Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have invented an inexpensive device that can transform seawater into drinking water using solar energy.
Amid the unpredictable challenges posed by climate change, the depletion of freshwater resources is becoming increasingly severe, especially during the summer when water demand rises. Engineers have been exploring alternative methods to provide freshwater for users beyond the sources naturally available.
New invention converts seawater into freshwater using solar energy. (Photo illustration: Getty).
Previously, there have been several studies on desalination devices for obtaining freshwater from seawater, but these devices are often prohibitively expensive. A proposal to build such a plant in Mexico would cost over $5 billion. Furthermore, these devices, at a scale sufficient to supply water to hundreds of thousands of people, would require an enormous amount of heat.
Therefore, the advantage of the invention by the engineers at MIT, which has been tested in China, is its low cost, making it suitable for those living in areas lacking freshwater and who may not have high financial capabilities.
This device primarily relies on a process similar to salt thermal circulation, which occurs when water naturally circulates through the oceans and reacts to increased temperatures when exposed to air and sunlight, causing the water to evaporate and leave the salt behind.
As the salt concentration increases, the water becomes denser and tends to flow downward. This allows the water to remove the salt, desalinate, and become potable freshwater.
The low-cost desalination device will help us access the abundant water available in the oceans. By utilizing solar energy, we do not need any other power sources. With a size comparable to a suitcase, it can produce up to 3.8m3 of freshwater per hour.
Imagine the scale of a plant using this technology; it could produce an abundant supply of freshwater. Of course, to build at a plant scale, engineers will need to consider many other scientific factors, but this remains a valuable invention that opens up possibilities for human adaptation to the harsh changes of nature.
