, automated, minimal staffing.
TRL 7 (confirmed by Michael). Prototype proven in operational environment: pilot-scale modules tested on brine and seawater with stable soda-ash extraction. Remaining: full-scale commercial deployments and product-grade qualification.
Global soda-ash demand exceeds 60 million tons/year and is growing (glass, detergents, chemicals). Brine-integrated recovery opens low-carbon supply, especially where desalination or saline discharge already exists.
OPEX driven by ~0.8 kWh/ton energy; no reagents. Revenue stacks soda ash + freshwater + salt. CAPEX modular per 200 m³/day unit; payback site-specific (feed soda concentration). (Detailed economics to be modelled per site.)
Yield depends on feed composition; product-grade qualification (glass/detergent buyers); conservative incumbents (Solvay/trona); needs documented pilot reference.
ARBOK-Boron Separation (ASB) · Vacuum Osmosis · ARBOK LIGHT-SALT · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)
Related technologies
desalinates seawater by combining two principles that are not normally used together: thermodynamic evaporative cooling and plasma pulse technology.
is a breakthrough autonomous floating desalination system using modular hexagonal cells ("sotas") deployed on seawater surfaces.
Conventional reverse osmosis (RO) is the dominant technology for desalination and water purification but is fundamentally constrained by physics and economics: seawater RO requires 50–80…
Partnership pathway