High salinity water purification processes and systems

A system for purifying high salinity influent fluids, comprising:

• a forward osmosis (FO) system comprising an FO membrane, an influent side input port and an influent side output port arranged on an influent side of the FO membrane, and an FO output side input port and an FO output side output port arranged on an output side of the FO membrane;
• one or more vessels holding an anionic base adsorption media for removing zinc or iron complex from a brine;
• a reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration system;
• the FO system configured to receive the influent fluid at the influent side input port and to pass concentrated fluid out the influent side output port;
• the RO or nanofiltration system configured to receive input fluid at an input port and to pass concentrated fluid which did not pass through a membrane of the RO or through the nanofiltration system at an output port, and purified fluid which has passed through the RO membrane or nanofiltration system;
• a recirculating brine flow path;
• a concentrated brine draw containing zinc or iron complex and another salt brine or acid pumped into the FO output side input port, the concentrated brine draw having a level of total dissolved solids (TDS) higher than the TDS level in the influent fluid;
• a pump for pumping the concentrated brine draw through the FO system from the FO output side input port to the FO output side output port, wherein pure water is drawn through the FO membrane to dilute the concentrated brine draw;
• the recirculating brine flow path passing from the FO output side output port to the one or more vessels to remove the zinc or iron complex from the diluted concentrated brine and to the RO or nanofiltration system and then to the FO output side input port, the diluted concentrated brine is in a multivalent form, allowing the anionic adsorption media to have a strong natural attraction to it;
• and
• a rinse system for rinsing the adsorption media with an elutant containing water in a rinse cycle to remove the zinc or iron complex to form a resultant brine with zinc or iron complex, and then combining the resultant brine with the RO stream of concentrated brine draw to reconstitute a concentrated brine draw passed into the recirculating brine flow path to the FO output side input port.