Wastewater Treatment of Petrochemical Industry Using Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Systems: Advantages, Challenges, and Solutions
Subject Areas : Water and wastewater technology
1 - Head of Research and Technology Unit, Engineering Management, Petrochemical Industries Development Management Company
Keywords: Petrochemical industry, Wastewater treatment, Technology, Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system,
Abstract :
Due to the global water crisis, the treatment and reuse of industrial wastewater, particularly in water-intensive industries such as petrochemicals, has become a key strategy for sustainable water resource management. In recent years, growing awareness of water scarcity and water pollution, together with environmental regulatory requirements and the high costs associated with wastewater disposal, has led to increased attention toward Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology. This article introduces ZLD systems and examines their applications across various processes and operations in the petrochemical industry. Furthermore, the advantages, challenges, and proposed solutions for managing existing challenges are discussed. The study also reviews process and technological development trends, market demand for ZLD systems, and their anticipated growth prospects.
References:
حسینی ثابت، سید مسعود (1396). معرفی فناوریهای نوین در بازچرخانی آب در کشاورزی، صنایع و سایر مصارف آب. وزارت جهادکشاورزی، مؤسسه پژوهشهای برنامهریزی، اقتصاد کشاورزی و توسعه روستایی.
حویزی، جمالالدین؛ پور سعادت، مجید (1387). افزایش راندمان و سیکل تغلیظ برجهای خنک کننده و کاهش ریسک رسوبگذاری در مبدلهای حرارتی. مجموعه -مقالات اولین کنفرانس پتروشیمی ایران، تهران. https://civilica.com/doc/42591
شکرالله زاده سهیلا؛ فولادوند، محمدتقی (1402). سامانه تخلیه مایع صفر (ZLD): مروری بر رویکردهای نوین در بازیابی آب از منابع آبی نامتعارف. دو ماهنامه مهندسی شیمی ایران، شماره 130، دوره 22، صفحات 26-7.
عزیزی، مجتبی؛ اصغرزاده، مهدی؛ عبدالملکی، عباس؛ رشیدی، فریبرز (1403). شبیهسازی، بهینهسازی بررسی فنی و اقتصادی تصفیه پساب فلزات سنگین سمی بهروش تخلیه صفر مایع (ZLD) . فصلنامه رهیافتی در مدیریت نفت و گاز، 5(3)1-20.
فاطمینیا، رضا (1403). هوشمصنوعی، ابزاری قدرتمند در توسعه و ارتقا رقابت پذیری صنایع پتروشیمی. مجموعه- مقالات هشتمین کنفرانس بین المللی توسعه فناوری در مهندسی شیمی، تهران. https://civilica.com/doc/2242800
نوشادی، مسعود و افسری، محمد (1399). تعیین فرآیند بهینه ZLD برای استفاده دوباره از پساب سیستمهای اسمز معکوس (مطالعه موردی: سیستم اسمز معکوس شهرستان لار). مجله پژوهش آب ایران، 14(2)، صفحات 143-131.
Agrawal, R., Agrawal, S., Samadhiya, A., Kumar, A., Luthra, S., & Jain, V. (2024). Adoption of green finance and green innovation for achieving circularity: An exploratory review and future directions. Geoscience frontiers, 15(4), 101669.
Aksenov, V., Tsarev, N., Nichkova, I., & Tatyannikova, E. (2020). Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) industrial wastewater treatment systems as sustainable development basic ecological components. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 972, No. 1, p. 012037). IOP Publishing.
Alspach, B., & Juby, G. (2018). Cost-effective ZLD technology for desalination concentrate management. Journal AWWA, 110(1), 37-47.
Barrington, D. J., & Ho, G. (2014). Towards zero liquid discharge: the use of water auditing to identify water conservation measures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, 571-576.
Biznustek Global, USA, Future Trends in Zero Liquid Discharge Technologies https://www.linkedin.com/company/biznustekglobal (accessed on 10 February, 2025).
Bjorklund, D. (2017). ZLD Success Factors. https://www.power-eng.com. operations-maintenance/ ZLD Success Factors.
