#desalination

[reasonsforhope]

Scientists have developed a new solar-powered system to convert saltwater into fresh drinking water which they say could help reduce dangerous the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera.

Via tests in rural communities, they showed that the process is more than 20% cheaper than traditional methods and can be deployed in rural locations around the globe.

Building on existing processes that convert saline groundwater to freshwater, the researchers from King’s College London, in collaboration with MIT and the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy Systems, created a new system that produced consistent levels of water using solar power, and reported it in a paper published recently in Nature Water.

It works through a process called electrodialysis which separates the salt using a set of specialized membranes that channel salt ions into a stream of brine, leaving the water fresh and drinkable. By flexibly adjusting the voltage and the rate at which salt water flowed through the system, the researchers developed a system that adjusts to variable sunshine while not compromising on the amount of fresh drinking water produced.

Using data first gathered in the village of Chelleru near Hyderabad in India, and then recreating these conditions of the village in New Mexico, the team successfully converted up to 10 cubic meters, or several bathtubs worth of fresh drinking water. This was enough for 3,000 people a day with the process continuing to run regardless of variable solar power caused by cloud coverage and rain.

[Note: Not sure what metric they're using to calculate daily water needs here. Presumably this is drinking water only.]

Dr. Wei He from the Department of Engineering at King’s College London believes the new technology could bring massive benefits to rural communities, not only increasing the supply of drinking water but also bringing health benefits.

“By offering a cheap, eco-friendly alternative that can be operated off the grid, our technology enables communities to tap into alternative water sources (such as deep aquifers or saline water) to address water scarcity and contamination in traditional water supplies,” said He.

“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources, may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted, for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia.”

In the global rural population, 1.6 billion people face water scarcity, many of whom are reliant on stressed reserves of groundwater lying beneath the Earth’s surface.

However, worldwide 56% of groundwater is saline and unsuitable for consumption. This issue is particularly prevalent in India, where 60% of the land harbors undrinkable saline water. Consequently, there is a pressing need for efficient desalination methods to create fresh drinking water cheaply, and at scale.

Traditional desalination technology has relied either on costly batteries in off-grid systems or a grid system to supply the energy necessary to remove salt from the water. In developing countries’ rural areas, however, grid infrastructure can be unreliable and is largely reliant on fossil fuels...

“By removing the need for a grid system entirely and cutting reliance on battery tech by 92%, our system can provide reliable access to safe drinking water, entirely emission-free, onsite, and at a discount of roughly 22% to the people who need it compared to traditional methods,” He said.

The system also has the potential to be used outside of developing areas, particularly in agriculture where climate change is leading to unstable reserves of fresh water for irrigation.

The team plans to scale up the availability of the technology across India through collaboration with local partners. Beyond this, a team from MIT also plans to create a start-up to commercialize and fund the technology.

“While the US and UK have more stable, diversified grids than most countries, they still rely on fossil fuels. By removing fossil fuels from the equation for energy-hungry sectors like agriculture, we can help accelerate the transition to Net Zero,” He said.

-via Good News Network, April 2, 2024

#water #water scarcity #clean water #saline #desalination #off grid #battery technology #solar power #solar energy #fossil fuels #water shortage #india #hyderabad #new mexico #united states #uk #united kingdom #good news #hope #aquifers

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Desalination in Action

Desalination -- the removal of salt from water -- is an important process for providing the fresh water we need, but it's quite expensive in terms of energy. In this Practical Engineering video, Grady demonstrates small-scale versions of the two most common methods for purifying water: distillation and reverse osmosis. (Video and image credit: Practical Engineering) Read the full article

#civil engineering #desalination #distillation #fluid dynamics #physics #reverse osmosis #science

[wachinyeya]

#good news #science #environment #technology #desalination #salt water #water #mni wiconi

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Scientists create DNA hydrogel-based, solar-powered evaporation system for highly efficient seawater desalination

Minerals as well as freshwater can be obtained by desalinating seawater with solar power facilities for the sustainable development of human civilization. For instance, hydrogels have shown great power for solar-powered water evaporation potential, although the highly efficient and specific target extraction method remains to be expanded. In a recent report published in Science Advances, Hanxue Liang and a team of researchers at the college of chemistry, and materials science in China, describe the process of highly efficient seawater desalination and the specific extraction of uranium with smart DNA hydrogels. The DNA hydrogels promoted the evaporation of water, and the uranyl-specific DNA hydrogel exhibited a high capture capacity of 5.7 mg per gram for uranium from natural seawater due to rapid ion transport driven by solar-powered interfacial evaporation and high selectivity. These developments could enable easy-to-use devices suited for future seawater treatment.

