Desalination Research Paper
Desalination of Water
While renewable, the world’s water supply is being depleted faster than it is being refilled. This has caused ¼ of the global economy to be at risk because of non-sustainable water use. A solution to the unsustainable water crisis is desalination. 97% of all water on Earth is non-usable salt water. The other 3% is fresh, usable water, however ~68% of that water is locked up in glaciers, and 30% is stored in underground aquifers. The remaining 1-2% comes from things such as ground ice, fresh water lakes, and rivers. Desalination (the removal of salt) would allow water to be consumed from an almost fully renewable source, the oceans. As it stands, today we face the risk of running out of usable water; rivers are running …show more content…
Over 50% of renewable water in the Middle East has been used, and therefore desalination is more common in those areas. The most common processes of desalination are osmosis and multistage flash distillation. Saudi Arabia has multistage flash distillation plants as well as osmosis plants for desalination. Places that require desalination most are dry, coastal areas. In the US, the largest desalination plant is located in Florida, but other states such as Texas and California are also beginning to develop desalination …show more content…
The multistage flash distillation plants are placed next to power plants in order to use their wasted heat. The major downsides of multistage flash distillation are the fact that it requires a larger intake of salt water than reverse and forward osmosis, and the upfront and maintenance costs are very high.
As we continue to deplete the world of its naturally fresh water, more time, energy and research will be going into developing ways to access fresh water from the most abundant source of water on the planet – oceans. Although there are downsides (just like most technological advancements), desalination will play a key role in sustaining industry and the population as things such as underground aquifers, rivers, and lakes run dry.
Alon Tal, (2011). The Desalination Debate. . 53 (), pp.
Bhausaheb L. Pangarkar, Mukund G. Sane, and Mahendra Guddad, (2011). Reverse Osmosis and Membrane Distillation for Desalination of Groundwater: A Review. . 2011 (), pp.
Khamis (e.g. 2011). Nuclear Desalination. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Industry/Nuclear-Desalination/#.UT17CY5c_ww. [Last Accessed March 6 2013]
Marek Gryta, (2012). Effectiveness of Water Desalination by Membrane
Distillation Process. membranes.
While renewable, the world’s water supply is being depleted faster than it is being refilled. This has caused ¼ of the global economy to be at risk because of non-sustainable water use. A solution to the unsustainable water crisis is desalination. 97% of all water on Earth is non-usable salt water. The other 3% is fresh, usable water, however ~68% of that water is locked up in glaciers, and 30% is stored in underground aquifers. The remaining 1-2% comes from things such as ground ice, fresh water lakes, and rivers. Desalination (the removal of salt) would allow water to be consumed from an almost fully renewable source, the oceans. As it stands, today we face the risk of running out of usable water; rivers are running …show more content…
Over 50% of renewable water in the Middle East has been used, and therefore desalination is more common in those areas. The most common processes of desalination are osmosis and multistage flash distillation. Saudi Arabia has multistage flash distillation plants as well as osmosis plants for desalination. Places that require desalination most are dry, coastal areas. In the US, the largest desalination plant is located in Florida, but other states such as Texas and California are also beginning to develop desalination …show more content…
The multistage flash distillation plants are placed next to power plants in order to use their wasted heat. The major downsides of multistage flash distillation are the fact that it requires a larger intake of salt water than reverse and forward osmosis, and the upfront and maintenance costs are very high.
As we continue to deplete the world of its naturally fresh water, more time, energy and research will be going into developing ways to access fresh water from the most abundant source of water on the planet – oceans. Although there are downsides (just like most technological advancements), desalination will play a key role in sustaining industry and the population as things such as underground aquifers, rivers, and lakes run dry.
Alon Tal, (2011). The Desalination Debate. . 53 (), pp.
Bhausaheb L. Pangarkar, Mukund G. Sane, and Mahendra Guddad, (2011). Reverse Osmosis and Membrane Distillation for Desalination of Groundwater: A Review. . 2011 (), pp.
Khamis (e.g. 2011). Nuclear Desalination. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Industry/Nuclear-Desalination/#.UT17CY5c_ww. [Last Accessed March 6 2013]
Marek Gryta, (2012). Effectiveness of Water Desalination by Membrane
Distillation Process. membranes.