Chaturvedi, R. (2025). Introduction to Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD): A Growing Global Concern. In Zero Liquid Discharge Wastewater Treatment System: From Introduction to Application (pp. 1-9). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Chen, Q., Burhan, M., Shahzad, M. W., Ybyraiymkul, D., Akhtar, F. H., Li, Y., & Ng, K. C. (2021). A zero liquid discharge system integrating multi-effect distillation and evaporative crystallization for desalination brine treatment. Desalination, 502, 114928.
D. D.. Sahithya and M. V. V. C.. Lakshmi. (2023). Comparitive Study of Two ZLD Treatment Plants. ijmst, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 2743-2751.
Díaz, O., Segredo-Morales, E., Figueira, A., & González, E. (2022). Research trends on desalination: zero-liquid discharge of brine (ZLD). Desalination and Water Treatment, 273, 1-12.
Garvit K. Jain (2025). what is zero liquid discharge and why is it important. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2025/04/what-is-zero-liquid-discharge-why-is-it-important.
Giwa, A [A.], Dufour, V., Al Marzooqi, F., Al Kaabi, M., & Hasan, S. W. (2017). Brine management methods: Recent innovations and current status. Desalination, 407, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2016.12.008
Glan Devadhas, G., Muthulakshmi, S., Jameer Basha, S.K., Selvi, V., Sadhik Basha, J. (2025). Future Directions for IoT and AI-Based Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Systems in Industrial Applications. In: Parray, J.A., Li, WJ., Haghi, A.K. (eds) Zero Liquid Discharge Wastewater Treatment System. Springer Water. Springer, Cham.
Hosseinipour, E., & Davies, P. A. (2024). Effect of membrane properties on the performance of batch reverse osmosis (RO): the potential to minimize energy consumption. Desalination, 577, 117378.
Hövel, T. (2021). Discussion of Zero Liquid Discharge as a solution for desalination brine management-A case study at Desolenator’s project in Dubai.
Hpe Marketting Team (2023). Zero liquid discharge (zld). https://hoaphat-eco.com/en/zero-liquid-discharge-zld.
Jafarinejad, S., & Jiang, S. C. (2019). Current technologies and future directions for treating petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants (PRPP) wastewaters. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 7(5), 103326.
Koech, L., Rutto, H., Lerotholi, L., Everson, R. C., Neomagus, H., Branken, D., & Moganelwa, A. (2021). Spray drying absorption for desulphurization: a review of recent developments. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 23(6), 1665-1686.
Kress, N. (2019). Desalination Technologies. In N. Kress (Ed.), Marine Impacts of Seawater Desalination (pp. 11–34). Elsevier.
Liang, Y., Lin, X., Kong, X., Duan, Q., Wang, P., Mei, X., & Ma, J. (2021). Making waves: zero liquid discharge for sustainable industrial effluent management. Water, 13(20), 2852.
Liao, B., Zeng, X., Ling, Z., Zhao, S., Li, B., & Han, X. (2025). Recent Advances in Zero Discharge Treatment Technologies for Desulfurization Wastewater in Coal-Fired Power Plants: A Mini-Review. Processes, 13(4), 982.
Menon, A. K., Haechler, I., Kaur, S., Lubner, S., & Prasher, R. S. (2020). Enhanced solar evaporation using a photo-thermal umbrella for wastewater management. Nature Sustainability, 3(2), 144-151.
Modi, D. & Modi, Shivam.(2020). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/zero-liquid-discharge-green-technology-ict-green-technology.
Modi, R., Kavaiya, A. R., Vanzara, P. B., & Raval, H. D. (2022). Membranes in zero-liquid-discharge systems for efficient processes toward sustainable environment: A review. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 148(11), 03122004.
Mohammadi, S., Ahmadi, M. H., & Ehsani, R. (2024). Investigating the effect of effective parameters on the optimization of zero liquid discharge system. International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, 19, 1380-1390.
Mov Chimeng ,2014,Development of a Zero Liquid Discharge Approach for Cooling Tower Blowdown in Petrochemical Industry, A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology School of Environment, Resources and Development Thailand.
Muhammad, Y., & Lee, W. (2019). Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for resource recovery from wastewater: A review. The Science of the Total Environment, 681, 551–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.062
Namdeti, R. (2023). Revolutionizing water sustainability: a comprehensive exploration of zero liquid discharge strategies. Power Syst. Technol. 47 (2)(2023).
Nibe, R. L., Hinge, R. V., Divate, S. B. (2022). Wastewater Treatment By Zero Liquid Discharge Process (ZLD) Journal: JETIR, Volume 9, Issue 4.
Oren, Y., Korngold, E., Daltrophe, N., Messalem, R., Volkman, Y., Aronov, L. & Gilron, J. (2010). Pilot studies on high recovery BWRO-EDR for near zero liquid discharge approach. Desalination, 261(3), 321-330.
Panagopoulos, A. (2020a). A comparative study on minimum and actual energy consumption for the treatment of desalination brine. Energy, 118733.
Panagopoulos, A., & Haralambous, K. J. (2020). Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) strategies for wastewater management and resource recovery – Analysis, challenges and prospects. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 104418.
Panagopoulos, A., & Michailidis, P. (2025). Membrane technologies for sustainable wastewater treatment: Advances, challenges, and applications in zero liquid discharge (zld) and minimal liquid discharge (mld) systems. Membranes, 15(2), 64.
Panagopoulos, A., Haralambous, K. J., & Loizidou, M. (2019). Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies-A review. Science of the Total Environment, 693, 133545.
Patel, K., Aghera, R., Mistry, D., & Jasrotia, E. (2017). A zero liquid discharge in pharmaceutical industry. Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol, 4(5), 1110-1114.
Poirier, K., Al Mhanna, N., & Patchigolla, K. (2022). Techno-economic analysis of brine treatment by multi-crystallization separation process for zero liquid discharge. Separations, 9(10), 295.
Precedence research (2025). Zero liquid discharge systems market. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/zero-liquid-discharge-systems-market
Pundir, A., Thakur, M. S., Radha, Goel, B., Prakash, S., Kumari, N.,... & Kumar, M. (2024). Innovations in textile wastewater management: a review of zero liquid discharge technology. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(9), 12597-12616.
Rabiei, S., & Paterson, A. H. (2025). The Effect of Membrane Surface Hydrophobicity on the Performance and Water Production Cost of a Desalination Unit. Membranes, 15(2), 63.
Radha, Sharma, N., Prakash, S., Kumari, N., Sharma, D., Laller, R.,... & Puri, S. (2025). From challenges to opportunities: exploring minimum liquid discharge and zero liquid discharge strategies for wastewater management and resource recovery. In Role of science and technology for sustainable future: Volume 2-applied sciences and technologies (pp. 371-394). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Rajamani, S. (2016). Novel industrial wastewater treatment integrated with recovery of water and salt under a zero liquid discharge concept. Reviews on Environmental Health, 31(1), 63-66.
Rathoure, A. K. (2020). Zero liquid discharge treatment systems: prerequisite to industries. MOJ Ecol. Environ. Sci, 5, 1-10.
Research and Markets (2021). Zero Liquid Discharge Systems Market Size, Share & Analysis, by System, by Technology, and by End-Use, and by Region, Forecast 2018–2028. Available online: Research and Markets.com (accessed on 4 September 2021).
Ricky, R., Shanthakumar, S., Ganapathy, G. P., & Chiampo, F. (2022). Zero liquid discharge system for the tannery industry—an overview of sustainable approaches. Recycling, 7(3), 31.
Saiyad, M., Shah, N., Shettyan, U., Modi, H., Joshipura, M., Dwivedi, A., & Pillai, S. (2025). Zero Liquid Discharge in the Dye Intermediate Industry with the Primary Treatment Method. Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste, 29(1), 04024034.
Salih, M. H., Al-Alawy, A. F., & Ahmed, T. A. (2021, November). Oil skimming followed by coagulation/flocculation processes for oilfield produced water treatment and zero liquid discharge system application. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2372, No. 1, p. 060006). AIP Publishing LLC.
Santoro, S., Avci, A. H., Aquino, M., Pugliese, L., Straface, S., & Curcio, E. (2021). Towards the global rise of zero liquid discharge for wastewater management: the mining industry case in Chile. In Cost-efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Engineered Systems (pp. 505-518). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Saravanan, A., Kumar, P. S., Jeevanantham, S., Karishma, S., Tajsabreen, B., Yaashikaa, P. R., & Reshma, B. (2021). Effective water/wastewater treatment methodologies for toxic pollutants removal: Processes and applications towards sustainable development. Chemosphere, 280, 130595.
Scaleban. (2024). Advantages of scaleban technology over MEE-evaporato. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2024/03/5-advantages-of-scaleban-technology-over-mee-evaporator
Scaleban.(2023). Scaleban case study – project at Indorama Petrochem Ltd (IRPL), Thailand. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2023/10/indorama
Scaleban.(2023). Scaling up zero liquid discharge for large facilities. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2023/10/scaling-up-zero-liquid-discharge-for-large-facilities
Shafi, H. Z., Zubair, S. M., Matin, A., Alnoor, O., Kafiah, F., & Mahmood, A. (2018). Concentrate management technologies for desalination processes leading to zero liquid discharge: technologies, recent trends and future outlook. Desalination and Water Treatment, 105, 92-118.
Shah, A. V., Varjani, S., Srivastava, V. K., & Bhatnagar, A. (2020). Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) as sustainable technology—challenges and perspectives. NISCAIR-CSIR, India.
Shende, A. D., Chelani, A. B., Rao, N. N., & Pophali, G. R. (2021). Optimal selection of “zero liquid discharge” (ZLD) system using “analytical hierarchy process” (AHP) and “grey relational analysis” (GRA). Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(6), 8506-8523.
Subramani, A., DeCarolis, J., Pearce, W., & Jacangelo, J. G. (2012). Vibratory shear enhanced process (VSEP) for treating brackish water reverse osmosis concentrate with high silica content. Desalination, 291, 15–22
Tong, T., & Elimelech, M. (2016). The global rise of zero liquid discharge for wastewater management: drivers, technologies, and future directions. Environmental science & technology, 50(13), 6846-6855.
Veolia (2023). ZLD at the World’s Largest GTL Plant – Shell Pearl Qatar. https://www.veoliawatertech.com/en/case-studies/zld-worlds-largest-gas-liquid-plant
Visvanathan, C. (2013). Needs and Opportunities for Zero Liqud Discharge in Industries. Zero Liquid Discharge in Industries Training Program. Asian Institute of Technology School of Environment, Resources and Development Thailand.
Weaver, R., & Birch, H. (August 2020). Desalination Market Update: GWI DesalData Market Assessment Webinar. Gwi Desaldata.
Weimer, L. (2015). The global push for zero. http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-30/issue-1/technology-case-studies/the-global-push-for-zero.html.
Yaqub, M., & Lee, W. (2019). Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for resource recovery from wastewater: A review. Science of the total environment, 681, 551-563.
حسینی ثابت، سید مسعود (1396). معرفی فناوریهای نوین در بازچرخانی آب در کشاورزی، صنایع و سایر مصارف آب. وزارت جهادکشاورزی، مؤسسه پژوهشهای برنامهریزی، اقتصاد کشاورزی و توسعه روستایی.
حویزی، جمالالدین؛ پور سعادت، مجید (1387). افزایش راندمان و سیکل تغلیظ برجهای خنک کننده و کاهش ریسک رسوبگذاری در مبدلهای حرارتی. مجموعه -مقالات اولین کنفرانس پتروشیمی ایران، تهران. https://civilica.com/doc/42591
شکرالله زاده سهیلا؛ فولادوند، محمدتقی (1402). سامانه تخلیه مایع صفر (ZLD): مروری بر رویکردهای نوین در بازیابی آب از منابع آبی نامتعارف. دو ماهنامه مهندسی شیمی ایران، شماره 130، دوره 22، صفحات 26-7.
عزیزی، مجتبی؛ اصغرزاده، مهدی؛ عبدالملکی، عباس؛ رشیدی، فریبرز (1403). شبیهسازی، بهینهسازی بررسی فنی و اقتصادی تصفیه پساب فلزات سنگین سمی بهروش تخلیه صفر مایع (ZLD) . فصلنامه رهیافتی در مدیریت نفت و گاز، 5(3)1-20.