Read more.

#Materials Science #Science #DNA #Biomaterials #Hydrogels #Solar power #Desalination #Seawater #Minerals

[supplyside]

Sydney seawater desalination plant

#Sydney #Australia #desalination #infrastructure #utility

[probablyasocialecologist]

It’s worth taking a step back to emphasise just how extraordinary the lack of access to water is. There is not a shortage of water. Sure, regionally speaking, there are shortages, but not at a global level. It also doesn’t take a genius to get access to water or move it from A to B. The UN estimates it costs $60 to $70 per year per person to get the infrastructure in place for potable water and sanitation to everyone. A sum that pales in comparison with that spent bailing out the banks in 2008, for example. So it’s in that context that we should look at these new technologies. Desalination of water has been around for a long time. You boil salty water, it’s that simple. However, what has happened over the past 20 or 30 years or so, is desalination is increasingly seen as an environmentally friendly, safe and cheap way to get almost an abundant supply of water. Sea water is in great abundance, it is not owned by anyone for the time being, you can suck up as much as you want of it and not pay for it. Of course, desalination at scale is not ecologically friendly. Desalination takes a gargantuan amount of energy. It’s true that the costs per unit for energy production have gone down, but it’s still very energy intensive. It also takes significant infrastructure to suck the water from the sea, which has an adverse impact on marine wildlife and ecologies, as well as producing highly saline and toxic leftover waste. There’s no way to recycle this so it often ends up back in the sea or stored on land, in barrels somewhere. These technologies are also often used to defuse or, more accurately, sidestep political disputes. Take Spain, for example. Water access and distribution is difficult in the south of Spain, while people from Catalonia or Aragon generally speaking don’t want to share their groundwater with those from other regions. Desalination is an easy answer. Let’s get to the sea, extract free water, there’s no contestation. This all falls under what I’ve called a ‘productionist logic’, we need to get more of the stuff to carry on doing what we are already doing. This perpetuates a logic of reproduction that does not consider the structures of demand: who’s using it, under what conditions etc… It helps us escape considering the contradictions of current demands.

#water #commons #desalination #poverty #inequality

[nanotechnologyworld]

Industry has long relied upon energy-intensive processes, such as distillation and crystallization, to separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products. In recent decades, there has been a push to supplant these processes with membranes, which are potentially a lower-cost and eco-friendly alternative.

#nanotechnology #biotechnology #agriculture #chemistry #industry #cleantech #desalination #membranes

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

In the 23rd Aug 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Medical history made by Israeli spinal surgeons and heart valve implants.

Israeli aid organization is bringing relief to survivors of Maui wildfires.

Two Israeli renewable energy companies are powering ahead.

An Israeli jetpack lets you swim like a dolphin.

Positive economic news for Israeli unemployment, energy, and tourism.

Amazon announces major Israeli investment.

Israeli women win gold medals in judoka and windsurfing.

An Israeli Arab, a Druze and a Jew give inspiring messages.

