Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
news.mit.edu
A new solar desalination system takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight. The system flushes out accumulated salt, so replacement parts aren’t needed often, meaning the system could potentially produce drinking water that is cheaper than tap water.

According to MIT, this technology works even at small scale, with one the size of a suitcase able to desalinate 6 litres per hour, and only needing to be serviced every few years.

Here’s a video detailing how it works.

  • aew360@lemm.ee
    0·
    6 months ago

    Desalination has gotta be the key to absorbing carbon. We could create artificial oases (is that the plural of oasis? lmao) in Africa, Australia, and the western US and Mexico. Unlimited water for agricultural needs as well as perhaps being used to expand and grow forests. Idk if that would work but it would help a food and water security crisis while also absorbing more carbon right? Any smart people here?

    • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
      0·
      6 months ago

      That’s roughly my feeling too. Slap some nuclear power plants in tectonically-stable areas far from population centers and use the massive amounts of energy to desalinate.

    • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      6 months ago

      You’d still need a water source, so it’d be most effective in arid climates by the ocean. And I don’t know how quickly these clog, you’d need to do something with the tons of salts that you get out of the ocean water.