Eco Factor: Osmosis-based systems to provide drinking water from seas.
About 71% of our planet is covered with water, but still the water crisis looms large. The reason being that out of the total amount of water present in the world, about 97.2% is in the oceans and hence it’s not fit for drinking. Researchers are now looking forward to develop alternatives that can increase the potable water supply beyond that which is available through the hydrological cycle.
The best way to get potable water at a rate more than the hydrological cycle is to somehow make seawater potable. Conventional desalination processes can’t be used for the purpose because of the amount of energy they need in doing so. Engineered osmosis does offer a faint glimpse, something which Yale doctoral student Robert McGinnis and his advisor Menachem Elimelech are working on. The duo has designed a system that uses the power of forward osmosis to harvest water from non-potable sources including seawater.
This new system uses 90% less electric energy than conventional desalination systems, owing to the use of low heat treatment, effectively producing potable water with little energy input.
The Dark Side:
Making seawater potable and that too with low energy would be like a dream come true for environmentalists. However, water conservation is still necessary, as the research is still decades away from meeting reality.
Via: WaterandWastewater
