Water Desalination & Treatment
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 bar pressure, leading to high energy consumption, expensive high-pressure equipment, rapid membrane degradation,…
Technology brief
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 bar pressure, leading to high energy consumption, expensive high-pressure equipment, rapid membrane degradation,…
The challenge
Seawater desalination; industrial wastewater treatment; inland desalination with no brine discharge; municipal drinking water production; retrofit of existing RO plants; zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) systems.
ARBOK solution
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 bar pressure, leading to high energy consumption, expensive high-pressure equipment, rapid membrane degradation, large volumes of toxic brine, and high CAPEX and OPEX. Vacuum Osmosis is an ARBOK-developed evolution of reverse osmosis that replaces high-pressure compression with deep vacuum on the permeate side of the membrane. Instead of forcing water through membranes using extreme pressure, VO reduces the boiling and chemical potential of water by maintaining a deep vacuum on the permeate side, allowing desalination and purification at near-atmospheric feed pressure. The technology is fully compatible with existing RO membranes and installations, enabling retrofit without full system replacement, and when integrated with ARBOK-Brine it achieves zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD). Vacuum Osmosis does not improve RO — it removes its main physical limitation.
A deep vacuum is applied on the permeate side of a standard RO membrane, lowering the boiling point and chemical potential of water so that separation proceeds at near-atmospheric feed pressure instead of the 50–80 bar required by conventional RO. Membranes and installations are unchanged, so existing plants can be retrofitted. Paired with ARBOK-Brine, the concentrate stream is eliminated entirely.
Market and application
Seawater and inland desalination, industrial wastewater, municipal drinking water, and retrofit of the existing global RO installed base. The addressable opportunity spans the full installed base of RO desalination and water-treatment capacity worldwide, given the technology's retrofit compatibility, plus new-build seawater, inland, and municipal projects — placing it within one of the largest infrastructure markets in the water sector.
Reference: 10,000 m³/day desalination plant.
Annual energy consumption: RO 10.95–18.25 GWh; VO 2.19–4.74 GWh. Annual energy cost at $0.10/kWh: RO $1.10–1.83 million; VO $0.22–0.47 million. Annual energy savings: $876,000–$1,350,500 per year.
Additional economic effects: reduced CAPEX (no high-pressure pumps); extended membrane lifetime from lower mechanical stress; reduced chemical consumption; elimination of brine disposal costs; effective doubling of system output when paired with ARBOK-Brine.
Use cases
Seawater desalination; industrial wastewater treatment; inland desalination with no brine discharge; municipal drinking water production; retrofit of existing RO plants; zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) systems.
Retrofit into existing RO plants without full system replacement, or new-build installation. Ready for demonstration and commercial scaling.
ARBOK-Brine — enables zero-liquid-discharge and effectively doubles system output. Compatible with existing RO membranes and installations.
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 bar pressure, leading to high energy consumption, expensive high-pressure equipment, rapid membrane degradation, large volumes of toxic brine, and high CAPEX and OPEX. Vacuum Osmosis is an ARBOK-developed evolution of reverse osmosis that replaces high-pressure compression with deep vacuum on the permeate side of the membrane. Instead of forcing water through membranes using extreme pressure, VO reduces the boiling and chemical potential of water by maintaining a deep vacuum on the permeate side, allowing desalination and purification at near-atmospheric feed pressure. The technology is fully compatible with existing RO membranes and installations, enabling retrofit without full system replacement, and when integrated with ARBOK-Brine it achieves zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD). Vacuum Osmosis does not improve RO — it removes its main physical limitation.
Seawater desalination; industrial wastewater treatment; inland desalination with no brine discharge; municipal drinking water production; retrofit of existing RO plants; zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) systems.
A deep vacuum is applied on the permeate side of a standard RO membrane, lowering the boiling point and chemical potential of water so that separation proceeds at near-atmospheric feed pressure instead of the 50–80 bar required by conventional RO. Membranes and installations are unchanged, so existing plants can be retrofitted. Paired with ARBOK-Brine, the concentrate stream is eliminated entirely.
| Parameter | Conventional RO | ARBOK Vacuum Osmosis |
|---|---|---|
| Operating pressure (seawater) | 50–80 bar | Near-atmospheric, assisted by deep vacuum on the permeate side |
| Energy consumption | 3–5 kWh/m³ | 0.6–1.3 kWh/m³ |
| Energy savings | — | 74–80% |
| Water flux | 8–15 L/m²·h | 10–20 L/m²·h |
| Recovery efficiency | 55–70% | 75–85% |
| Productivity gain | — | +200–500 L/h per 100 m² membrane |
| Brine discharge | 30–45% | 0% (with ARBOK-Brine) |
| Chemicals | Required | Reduced / optional |
Standard RO membrane modules operated at near-atmospheric feed pressure with a deep-vacuum system maintained on the permeate side; no high-pressure pumps required. Fully compatible with existing RO membranes and installations for retrofit. Optional integration with ARBOK-Brine for zero-liquid-discharge.
Pressure reduction of 25–80× versus RO. Energy reduction of 74–80%. Higher membrane productivity (+20–30%) and system efficiency (+15–35%). Brine elimination up to 100% with ARBOK-Brine. Lower material stress giving longer membrane and equipment lifetime. Retrofit capability with minimal CAPEX. Strategic effect: lower energy means lower water price; lower pressure means longer system life; no brine means regulatory and ecological compliance — enabling large-scale, inland, and decentralized desalination previously considered impractical.
ARBOK-Brine — enables zero-liquid-discharge and effectively doubles system output. Compatible with existing RO membranes and installations.
Retrofit into existing RO plants without full system replacement, or new-build installation. Ready for demonstration and commercial scaling.
TRL 6–7 — Validated at pilot scale and compatible with industrial RO infrastructure; ready for demonstration and commercial scaling.
Seawater and inland desalination, industrial wastewater, municipal drinking water, and retrofit of the existing global RO installed base. The addressable opportunity spans the full installed base of RO desalination and water-treatment capacity worldwide, given the technology's retrofit compatibility, plus new-build seawater, inland, and municipal projects — placing it within one of the largest infrastructure markets in the water sector.
Reference: 10,000 m³/day desalination plant.
Annual energy consumption: RO 10.95–18.25 GWh; VO 2.19–4.74 GWh. Annual energy cost at $0.10/kWh: RO $1.10–1.83 million; VO $0.22–0.47 million. Annual energy savings: $876,000–$1,350,500 per year.
Additional economic effects: reduced CAPEX (no high-pressure pumps); extended membrane lifetime from lower mechanical stress; reduced chemical consumption; elimination of brine disposal costs; effective doubling of system output when paired with ARBOK-Brine.
Long-term reliability and maintenance burden of the vacuum system at full commercial scale; membrane compatibility across varying feedwater chemistries; integration risk when retrofitting diverse legacy RO plant designs; regulatory and permitting timelines for a new process variant in conservative water-utility markets; the full zero-liquid-discharge benefit depends on pairing with ARBOK-Brine; and potential competitive response from established RO and membrane incumbents as the technology scales toward commercial deployment.
ARBOK-Brine
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Partnership pathway