فاطمینیا، رضا (1403). هوشمصنوعی، ابزاری قدرتمند در توسعه و ارتقا رقابت پذیری صنایع پتروشیمی. مجموعه- مقالات هشتمین کنفرانس بین المللی توسعه فناوری در مهندسی شیمی، تهران. https://civilica.com/doc/2242800
نوشادی، مسعود و افسری، محمد (1399). تعیین فرآیند بهینه ZLD برای استفاده دوباره از پساب سیستمهای اسمز معکوس (مطالعه موردی: سیستم اسمز معکوس شهرستان لار). مجله پژوهش آب ایران، 14(2)، صفحات 143-131.
Agrawal, R., Agrawal, S., Samadhiya, A., Kumar, A., Luthra, S., & Jain, V. (2024). Adoption of green finance and green innovation for achieving circularity: An exploratory review and future directions. Geoscience frontiers, 15(4), 101669.
Aksenov, V., Tsarev, N., Nichkova, I., & Tatyannikova, E. (2020). Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) industrial wastewater treatment systems as sustainable development basic ecological components. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 972, No. 1, p. 012037). IOP Publishing.
Alspach, B., & Juby, G. (2018). Cost-effective ZLD technology for desalination concentrate management. Journal AWWA, 110(1), 37-47.
Barrington, D. J., & Ho, G. (2014). Towards zero liquid discharge: the use of water auditing to identify water conservation measures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, 571-576.
Biznustek Global, USA, Future Trends in Zero Liquid Discharge Technologies https://www.linkedin.com/company/biznustekglobal (accessed on 10 February, 2025).
Bjorklund, D. (2017). ZLD Success Factors. https://www.power-eng.com. operations-maintenance/ ZLD Success Factors.
Chaturvedi, R. (2025). Introduction to Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD): A Growing Global Concern. In Zero Liquid Discharge Wastewater Treatment System: From Introduction to Application (pp. 1-9). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Chen, Q., Burhan, M., Shahzad, M. W., Ybyraiymkul, D., Akhtar, F. H., Li, Y., & Ng, K. C. (2021). A zero liquid discharge system integrating multi-effect distillation and evaporative crystallization for desalination brine treatment. Desalination, 502, 114928.
D. D.. Sahithya and M. V. V. C.. Lakshmi. (2023). Comparitive Study of Two ZLD Treatment Plants. ijmst, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 2743-2751.
Díaz, O., Segredo-Morales, E., Figueira, A., & González, E. (2022). Research trends on desalination: zero-liquid discharge of brine (ZLD). Desalination and Water Treatment, 273, 1-12.
Garvit K. Jain (2025). what is zero liquid discharge and why is it important. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2025/04/what-is-zero-liquid-discharge-why-is-it-important.
Giwa, A [A.], Dufour, V., Al Marzooqi, F., Al Kaabi, M., & Hasan, S. W. (2017). Brine management methods: Recent innovations and current status. Desalination, 407, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2016.12.008
Glan Devadhas, G., Muthulakshmi, S., Jameer Basha, S.K., Selvi, V., Sadhik Basha, J. (2025). Future Directions for IoT and AI-Based Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Systems in Industrial Applications. In: Parray, J.A., Li, WJ., Haghi, A.K. (eds) Zero Liquid Discharge Wastewater Treatment System. Springer Water. Springer, Cham.
Hosseinipour, E., & Davies, P. A. (2024). Effect of membrane properties on the performance of batch reverse osmosis (RO): the potential to minimize energy consumption. Desalination, 577, 117378.
Hövel, T. (2021). Discussion of Zero Liquid Discharge as a solution for desalination brine management-A case study at Desolenator’s project in Dubai.
Hpe Marketting Team (2023). Zero liquid discharge (zld). https://hoaphat-eco.com/en/zero-liquid-discharge-zld.
Jafarinejad, S., & Jiang, S. C. (2019). Current technologies and future directions for treating petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants (PRPP) wastewaters. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 7(5), 103326.
Koech, L., Rutto, H., Lerotholi, L., Everson, R. C., Neomagus, H., Branken, D., & Moganelwa, A. (2021). Spray drying absorption for desulphurization: a review of recent developments. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 23(6), 1665-1686.
Kress, N. (2019). Desalination Technologies. In N. Kress (Ed.), Marine Impacts of Seawater Desalination (pp. 11–34). Elsevier.
Liang, Y., Lin, X., Kong, X., Duan, Q., Wang, P., Mei, X., & Ma, J. (2021). Making waves: zero liquid discharge for sustainable industrial effluent management. Water, 13(20), 2852.