Read More: Good News From Israel

Israel's usual high summer temperatures may explain why so many Israelis are indoors energetically working on innovations to make a better world.  Renewable energy developments include releasing hydrogen from water using regular sunlight; floating solar farms are now a commercial reality; and a solar farm that generates cheaper electricity than can be produced from fossil fuels. Israeli energy in the medical arena has resulted in the world's first spine surgery using Augmented Reality; the first implanted tricuspid heart valves; two cancer breakthroughs; life-saving blood clot removal; and the first blood test to diagnose bipolar disorder.  Energetic Israelis are helping save lives after devastating fires in Maui, Hawaii. Sometimes too much energy can be unhealthy or dangerous. So Israelis have been developing solutions to drought-afflicted trees, sun-baked streets, blast from explosions, and lithium battery fires.  Individually, many Israelis have been channeling their energy into major sporting successes. It's good to see the recent report on the economic benefits from Israel's energy discoveries; Israeli employment and tourist numbers are back to pre-Covid levels; and investment continues to flow from giant US, European and Asian companies. I ask readers to publicize these positive newsletter facts, counteracting the negativity of many Mainstream Media opinion pieces. The photo shows the completed solar roof of my local Netanya school that I portrayed previously under construction.  Many other schools have recently built similar roofs, helping Israel advance on its renewable energy targets for 2030.

#Amazon #Artificial Intelligence #bipolar #cancer #Crohn’s #desalination #Eilat #fires #Gaza #good news #hydrogen #Israel #Jerusalem #jetpack #Jewish #Maui #solar #spine #Temple #windsurfing

[mit]

Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water

MIT engineers and collaborators developed a solar-powered device that avoids salt-clogging issues of other designs.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News

Engineers at MIT and in China are aiming to turn seawater into drinking water with a completely passive device that is inspired by the ocean, and powered by the sun.

In a paper appearing today in the journal Joule, the team outlines the design for a new solar desalination system that takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight.

The configuration of the device allows water to circulate in swirling eddies, in a manner similar to the much larger “thermohaline” circulation of the ocean. This circulation, combined with the sun’s heat, drives water to evaporate, leaving salt behind. The resulting water vapor can then be condensed and collected as pure, drinkable water. In the meantime, the leftover salt continues to circulate through and out of the device, rather than accumulating and clogging the system.

The new system has a higher water-production rate and a higher salt-rejection rate than all other passive solar desalination concepts currently being tested.

The researchers estimate that if the system is scaled up to the size of a small suitcase, it could produce about 4 to 6 liters of drinking water per hour and last several years before requiring replacement parts. At this scale and performance, the system could produce drinking water at a rate and price that is cheaper than tap water.

“For the first time, it is possible for water, produced by sunlight, to be even cheaper than tap water,” says Lenan Zhang, a research scientist in MIT’s Device Research Laboratory.

The team envisions a scaled-up device could passively produce enough drinking water to meet the daily requirements of a small family. The system could also supply off-grid, coastal communities where seawater is easily accessible.

Zhang’s study co-authors include MIT graduate student Yang Zhong and Evelyn Wang, the Ford Professor of Engineering, along with Jintong Gao, Jinfang You, Zhanyu Ye, Ruzhu Wang, and Zhenyuan Xu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

Keep reading.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr!

#climate crisis #desalination #water #mechanical engineering #research #sustainability #energy

[wayti-blog]

"As Albert Einstein explained in 1905, the photoelectric effect occurs when light shining on a material contains enough (quantized) energy to eject an electron from the material. By analogy, and drawing on his understanding of Maxwell’s equations and the polar nature of water molecules, [Gang] Chen rationalized that the impetus behind his team’s observations might involve a quadrupole force acting on a permanent dipole at the air-water interface."

"Chen believes this new mechanism, which he and his colleagues describe in PNAS, could be at play in our daily lives. “It might be important, for example, for understanding the Earth’s water cycle, global warming, and plant growth,” he says. “The discovery could also lead to new engineering applications: we have started to look into desalination and wastewater treatment, but drying could be another area in which this mechanism could be exploited.” Because drying consumes around 20% of energy used in industrial sectors – an amount Chen calls “staggering” – an increase in energy efficiency could have a significant impact."

continue reading article

#water #light #energy #photomolecular evaporation #physics #science #discovery #einstein #nature #water cycle #atmosphere #weather #climate #waste water treatment #water management #desalination #drinking water #polarity

[biospheremadeclear]

#water #desalination #children #talk #apology #sorry #my bad #conservation #brine #environment

[reasonsforhope]

“MIT researchers have developed a portable desalination unit, weighing less than 10 kilograms, that can remove particles and salts to generate drinking water.

