New invention turns seawater into fresh water using solar energy

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) have invented a cheap device that can turn seawater into drinking water using solar energy.

Faced with the current unpredictable climate change situation, the drying up of fresh water sources is becoming increasingly serious, especially in the summer when water demand increases. Engineers have searched for other ways to provide fresh water to users other than naturally available sources.

New invention turns seawater into fresh water using solar energy. (Illustrative photo: Getty).

In the past, there have been some studies on seawater desalination devices to obtain fresh water , but often these devices are too expensive. The proposal to build such a factory in Mexico would cost more than $5 billion. In addition, these devices at the scale of providing water to hundreds of thousands of people will require an extremely large amount of heat.

Therefore, the advantage of the invention of engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) tested in China is its low cost, suitable for people living in places lacking fresh water sources but without financial ability. High.

The device relies heavily on a process similar to thermohaline circulation , a process that occurs when water naturally circulates through the oceans in response to rising temperatures when exposed to air, light, and sunlight. The sun evaporates the water, leaving the salt behind.

When that amount of salt is concentrated, the water also becomes heavier and tends to flow downward. This allows the water to remove salt, desalinate and become drinkable fresh water.

Low-cost desalination equipment will give us access to the abundant water available in the oceans. Thanks to the use of solar energy, we do not need any other source of electricity. About the size of a suitcase, it can produce up to 3.8 cubic meters ^of fresh water per hour.

Imagine how much fresh water this technology can produce on a factory-sized scale. Of course, to build on a factory scale, engineers will have to pay attention to many other scientific factors, but this is still a valuable invention, opening up the ability for humans to adapt to change. harshness of nature.