Liao, B., Zeng, X., Ling, Z., Zhao, S., Li, B., & Han, X. (2025). Recent Advances in Zero Discharge Treatment Technologies for Desulfurization Wastewater in Coal-Fired Power Plants: A Mini-Review. Processes, 13(4), 982.
Menon, A. K., Haechler, I., Kaur, S., Lubner, S., & Prasher, R. S. (2020). Enhanced solar evaporation using a photo-thermal umbrella for wastewater management. Nature Sustainability, 3(2), 144-151.
Modi, D. & Modi, Shivam.(2020). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/zero-liquid-discharge-green-technology-ict-green-technology.
Modi, R., Kavaiya, A. R., Vanzara, P. B., & Raval, H. D. (2022). Membranes in zero-liquid-discharge systems for efficient processes toward sustainable environment: A review. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 148(11), 03122004.
Mohammadi, S., Ahmadi, M. H., & Ehsani, R. (2024). Investigating the effect of effective parameters on the optimization of zero liquid discharge system. International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, 19, 1380-1390.
Mov Chimeng ,2014,Development of a Zero Liquid Discharge Approach for Cooling Tower Blowdown in Petrochemical Industry, A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology School of Environment, Resources and Development Thailand.
Muhammad, Y., & Lee, W. (2019). Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for resource recovery from wastewater: A review. The Science of the Total Environment, 681, 551–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.062
Namdeti, R. (2023). Revolutionizing water sustainability: a comprehensive exploration of zero liquid discharge strategies. Power Syst. Technol. 47 (2)(2023).
Nibe, R. L., Hinge, R. V., Divate, S. B. (2022). Wastewater Treatment By Zero Liquid Discharge Process (ZLD) Journal: JETIR, Volume 9, Issue 4.
Oren, Y., Korngold, E., Daltrophe, N., Messalem, R., Volkman, Y., Aronov, L. & Gilron, J. (2010). Pilot studies on high recovery BWRO-EDR for near zero liquid discharge approach. Desalination, 261(3), 321-330.
Panagopoulos, A. (2020a). A comparative study on minimum and actual energy consumption for the treatment of desalination brine. Energy, 118733.
Panagopoulos, A., & Haralambous, K. J. (2020). Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) strategies for wastewater management and resource recovery – Analysis, challenges and prospects. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 104418.
Panagopoulos, A., & Michailidis, P. (2025). Membrane technologies for sustainable wastewater treatment: Advances, challenges, and applications in zero liquid discharge (zld) and minimal liquid discharge (mld) systems. Membranes, 15(2), 64.
Panagopoulos, A., Haralambous, K. J., & Loizidou, M. (2019). Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies-A review. Science of the Total Environment, 693, 133545.
Patel, K., Aghera, R., Mistry, D., & Jasrotia, E. (2017). A zero liquid discharge in pharmaceutical industry. Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol, 4(5), 1110-1114.
Poirier, K., Al Mhanna, N., & Patchigolla, K. (2022). Techno-economic analysis of brine treatment by multi-crystallization separation process for zero liquid discharge. Separations, 9(10), 295.
Precedence research (2025). Zero liquid discharge systems market. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/zero-liquid-discharge-systems-market
Pundir, A., Thakur, M. S., Radha, Goel, B., Prakash, S., Kumari, N.,... & Kumar, M. (2024). Innovations in textile wastewater management: a review of zero liquid discharge technology. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(9), 12597-12616.
Rabiei, S., & Paterson, A. H. (2025). The Effect of Membrane Surface Hydrophobicity on the Performance and Water Production Cost of a Desalination Unit. Membranes, 15(2), 63.
Radha, Sharma, N., Prakash, S., Kumari, N., Sharma, D., Laller, R.,... & Puri, S. (2025). From challenges to opportunities: exploring minimum liquid discharge and zero liquid discharge strategies for wastewater management and resource recovery. In Role of science and technology for sustainable future: Volume 2-applied sciences and technologies (pp. 371-394). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Rajamani, S. (2016). Novel industrial wastewater treatment integrated with recovery of water and salt under a zero liquid discharge concept. Reviews on Environmental Health, 31(1), 63-66.
