Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic director focused on measurable results and operational excellence in maritime education. Integrates IMO/STCW regulations and ISO 21001/9001 f
Masters · 1500 h · 11 modules
Master's in Sustainable Desalination and Brine Management
The Master's in Sustainable Desalination and Brine Management Prepares you to design, operate and evaluate desalination plants using technical, economic and environmental criteria. You will study seawater chemistry, reverse osmosi
Duration1500 h
FormatOnline
Starts16 November
Places20 / 20
Prior knowledge
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Programme overview
What is the Master’s in Sustainable Desalination and Brine Management?
The Master's in Sustainable Desalination and Brine Management
Prepares you to design, operate and evaluate desalination plants using technical, economic and environmental criteria. You will study seawater chemistry, reverse osmosis and other technologies, intake and pretreatment, energy efficiency and integration with renewables, with particular attention to brine management: how brine disperses in the sea, how to minimise its impacts and the valorisation options currently being researched and beginning to be applied.
Key advantages
- The full cycle: From seawater intake to brine discharge and valorisation.
- Energy focus: Efficiency, energy recovery and integration with renewables.
- Environmental perspective: Impacts, monitoring and good practice in the marine environment.
- Real-world operation: Fouling, cleaning, maintenance and quality control.
- Your own project: The conceptual design of a sustainable desalination plant.
Programme type
Master's Degree
Study mode
Online
Duration
1,500 hours
Modules
11
Programme highlights
- Master the technology: Understand reverse osmosis and thermal processes.
- Cut energy use: Apply energy recovery and renewables.
- Manage brine: Design low-impact outfalls and diffusers.
- Recover resources: Explore the recovery of salts and minerals.
- Boost your career: Open doors to engineering firms, water utilities and consultancies.
- Train to produce water sustainably in an increasingly water-stressed world.
Curriculum
Programme Structure
The programme is structured in 11 modules, listed below in order of study.
01
Water, Scarcity and Desalination
- Water scarcity and water stress
- Non-conventional water resources
- History and evolution of desalination
- Installed capacity worldwide
- Desalination and water resources planning
- Uses of desalinated water
- Seawater and brackish water
- Social aspects and public acceptance
- The Sustainable Development Goals
- Industry trends
02
Seawater Chemistry and Water Quality
- Composition of seawater
- Salinity and dissolved solids
- The carbonate system
- Boron and its removal
- Organic matter and micro-organisms
- Scaling indices
- Product water quality
- Remineralisation
- Drinking water regulations
- Laboratory analysis
03
Intake and Pretreatment
- Open intakes
- Beach well intakes
- Impacts of intakes on marine organisms
- Screening and filtration
- Coagulation and flocculation
- Dissolved air flotation
- Granular media filtration
- Ultrafiltration
- Managing algal blooms
- Chemical dosing
04
Reverse Osmosis
- Fundamentals of osmosis
- Osmotic pressure and transport
- Membranes and modules
- Stage and pass configurations
- Recovery and salt rejection
- Fouling and scaling
- Chemical cleaning of membranes
- Membrane design software
- Service life and replacement
- Next-generation membranes
05
Thermal Processes and Emerging Technologies
- Multi-effect distillation
- Multi-stage flash distillation
- Vapour compression
- Electrodialysis
- Membrane distillation
- Forward osmosis
- Capacitive deionisation
- Solar desalination
- Technology readiness
- Comparing technologies
06
Energy and Desalination
- Specific energy consumption
- Thermodynamic limits
- Energy recovery devices
- High-pressure pumps
- Operational efficiency
- Integration with solar energy
- Integration with wind energy
- Storage and flexibility
- Carbon footprint
- Energy audits
07
Brine Management and the Marine Environment
- Brine composition
- Behaviour of the saline plume
- Diffusers and outfalls
- Dispersion modelling
- Effects on seagrass and benthic communities
- Chemicals in the discharge
- Environmental monitoring programmes
- Discharge regulations
- Environmental impact assessment
- International good practice
08
Brine Valorisation and Minimal Discharge
- Brine concentration
- Minimal and zero liquid discharge
- Crystallisation and evaporation
- Salt recovery
- Recovering magnesium and other minerals
- Lithium extraction research
- Chemical production
- Circular economy in desalination
