Scientists discover how to make seawater drinkable in just 30 minutes thanks to sunlight, saving energy.
The problem of global water scarcity is far from over, but things could finally change. A team of scientists, taking advantage of sunlight, managed to make sea water drinkable in just 30 minutes.
In their experiment, the scientists used metal-organic structures (MOFs) and sunlight to filter the water and generate 139,5 liters of drinking water per kilogram of MOF per day. A technique that has been shown to be more accurate and effective than other desalination practices, energy efficient, low cost and sustainable.
The desalination process takes place thanks to a Mof filter capable of absorbing the salt from the water without consuming energy. The filter is then placed in the sunlight to regenerate and it takes about 4 minutes for it to be reused for the same purpose.
Quality drinking water, according to the World Health Organization, must have a TDS, total dissolved solids, of <600 parts per million (ppm). Well, the researchers managed to obtain water with a TDS <500 ppm in just half an hour.
Professor Huanting Wang, lead author of the research, from the department of chemical engineering at Monash University, Australia, said:
“Desalination has been used to address water scarcity around the world. Due to the availability of brackish and sea water and because the desalination processes are reliable, the treated water can be integrated into existing aquatic systems with minimal health risks. "
It also specified that the use of sunlight for regeneration represents an energy efficient, as well as ecologically sustainable, desalination solution. Unlike other desalination processes which consume too much energy or which, in other cases, involve the use of chemicals.
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In short, it could be a truly revolutionary technique for the whole world!
FONTI: Nature Sustainability / Smart Water Magazine
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