A team of researchers has just unveiled a desalination technology that could transform how we get fresh water. Their new system pairs a low-energy technique called electrodialysis with tough and eco-friendly membranes, making it easier and cheaper to separate fresh water from even the saltiest sources.
David Kitto, a postdoctoral fellow in chemical engineering and the study's first author, stated, "Water is such an important resource, so it would be amazing to help make desalination a sustainable solution to our global water crisis," according to Tech Xplore.
Desalination plants are facilities that turn salt water into fresh water. While the process is relatively complex, their efforts to provide fresh water for agriculture, drinking, and industrial purposes are highly beneficial. However, there's one problem: brine waste.
Each liter of drinking water produces 1.5 liters of brine at a typical desalination plant. This equates to over 37 billion gallons of brine waste daily worldwide. While plants store brine waste in ponds until the water evaporates, this takes time.
The longer the waste sits, the more opportunity there is to contaminate groundwater. Space is also a problem. When pond space is lacking, the plants dump the brine into the ocean or inject it underground.
University of Michigan assistant professor of chemical engineering Jovan Kamcev stated, "There's a big push in the desalination industry for a better solution," per Tech Xplore.
Traditionally, desalination relies on reverse osmosis, a method that struggles at extremely high salinity and can be energy-intensive. Thermal desalination, which uses heating and evaporation, is another option but consumes even more energy. That's where electrodialysis shows promise.
Electrodialysis is a low-energy method that even works with very salty water. It uses electricity to pull charged particles — like salt ions — out of the water. The water flows through a series of channels divided by special membranes. Each membrane has an opposite electrical charge from the one next to it, which helps move the salt ions in one direction, leaving cleaner water behind.
What's the secret behind this new approach? It's all in the membranes. A tough, eco-friendly polymer makes them strong enough to withstand salty water without breaking down. Thanks to this design, the desalination process is now more reliable, cheaper, and much better for the environment.
This breakthrough results from years of research focused on making desalination more efficient. Researchers at the University of Texas, Penn State University, and the University of Michigan led the effort in developing and refining the new membranes. After lab testing and field trials, the team proved that combining the durable membranes with electrodialysis created a powerful, low-waste desalination alternative.
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Always 👍 This new desalination method provides more than clean drinking water. It reduces land use, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizes harmful brine discharge. Making the process cleaner and more efficient results in a sustainable way to meet growing water demands without putting extra strain on the planet.
However, widespread availability may still be a few years away, as the transition from trials to commercial deployment requires more testing, regulatory approvals, and infrastructure development.
In the meantime, let's do our part at home by choosing plastic-free products, conserving water where possible, and supporting innovations that help protect the environment.
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