The suitcase-sized device, which requires less power to operate than a cell phone charger, can also be driven by a small, portable solar panel, which can be purchased online for around $50. It automatically generates drinking water that exceeds World Health Organization quality standards. The technology is packaged into a user-friendly device that runs with the push of one button.

Unlike other portable desalination units that require water to pass through filters, this device utilizes electrical power to remove particles from drinking water. Eliminating the need for replacement filters greatly reduces the long-term maintenance requirements.

This could enable the unit to be deployed in remote and severely resource-limited areas, such as communities on small islands or aboard seafaring cargo ships. It could also be used to aid refugees fleeing natural disasters or by soldiers carrying out long-term military operations...

[For their first field test,] Yoon and Kwon set the box near the shore and tossed the feed tube into the water. In about half an hour, the device had filled a plastic drinking cup with clear, drinkable water.

“It was successful even in its first run, which was quite exciting and surprising. But I think the main reason we were successful is the accumulation of all these little advances that we made along the way,” Han says.

The resulting water exceeded World Health Organization quality guidelines, and the unit reduced the amount of suspended solids by at least a factor of 10...

One of the biggest challenges of designing the portable system was engineering an intuitive device that could be used by anyone, Han says.

Yoon hopes to make the device more user-friendly and improve its energy efficiency and production rate through a startup he plans to launch to commercialize the technology.

In the lab, Han wants to apply the lessons he’s learned over the past decade to water-quality issues that go beyond desalination, such as rapidly detecting contaminants in drinking water.” -MIT News, 4/28/22

#mit #clean water #drinking water #desalination #science and technology #good news #hope

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

#desalination #engineering #fluid dynamics #physics #pore flow #reverse osmosis #science

[wachinyeya]

#good news #science #environmentalism #desalination #sea waves #hydropower #water #environment

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is awash with the stuff, but water -- specifically, the clean and drinkable kind -- is inaccessible to billions of people. A new purification system developed by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology uses an electrified version of dialysis to separate salt and other unnecessary particles from the potable product. Successfully applied to wastewater with planned expansion into rivers and seas, the method saves money and saps 90% less energy than its counterparts. The study appears in ACS Energy Letters. If only stripping salt from water was as simple as waving a giant magnet above the Pacific or sifting liquid through a super-fine sieve. Once the shifty mineral dissolves, the separation process -- christened desalination in scientific circles -- becomes more expensive and uses more energy.

Read more.

#Materials Science #Science #Desalination #Water #Ion exchange membranes #Membranes #Ions #Reactions #Filtration

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Earther/Gizmodo:

California regulators are likely to approve a new water desalination plant today as state officials look for solutions to ongoing water shortages, as the state struggles through its worst drought in over 1,000 years.

The California Coastal Commission is set to vote on the $140 million proposed desalination plant that was suggested for South Orange County at Doheny State Beach, NBC Los Angeles reported. The Pacific Ocean could provide up to 5 million gallons of water a day and meet water needs for about 35,000 people, according to NBC Los Angeles. This local plant will make it so that South Orange County will no longer have to rely on water that is pumped from many miles away, from places like the rapidly drying Colorado River, Reuters reported.

A desalination plant draws in ocean water and filters it to remove solid particles that would slow down the desalination process. That filtered water then goes through reverse osmosis, which removes minerals like salt, according to the San Diego County Water Authority’s website. Beneficial minerals and chemicals are added to ensure quality, and then it can go to meet local water needs.

This expected approval comes after another desalination plant, slated to be constructed in Huntington Beach, was rejected this past May. That plant was supposed to cost over a billion dollars, and officials worried that the large facility would hurt marine life in the area, Cal Matters reported. The smaller plant that is set to be approved would have a reduced environmental impact on the surrounding area. The brine that comes from the desalination process will be discharged along with the water at a neighboring wastewater treatment plant, which will further decrease local environmental impacts, Reuters reported.

#California #drought #desalination