Main externalities associated with desalination - Existing study details

This dataset is one of seven datasets that analyses a water supply option in terms of externalities (positive and negative effects that are not taken into account directly in market-place transactions). The water service option covered in this dataset is desalination, which involves removing the salt from seawater (or brackish groundwater) to make it useable for a range of purposes, including drinking. Related datasets cover stormwater harvesting, dams,wastewater recycling, groundwater, greywater and rainwater tanks. Each dataset identifies the social, environmental and economic impacts associated with the option in general and for each stage in its life cycle. Stages generally comprise the collection, storage, treatment, distribution of water and, finally, the decommissioning of the water supply option. The externalities were identified by an extensive survey of existing research and literature in water-related studies and through technical analysis of the option characteristics and technologies. The literature is vast and, at times, contradictory. The data is intended to provide an overview of the externalities that must be considered in the externality evaluation process, and does not provide not definitive values for option impacts as externality impacts will be site-specific.

本数据集为七项分析供水方案的数据集之一，研究维度为外部性（externality）——即未直接纳入市场交易考量的正负效应。本数据集聚焦的供水方案为海水淡化（desalination），其核心是从海水（或微咸地下水（brackish groundwater））中脱除盐分，使水体可应用于包括饮用水在内的多种场景。其余关联数据集分别涵盖雨水收集（stormwater harvesting）、大坝工程、废水回收（wastewater recycling）、地下水利用、灰水（greywater）利用及雨水储罐（rainwater tanks）系统。每项数据集均会明确对应供水方案整体及其全生命周期（life cycle）各阶段的社会、环境与经济影响。全生命周期阶段通常涵盖水资源收集、储存、处理、调配，以及最终的供水方案退役环节。本次研究的外部性通过对水相关研究领域现有研究与文献的全面调研，结合对该方案特性与技术的专业分析得以识别。现有相关文献体量庞大，且部分研究结论存在矛盾。本数据集旨在为外部性评估流程中必须考量的各类外部性提供总体概览，并未给出供水方案影响的确定数值——由于外部性影响具有场地特异性，其具体数值会因项目所在地不同而存在差异。