Table 11.
Itemized costs and savings involved in an FDFO process
| Costs | Source | |
| CAPEX | ||
| Cost of FO membrane (incl. shipping) (USD) | 5900 | Porifera Inc (2021) |
| OPEX (/m3) | ||
| Cost of water (USD) | 0.13 | |
| Cost of fertilizer (USD) | 35.46 | |
| Cost of energy (circulation pumps) (USD) | 0.83 | |
| Total OPEX (USD/m3) | 36.42 | |
| Savings | ||
| CAPEX | ||
| Average share of brine outfall in total RO plant CAPEX | 7.30% | N. El-Maraghy (2018) |
| Average cost of RO plant CAPEX (USD/m3/day) | 2242 | Judd (2017)* |
| Average cost of brine outfall (USD/m3) | 163.67 | |
| Savings in CAPEX (USD/m3) | 20.29 | |
| OPEX (/m3) | ||
| Average cost of brine disposal in total desalination cost (%) [min 5% & max 33%] | 19% | Pérez-González et al. (2012) |
| Average cost of brine disposal (USD/m3) | 0.11 | |
| Average savings on the disposal of the reduced brine volume (USD) | 0.08 | |
*Based on the average CAPEX of 5 RO plants in Ashkelon (330 MLD), Tuas (110 MLD), Perth (144 MLD), Sydney (250 MLD), and Sorek (624 MLD)