- Economic viability of valorisation
- Pilot projects
09
Operation, Maintenance and Digitalisation
- Organising operations
- Preventive and predictive maintenance
- Process control
- Sensors and instrumentation
- Digital twins of plants
- Incident management
- Health and safety at work
- Chemical management
- Performance indicators
- Continuous improvement
10
Economics, Procurement and Sustainability
- Capital and operating costs
- Cost of produced water
- Contracting models
- Public-private partnerships
- Life cycle assessment
- Sustainability assessment
- Project risks
- Financing plants
- Small-scale desalination
- International case studies
11
Master's Final Project: Conceptual Design of a Sustainable Desalination Plant
- Defining demand
- Site selection
- Intake design
- Pretreatment design
- Sizing the reverse osmosis system
- Energy strategy
- Brine management
- Economic analysis
- Writing the dissertation
- Defence before a panel
Workload
Study Time and Workload
1500 hours of study, online and at your own pace. Move the slider to the hours a week you can really put in.
Hours a week8
Weeks to finish—
You finish around—
Who it is for
Chemical, mechanical, civil and environmental engineers: who want to specialise in desalination Water company staff: who operate or manage treatment plants Environmental consultants: who assess brine discharges and their impact Water resources authority staff: who plan non-conventional water resources Graduates in chemistry, environmental science or marine science: looking for a technical
Faculty
Academic direction and faculty
The teaching team at Navalis: working professionals who deliver and oversee the institute's programmes.
Eng. Diego Cifuentes
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)
Dr. Pau Ferrer
Dr. Nuria Llobregat
Eng. Javier Bañuls
Eng. Sofía Marquina
Eng. Tomás Riera
Verified reviews
Student Reviews
Reviews collected and verified by Opynio, not written by us.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
- 01Understand seawater as a resource
- 02Master desalination technologies
- 03Design intake and pretreatment
- 04Optimise energy
- 05Manage brine
- 06Assess feasibility
Careers
Career Opportunities
01Desalination process engineer: Designing and optimising plants at engineering firms.
02Plant manager: Operating and maintaining desalination plants.
03Environmental consultant: Brine discharge studies and environmental monitoring.
04Membrane specialist: Technical support at manufacturers and suppliers.
05Water resources planner: Non-conventional water resources in public administration.
06Water project analyst: Technical and economic feasibility of projects.
Questions
Entry Requirements
It is not essential. The programme starts from the fundamentals, although a technical or scientific background helps.
Yes. A full module is devoted to its dispersion, its effects and environmental monitoring of the discharge.
Some options, such as salt recovery, are already applied; others, such as lithium extraction, are still at research stage. The programme explains this rigorously.
Yes. You work with membrane design software and dispersion models.
The conceptual design of a sustainable desalination plant, from intake to brine management.
100% online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, live sessions that are recorded, and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The programme involves 1500 hours of study. You can work at your own pace within the timetable we give you when you enrol.
Each programme has its own start date, shown on this page and confirmed by our admissions team when you enquire.
On completing the programme you receive the Master's in Sustainable Desalination and Brine Management qualification awarded by Navalis Magna Institute.
Online admissions
Admissions Process
No waiting for a phone call. If your documents are complete, you can pay in the same session.
Entry requirements
Academic/professional profile: A degree in chemical, mechanical, civil or environmental engineering, chemistry, environmental science, marine science or a related field; or proven professional experience in the water sector. Language: A good working level of English to follow classes and materials. Technical requirements: A computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a webcam for live sessions and project presentations. Admissions process: Online application, profile review and a short interview with the academic team. We confirm your start date when you enquire
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Leave your details and admissions will write back. If you already know this is the one, go straight to the application and pay in the same session.