Solar Desalination Device Will Turn Sea Water Into Fresh Water For 400,000 People
With freshwater in crunch and global warming's dangers to water bodies, the need of the hour is to develop robust desalination methods to avert a water crisis.
While a complete and perfect desalination technique may not exist yet, a Finnish company has come very close to desalinating ocean water, which amounts for 96.5 per cent of all water on Earth.
Effective desalination?
The new method by Solar Water Solutions (SWS) developed a unique method to desalinate water. It has zero operational costs, no emissions and desalinates water without polluting the environment.
With support from a Dutch group called "Climate Fund Managers", the system is deployed in Africa's Kenya. By 2023, It will cater to at least 400,000 people living in rural parts of Kenya.
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Each hour, the desalination plants will convert anywhere between 4,000-7,000 litres of seawater into fresh water. There's a bonus too - it is powered entirely by solar energy!
The system can also desalinate 10,000 liters of brackish water each hour, which forms the middle ground in terms of Earth water - not as salty as ocean water but not as drinkable as freshwater.
Eliminates concerns with reverse osmosis
Modelled in shipping containers, it can be easily transported to coastal regions in impoverished regions. The system is also changing our understanding of reverse-osmosis method, which has been long thought dangerous to both humans and our natural habitats.
The company eliminated the toxicity associated with reverse osmosis by using light cleaners like citric acid to clean the membranes. Otherwise, toxic chemicals are used in the process that render the water contaminated and capable of killing plants.
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The leftover from the process ought to be dealt with in an environmentally-conscious fashion to maximise the potential of this desalination technology without harming the natural habitat near the plants.
What do you think about this precious technology that could save the lives of millions as climate change-driven challenges become more pronounced? Let us know in the comments below.
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