Rathoure, A. K. (2020). Zero liquid discharge treatment systems: prerequisite to industries. MOJ Ecol. Environ. Sci, 5, 1-10.
Research and Markets (2021). Zero Liquid Discharge Systems Market Size, Share & Analysis, by System, by Technology, and by End-Use, and by Region, Forecast 2018–2028. Available online: Research and Markets.com (accessed on 4 September 2021).
Ricky, R., Shanthakumar, S., Ganapathy, G. P., & Chiampo, F. (2022). Zero liquid discharge system for the tannery industry—an overview of sustainable approaches. Recycling, 7(3), 31.
Saiyad, M., Shah, N., Shettyan, U., Modi, H., Joshipura, M., Dwivedi, A., & Pillai, S. (2025). Zero Liquid Discharge in the Dye Intermediate Industry with the Primary Treatment Method. Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste, 29(1), 04024034.
Salih, M. H., Al-Alawy, A. F., & Ahmed, T. A. (2021, November). Oil skimming followed by coagulation/flocculation processes for oilfield produced water treatment and zero liquid discharge system application. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2372, No. 1, p. 060006). AIP Publishing LLC.
Santoro, S., Avci, A. H., Aquino, M., Pugliese, L., Straface, S., & Curcio, E. (2021). Towards the global rise of zero liquid discharge for wastewater management: the mining industry case in Chile. In Cost-efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Engineered Systems (pp. 505-518). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Saravanan, A., Kumar, P. S., Jeevanantham, S., Karishma, S., Tajsabreen, B., Yaashikaa, P. R., & Reshma, B. (2021). Effective water/wastewater treatment methodologies for toxic pollutants removal: Processes and applications towards sustainable development. Chemosphere, 280, 130595.
Scaleban. (2024). Advantages of scaleban technology over MEE-evaporato. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2024/03/5-advantages-of-scaleban-technology-over-mee-evaporator
Scaleban.(2023). Scaleban case study – project at Indorama Petrochem Ltd (IRPL), Thailand. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2023/10/indorama
Scaleban.(2023). Scaling up zero liquid discharge for large facilities. https://scalebanindia.co.in/2023/10/scaling-up-zero-liquid-discharge-for-large-facilities
Shafi, H. Z., Zubair, S. M., Matin, A., Alnoor, O., Kafiah, F., & Mahmood, A. (2018). Concentrate management technologies for desalination processes leading to zero liquid discharge: technologies, recent trends and future outlook. Desalination and Water Treatment, 105, 92-118.
Shah, A. V., Varjani, S., Srivastava, V. K., & Bhatnagar, A. (2020). Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) as sustainable technology—challenges and perspectives. NISCAIR-CSIR, India.
Shende, A. D., Chelani, A. B., Rao, N. N., & Pophali, G. R. (2021). Optimal selection of “zero liquid discharge” (ZLD) system using “analytical hierarchy process” (AHP) and “grey relational analysis” (GRA). Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(6), 8506-8523.
Subramani, A., DeCarolis, J., Pearce, W., & Jacangelo, J. G. (2012). Vibratory shear enhanced process (VSEP) for treating brackish water reverse osmosis concentrate with high silica content. Desalination, 291, 15–22
Tong, T., & Elimelech, M. (2016). The global rise of zero liquid discharge for wastewater management: drivers, technologies, and future directions. Environmental science & technology, 50(13), 6846-6855.
Veolia (2023). ZLD at the World’s Largest GTL Plant – Shell Pearl Qatar. https://www.veoliawatertech.com/en/case-studies/zld-worlds-largest-gas-liquid-plant
Visvanathan, C. (2013). Needs and Opportunities for Zero Liqud Discharge in Industries. Zero Liquid Discharge in Industries Training Program. Asian Institute of Technology School of Environment, Resources and Development Thailand.
Weaver, R., & Birch, H. (August 2020). Desalination Market Update: GWI DesalData Market Assessment Webinar. Gwi Desaldata.
Weimer, L. (2015). The global push for zero. http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-30/issue-1/technology-case-studies/the-global-push-for-zero.html.
Yaqub, M., & Lee, W. (2019). Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for resource recovery from wastewater: A review. Science of the total environment, 681, 551-563.
