In the next ten years , Earth ’s population is expect toincrease by one billion , and only3 % of our planet ’s wateris primed for boozing or land . Most of that relatively little amount is trapped in frozen glaciers . But Egyptian researchers have uprise a means of removing the table salt out of ocean water for our growing universe in a way that ’s first-rate free energy efficient .
Desalination is an expensive process that also uses a ton of energy : more than200 million kilowatt hours per dayaround the macrocosm . So a squad at the University of Alexandria figured out a way to address their own state ’s fresh water concern with a new process that habituate less than half the power of traditional desalination method . Their new technique was published this week in a composition in the journalWater Science & Technology .
It relies on a familiar procedure shout “ pervaporation , ” which involve pressurizing sea water through a salt - watch membrane , and then vaporise and condensing it so it ’s drinkable . There ’s nothing raw about that — it ’s tenner erstwhile , Gizmagreports . But what the research worker did was develop a new polymer membrane made of cheap , local materials , that can be mass produced in printed and cut sheet for widespread use .
In tests with false brine , the salt rejection rate was singular : over 99.7 % . Those local ingredients , like cellulose acetate powder , bind to the salt particle as the water moves through the tissue layer . And since the process uses so little electricity , it ’s sustainable , and drive the price down even further . A pilot program programme is presently being planned at a desalination industrial plant .
young ideas of body of water discourse methods are always welcome : We late report onthis Amerindic startupthat came up with a cagey path of using rainwater caught in re - designed H. G. Wells , which works great for small villages or community . To make our major planet ready for more humans in the very near future , we require to be ready , and egress technology like this new desalinisation process in Egypt is crucial .
[ Water Science & TechnologyviaGizmag ]
Top image : Salt water puddle on the Salinas Grandes saltiness flats in Argentina ’s Jujuy state . Credit : Shutterstock
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