Saline water
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts (NaCl). The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million (ppm) of salt.
Water that is saline contains significant amounts (referred to as "concentrations") of dissolved salts. In this case, the concentration is the amount (by weight) of salt in water, as expressed in "parts per million" (ppm). If water has a concentration of 10,000 ppm of dissolved salts, then one percent (10,000 divided by 1,000,000.1) of the weight of the water comes from dissolved salts.The salinity concentration level used by United States Geological Survey classifies saline water in three categories. Slightly saline water contains around 1,000 to 3,000 ppm. Moderately saline water contains roughly 3,000 to 10,000 ppm. Highly saline water has around 10,000 to 35,000 ppm of salt. Seawater has a salinity of roughly 35,000 ppm, equivalent to 35 g/L.
Some industries make use of saline water, such as mining and thermoelectric-power.
Water salinity based on dissolved salts in parts per thousand (‰) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fresh water | Brackish water | Saline water | Brine |
< 0.5 | 0.5 – 30 | 30 – 50 | > 50 |