Question: How is water from the seas and oceans turned into drinkable water?

Oliver answered on 7 Nov 2018: last edited 7 Nov 2018 5:40 pm

This is a very important question for the present and future needs of humans and our impact on our environment and our resources, including water. It is not easy or cheap as salt is so soluble. One method is thermal distillation – boiling the water to turn it into vapor and leaving the salt behind = water is then cooled, condensed and collected without the salt. The next most common type is reverse osmosis where seawater is forced through a semipermeable membrane that separates salt from water. I think Israel is the world leader in desalination developments, also Saudi Arabia – obvious reasons! But elsewhere too. The more pressure we put on traditional water supplies (ie freshwater) the more countries will have to follow suit.