Monitoring of inorganic and organic pollutants in the desalinated water from thermal desalination plants

Monitoring of inorganic and organic pollutants in the produced water from Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) seawater desalination plants was carried out over 20 y on the eastern coast and 8 y on the western coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Water samples from SWCC plants were analyzed with an emphasis on toxic elements such as mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, selenium, chromium, and toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) arising due to chlorination. Considering the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water, results show compliance with all the values for the components analyzed and found to be under the SASO and WHO regulations. Over the 20 y of the study, elevated THM concentrations were found for all plants located on the Arabian Gulf in the years 2001–2003, and elevated arsenic concentrations for the same plants in 2007. The fact that these increased levels were reported for all plants on the Arabian Gulf suggest they arise from systemic environmental effects impacting this restricted body of water.