Abstract

This conceptual work extends the Global Complexity Stability Theory (GCST) and THE ARC (FN) framework to physico-chemical systems, specifically seawater treatment. Seawater is modeled as a multicomponent solution in metastable equilibrium. Traditional desalination (e.g., reverse osmosis) relies on high-pressure mechanical separation. The ARC approach instead proposes stability-driven extraction, where selective perturbations shift specific ionic species beyond equilibrium thresholds, enabling targeted precipitation or concentration.

Desalination emerges as a by-product of resource recovery — lithium, magnesium, calcium, and other elements become extractable while salinity is reduced. The model reframes seawater treatment from energy-intensive filtration to controlled stability management in a complex fluid system.