DESALINATION
occupytheory.org
Desalination is the
process of removing salt from water.
.
At its root, it is a
very simple process. Water is boiled off and condensed on another surface,
leaving the salt behind in the original container. This is called distillation.
.
Reverse osmosis is
another method of desalination which forces water through a very fine filter
that prevents the salt from passing through.
.
Desalination has many
benefits, but there are downsides to the process that also need to be
considered.
LIST OF
PROS OF DESALINATION
1. Saltwater Abundance
.
In many areas of the
world, fresh water is in short supply. Salt water, on the other hand, is very
plentiful.
.
Desalination turns
salt water into fresh water, which is invaluable for people who have no other
source of water or whose main source is failing them. This water can then be
used for drinking or for agricultural needs.
.
When most people
think about a water shortage, they think about not watering their lawn or
washing their car.
.
But to a farmer,
water rationing can be devastating. In the world’s arid regions, irrigation is
absolutely necessary for growing many of the local crops.
.
Not having these
crops to sell has an enormous detrimental effect on the economy. A shortage of
fresh, locally grown produce can also impact the diets of residents.
.
All in all, having to
forbid farmers from irrigating their crops does not work out well for anyone.
Desalination can make that entire chain reaction unnecessary by providing the
water that farmers need for their crops.
2. Not Dependent on Changing Factors
One of the greatest
problems with many proposed solutions to the growing water demand is that they
are dependent on uncontrollable factors.
Building more
reservoirs presupposes that there is going to be the rain or snowfall needed to
fill them. Desalination does not rely on anything other than the presence of
the ocean.
With the concern
surrounding the melting of the polar ice caps and the rise of the ocean levels,
nobody is concerned about the ocean disappearing anytime soon.
3. Reliable Technology
Unlike many of the
proposed technologies for dealing with emerging problems in the world,
distillation and reverse osmosis are not in the research stage.
They have been proven
and used for years for a variety of applications, including water purification.
Neither method is volatile or risky.
People who argue for
desalination as a way to combat drought conditions strongly emphasize the point
that we have the technology at hand to address the problem and that we know how
to use it.
This is not a pie in
the sky dream of what might be possible someday. It is a workable solution.
https://youtu.be/2XMRlFMJB-g
i
LIST OF
CONS OF DESALINATION
1. Energy Costs
The main problem with
desalination is that it takes an enormous amount of energy.
Distillation requires
heating countless gallons of water to boiling temperature before it can be
recollected and used.
Reverse osmosis is no
better. Osmosis is a natural process. Reversing it is very energy demanding.
People who oppose
desalination as a workable solution for the drought problem facing various
regions of the world argue that the energy costs are simply too high for it to
be a long term, sustainable solution.
2. Expense
Desalination plants
do not just use up a lot of energy, they also use up a lot of money.
Building the plant
creates a very large cost upfront that many of the poorer sections of the world
simply cannot afford. There is then the added expense of providing the energy
to keep the plant operating.
Research in the U.S.
has found the desalinated water costs five times as much to harvest as other
fresh water sources. This cost is eventually passed on to the consumer, many of
whom cannot or would not pay that much for their water.
There is a functional
desalination plant in Santa Barbara, California, but that water is specifically
held in reserve for emergency use only because the water is simply too
expensive for people to buy as long as they have any other option.
The technology to do
so is fully understood and can be used today, not after years of additional
research.
Unfortunately, it
takes enormous amounts of energy to drive these plants. The price of that
energy ends up making desalinated water cost prohibitive.
If there were a
source of cheap, renewable energy that could be utilized in the process, it
would be a much more manageable solution.
As it currently
stands however, it looks like desalination is going to continue to be held in
reserve for emergency purposes only.
3. Waste
The whole point of
the desalination process is to remove salt from water. This leaves the producers
with large amounts of brine on their hands that have to be disposed of in some
way.
Chlorine and
anti-scaling agents are often added to the water and then left behind in the
brine. Dumping this waste back into the ocean plays havoc with the ecology and
kills marine life.
The other by-product
of desalination is carbon emissions.
The huge amounts of
energy used in the process create an equally large amount of emissions that are
released into the atmosphere and damage the ozone layer.
Desalination is a
proven and effective way of turning saltwater into freshwater that is usable
for drinking, livestock, and irrigation.
The technology to do
so is fully understood and can be used today, not after years of additional
research.
Unfortunately, it
takes enormous amounts of energy to drive these plants. The price of that
energy ends up making desalinated water cost prohibitive.
If there were a
source of cheap, renewable energy that could be utilized in the process, it
would be a much more manageable solution.
As it currently
stands however, it looks like desalination is going to continue to be held in
reserve for emergency purposes only.
Unfortunately, it
takes enormous amounts of energy to drive these plants. The price of that energy
ends up making desalinated water cost prohibitive.
If there were a
source of cheap, renewable energy that could be utilized in the process, it
would be a much more manageable solution.
As it currently
stands however, it looks like desalination is going to continue to be held in
reserve for emergency purposes only.
http://occupytheory.org/desalination-pros-and-cons-list/
RELATED
POSTS: ..
Springs - The Water
Cycle...
CLICK HERE . . .
http://puricare.blogspot.com/2016/06/springs-spring-is-result-of-aquifer.html.
..
.
http://puricare.blogspot.com/2016/06/springs-spring-is-result-of-aquifer.html.
..
.
Hydrologic Cycle, Surface and Groundwater Impurities
Groundwater depletion,
deterioration of water quality and saltwater intrusion
CLICK HERE . . .
http://puricare.blogspot.com/2016/05/groundwater-over-abstraction-pollution.html.
.
http://puricare.blogspot.com/2016/05/groundwater-over-abstraction-pollution.html.
.
 |
| Multi-Media Filter, Highly-Activated Carbon Filter, Zeolite-Process Water Softener With Brine Tank, Fiberglass Ballast-Type Pressure Tank (fully automatic backwash & regeneration) |
PURICARE
Water
Treatment
Systems
.
...
Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo, Philippines
...
CLICK HERE . . . to view company profile . . .
CLICK HERE . . . to view company profile . . .
 |
| Tachmina Laminated Sand Filter  |
 |
| Reverse Osmosis with Cartridge Pre-Filters |
 |
| Ultraviolet Bactericidal System with Cartridge Pre-Filters |
No comments:
Post a Comment