Desalination & Membrane Water Treatment Equipment worked example

Brine Disposal Cost at 58% disposal scope included: a worked example

Suppose disposal scope included falls to 58%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate concentrate, reject, or brine disposal cost for RO and desalination systems using brine volume, disposal rate, included scope, and fixed permitting or hauling charges.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Brine or concentrate volume: 100 m³ (held at the documented default)
  • Disposal cost per brine volume: 45 $ / m³ (held at the documented default)
  • Disposal scope included: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Fixed disposal or permit cost: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Included variable brine disposal cost = brine or concentrate volume × disposal cost per brine volume × disposal scope included.
  • Total brine disposal cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Brine disposal cost per m³ works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Included variable brine disposal cost works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed disposal or permit cost works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where disposal scope included sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • It computes total brine disposal cost by combining a volume-based variable cost (scaled by the share of brine actually disposed of) with a fixed permit or standing cost. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total brine disposal cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Brine disposal cost per m³: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Included variable brine disposal cost: 2,610 $
  • Fixed disposal or permit cost: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Brine Disposal Cost calculator, set disposal scope included to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.