Evaluation of Reverse Osmosis Desalination to Mitigate Water Scarcity in Chancay, Peru: A Comprehensive Evaluation

Candela Torres C.R.; Santuyo Huallpara A.B.; Segura Rodriguez W.S. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.1443

Resumen

Water demand on Peru's central coast has increased due to agricultural expansion and the development of the Chancay megaport project. Chancay currently faces a water deficit of 8,690 m3/day, worsened by sanitation infrastructure that covers only 70.73% of the city. This study assessed the technical, economic, and social feasibility of implementing a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant as a sustainable response to projected water scarcity by 2044.A mixed-method approach was applied, including demand scenario modeling under climate change and population growth, technical optimization through response surface methodology to reduce energy consumption, and financial and social feasibility analysis. Results show that, under a severe scenario, the water deficit could reach 34,352 m3/day. To address this, a modular plant with a capacity of 35,000 m3/day was designed, consisting of four parallel trains to be implemented progressively. With energy recovery devices, each modular train achieves an integral specific energy consumption of 0.83 kWh/m3 under optimal operating conditions. Due to the modular scheme, the total plant SEC increases as new trains are incorporated every five years, starting at 0.83 kWh/m3 with one train and reaching 3.32 kWh/m3 with four trains. The financial assessment estimated a net present value of USD 13,366,560 and an internal rate of return of 19.41%, while 73.95% of the surveyed population expressed acceptance of the project overall, desalination is concluded to be a technically, economically, and socially viable alternative to strengthen water security in Chancay, provided that brine discharge is properly managed to reduce potential social and environmental risks.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas