I came across these videos on YouTube and enjoyed them. Thus I am posting them here
The First video:
Why Desalination is so hard
Gives an in-depth look as to what makes it so difficult. The three main reasons are
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Technology: The technology hasn’t advanced beyond using pressure to remove salt from water via a membrane (what describes reverse osmosis (RO))
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Energy: Since RO is the dominant method to remove salt from water it requires a lot of energy and a huge water source. The yield you get from the RO process isn’t much thus you need a lot of energy to power those pumps to push that water.
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Waste: Still haven’t found an adequate way to deal with the salt brine that is produced after RO. Most of the waste is pumped back into a deeper part of the ocean but it can be harmful to aquatic organisms.
Second video
Seawater Desalination at Carlsbad, CA plant
A minute + video showing how a seawater desalination plant works.
Maybe in the next 50 to 100 years humanity can develop a new technology that can separate water from salt in a more energy efficient less waste producing way.