The project “Hydrate Technology for Treating Saline Water,” led by Dr. Trương Lâm Sơn Hải, developed a desalination system using hydrate technology. The system achieved 70-78% efficiency with CPH and removed nearly 90% of ions with HFC-134a, offering significant potential to address freshwater shortages in the Mekong Delta.

On 17th February, at VNUHCM-University of Science, the VNUHCM Scientific and Technological Project Evaluation Council held a meeting to assess the project titled “Hydrate Technology in Treating Saline Water in the Mekong Delta Provinces.” The project was carried out between February 2023 and February 2025 (24 months) by Dr. Trương Lâm Sơn Hải, Project Leader and a lecturer from the Faculty of Chemistry, along with his research team.

Saline water contamination had become a significant challenge for the Mekong Delta provinces, particularly with the increasing issue of saltwater intrusion. The primary aim of the project was to develop a system for treating seawater and saline water using hydrate technology at the Laboratory of the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, VNUHCM-University of Science.

The research focused on investigating the thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrate-forming compounds to determine suitable operational conditions for their application in desalinating seawater and saline water samples collected from Ben Tre Province, Viet Nam.

The research team conducted investigations into the thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrate-forming compounds to identify the optimal operational conditions. Between 2023 and 2024, the team conducted four field surveys, collecting water samples along the Ba Lai River in Ben Tre Province. These samples were analysed for key physicochemical parameters (salinity, conductivity, TDS, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Br⁻, Cl⁻, F⁻, SO₄²⁻) according to national standards, to assess treatment efficiency before and after the application of hydrate technology.

Research Results and Applications

The project successfully developed a seawater and saline water treatment system using cyclopentane hydrate (CPH) technology at the Laboratory of the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, VNUHCM-University of Science. The research also investigated hydrate-forming compounds to select the most suitable compound for desalination in Ben Tre Province, Viet Nam.

Thermodynamic and kinetic studies of hydrate-forming compounds were conducted to improve the efficiency of the desalination process using hydrate technology. The project also referenced desalination equipment using R134a hydrate at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, comparing data with the CPH hydrate technology developed at the University of Science’s Analytical Chemistry Department.

The results showed that CPH technology achieved desalination efficiency of 70-78% after a single treatment cycle, while the HFC-134a hydrate technology removed nearly 90% of ions from the water after just one treatment. This marked an important step in evaluating the potential application of hydrate technology in the Mekong Delta.

Additionally, the research findings were published in prestigious international journals indexed in Scopus, including two Q1 papers, one Q2 paper, and one Q3 paper, as well as one article in the Journal of Science and Technology Development – VNUHCM. The project also made a significant contribution to training human resources, supporting one graduate student in completing their master’s thesis and ten students in successfully defending their graduation theses.

The Project Evaluation Council highly appreciated the efforts and results achieved by the project. This evaluation was regarded as a foundation for further research into the application of hydrate technology in desalination, which could improve desalination processes to meet the quality requirements for output water. Specifically, it could help address the ongoing freshwater shortages in coastal regions, islands, and Mekong Delta areas currently suffering from saltwater intrusion.

Minh Tâm _ Translated by ℙ𝕄ℕ