<p>This study explores a novel integrated zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system for treating high salinity brine. Closed-circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO) is incorporated as a preconcentration step, replacing conventional RO, followed by multi-effect evaporator (MEE) for thermal separation and sequential crystallizers. CCRO can achieve higher brine concentrations before thermal treatment, thus reducing the volume and mass load on energy-intensive evaporators and crystallizers. CCRO’s unique operation mode, higher recovery at lower pressures, and fouling control all contribute to significant energy savings and improved process sustainability. Process simulations revealed that the innovative use of CCRO as a preconcentration step is able to achieve, approximately 61%, in overall energy consumption and operational costs compared to conventional ZLD systems without CCRO. Simulation results, validated using WAVE and Aspen Plus, demonstrate that the system can concentrate brine up to 133,355&#xa0;ppm total dissolved solids (TDS), enabling efficient salt recovery. The total energy consumption for CCRO is found to be 1275.6&#xa0;kWh/day. The integrated system achieved a pure water recovery rate of over 98% and has the potential of recovering salts, including halite (NaCl), calcite (CaCO₃), sylvite (KCl), and epsomite (MgSO₄·7H₂O) with 91.6%, 99.9%, 53.8%, and 96.4% recovery respectively. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis suggests that the total annual revenue generated from water reuse and salt recovery was estimated at USD 2.04 million. This work demonstrates the feasibility and sustainability of combining CCRO with thermal technologies for reducing the brine volume and emphasizes the potential for resource recovery and environmental impact reduction in desalination and industrial wastewater applications.</p>