The environmental threat of discharging highly saline desalination brine into the sea and an expected growth in global demand for raw materials have increased interest in the idea of integrating desalination and material extraction. This paper examines the material extraction potential of desalination brines corresponding to the seawater desalination volume required to meet the projected global demand for freshwater. The results show that a growing use of seawater desalination techniques to solve the upcoming high water stress provides an increased material extraction potential by 2050, particularly for highly concentrated materials. For example, in the studied scenario, the extraction potential for magnesium and lithium in 2050 is approximately 2243 and 3.1 times the corresponding 2018 production, respectively. The analysis shows that the estimated lithium potential may be sufficient to ameliorate the expected shortage over this century, while the magnesium potential can significantly exceed the future demand. Several seawater materials with low concentrations do not have adequate 2050 extraction potential to be considered a viable resource even compared to present production. This study shows that the promising resource potential of desalination brines for elements such as lithium requires development of suitable extraction techniques that overcome the identified techno-economic challenges.

将高盐淡化盐水排放到海洋中的环境威胁以及全球对原材料需求的预期增长增加了人们对整合海水淡化和材料提取的想法的兴趣。本文研究了与满足预计的全球淡水需求所需的海水淡化量相对应的淡化盐水的材料提取潜力。结果表明，越来越多地使用海水淡化技术来解决即将到来的高水压力，到 2050 年提供了更高的材料提取潜力，特别是对于高浓度材料。例如，在所研究的情景中，2050 年镁和锂的提取潜力分别约为 2018 年相应产量的 2243 倍和 3.1 倍。分析表明，估计的锂潜力可能足以缓解本世纪的预期短缺，而镁的潜力可能大大超过未来的需求。即使与目前的产量相比，一些低浓度的海水材料在 2050 年也没有足够的提取潜力被认为是可行的资源。这项研究表明，用于锂等元素的海水淡化具有巨大的资源潜力，需要开发合适的提取技术来克服已确定的技术经济挑战。即使与目前的产量相比，一些低浓度的海水材料在 2050 年也没有足够的提取潜力被认为是可行的资源。这项研究表明，用于锂等元素的海水淡化具有巨大的资源潜力，需要开发合适的提取技术来克服已确定的技术经济挑战。即使与目前的产量相比，一些低浓度的海水材料在 2050 年也没有足够的提取潜力被认为是可行的资源。这项研究表明，用于锂等元素的海水淡化具有巨大的资源潜力，需要开发合适的提取技术来克服已确定的技术经济挑战。