| Abstract |
In past decade, the growing use of geothermal water in inland regions, mainly for heating, power generating, bathing and recreation purposes, is associated with the intensification of researches oriented towards optimizing and improving the efficiency of processes and focused on the development of new technologies and methods enabling comprehensive and multi-variant management of these waters. The spent geothermal water for various direct uses including district heating, bathing, swimming and other is dumped, mainly into surface waterways or is re-injected into geological formations depending on the water salinity and physico-chemical properties. In order to increase effectiveness of geothermal water utilization and decrease the shortfall of ordinary water in many regions of the world, the desalination plants are designed to integrate other beneficial processes for securing high-quality drinking water, obtaining good quality new products and limiting the negative impact on the environment (from dumping geothermal water into surface waterways). Cascade utilization of geothermal water resources ensure its sustainable management and increase effectiveness of the geothermal plant. Worldwide, membrane processes, are well-known desalination technologies applied for providing fresh water and also simultaneously production of geothermal waters concentrates. Concentrates normally are considered as waste and depending of its properties are dumped into surface waterways, re-injected into geological formations or are directed to evaporation ponds. However, to expand the cascade utilization of geothermal sources concentrates begin to be considered as a valuable sources for production mineral solutions and salts or chemicals for various branch of industry, including balneology and cosmetology industry. The research filed incudes new areas of utilization of geothermal waters from Poland area and presents the possibilities of reuse of geothermal waters concentrates (gained from desalination processes) in balneology and cosmetology industry. |