What is seawater desalination?
Most of the water on Earth isn't good to drink because it's salty and comes from the sea. Desalination is a way to make this salty water clean (without salt) so we can use it. It can help provide freshwater for drinking, homes, etc. It is really important in places with limited freshwater.
But desalination has problems: it's expensive, uses a lot of energy, and harms the environment by making waste and pollution. The high energy requirements of present desalination methods will increase greenhouse gas emissions, affecting the climate.
However, because more and more people need freshwater as the population grows, scientists are finding ways to make desalination better for the environment. Recently, a company developed a new seawater desalination technology.
Which company has created a new seawater desalination technology?
Oneka Technologies, a Canadian start-up, made special machines that can use the power of the ocean waves to turn seawater into drinking water. These machines don't need fossil fuels to work.
How does Oneka’s desalination technology work?
Oneka's floating desalination machines are anchored to the seafloor. They use a membrane-based technique powered entirely by the movement of the waves. The machines absorb wave energy and change it into mechanical pumping forces. Using it, the machines power the membrane-based technique, which moves seawater through a special filter that takes out the salt.
The method used in normal desalination plants doesn’t use renewable energy, causing carbon dioxide emissions. It also produces highly concentrated salt water or brine, which can harm marine life if released directly into the sea.
Oneka’s machines don't use fossil fuels, and the clean drinking water made by them is sent to the land through pipes using the power of the waves. The brine is diluted properly and released back into the ocean. This reduces its salinity and doesn’t harm marine life. The company plans to start selling these machines next year.
