The ocean makes up 75% of earth’s water, but is undrinkable due to its high salt content.
Researchers have discovered a simple and cost-effective method for removing pollutants and salt from water, making it drinkable. Whereas previous methods for removing impurities from underground water sources have been costly, a chemical engineer, Martin Bazant, and his collegues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have developed a system that “takes advantage of the fact that sodium and chlorine particles have an electrical charge. Charged particles are called ions. [Instead of removing these particles with barriers or filters ] the new system uses electricity to steer the ions dissolved in water in a particular direction. This separates them from a stream of fresh (unsalty) water.
Bazant’s team published its results November 3 in Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
See photos and learn how it works here.
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