Can We Turn Seawater Into Drinking Water

The simple hurdle that must be overcome to turn seawater into freshwater is to remove the dissolved salt in seawater.

Can we turn seawater into drinking water.

Geological survey makes up approximately 35 000 parts per million ppm of sea water s chemical composition. In some areas salt water from the ocean for instance is being turned into freshwater for drinking. The handheld seawater desalination device is capable of producing more than two liters of fresh drinking water from seawater within an hour through a system of osmosis membranes. Even with all of the water in earth s oceans we satisfy less than half a percent of human water needs with desalinated water we currently use on the order of 960 cubic miles 4 000 cubic.

Making sea water into drinking water requires removal of the dissolved salt that according to the u s. To turn saltwater into drinking water start by pouring the saltwater into a bowl and placing a small cup in the center of the water. Actually we can and we do. It could help address the world s looming water crisis.

Next put the bowl of saltwater in direct sunlight. Desalination plants turn seawater into drinking water but also pump hypersaline water back into the environment. Developed by a team of researchers at alexandria university in egypt the procedure uses a desalination technique called pervaporation to remove the salt from sea water and make it drinkable. So why can t we convert seawater into drinking water.

That s especially troubling because desal has become extremely popular. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set a rock on top of the plastic wrap over the cup which will make a dip so fresh water can drip into the cup.